How Was Star Trek: Discovery Season 3?

[@SteveShives]

To those of you who have noticed an audio with this one, no, your speakers/headphones aren't the problem. It's my fault. I accidentally turned down the master volume at some point during the editing process and didn't notice it until the video was already published. Hopefully it's not too bad. I'll be more careful next time. Apologies!

[@trekjudas]

Its bad.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

I just had to remember to turn my volume back down after the video...no biggie.

[@FrantiC119]

There are addons you can get for Chrome and I imagine every browser that lets you turn it up beyond the normal range. The one I've got is just called Volume Master. If I turn it all the way up then it sounds perfectly normal, no crackling or anything.

[@evilAshTheDog]

I didn't notice that I had my volume up all the way. :)

[@docweidner]

I dropped my phone just before watching this and wondered if I had damaged something. You owe me for the scare. 😉

[@Jenifer_R_]

I loved that the first thing Culber did when he realised he could see Gray was give him a hug. The little moments of humanity amidst the space battles are often my favourite parts.

[@Kairamek]

Being a door, the Guardian sure knows how to make an entrance.

[@Brando64]

🚪

[@Nimelennar]

Congratulations for finding the perfect way to frame that statement.

[@stephenconroy5908]

Let's give a big hand to Oded Fehr's Admiral Vance. I spent most of the season wondering if they were going with the untrustworthy/corrupt/traitorous admiral trope... but no, just a decent and thoughtful fella, clearly wounded emotionally, trying to hold things together. His negotiation with Ossyra and the conflict within himself whether to accept the gift horse or not, was simply the best conflict of the series. You could almost feel him wrestling inside...

[@PoindexterTactical]

My issue with the turbo lift scene isn’t that it’s inconsistent with how turbo lifts have been seen before. I’m fine to have an updated version of them, the flying turbo lifts an idea that makes sense. What I didn’t care for was the massive void it flew around in. It was such a huge area that I was confused when watching it. I thought that the characters must be on the Viridian, and that I somehow missed that happening. It was so visually confusing that it pulled me out of the narrative. The updated control panels we’ve seen on the 23rd century ships, the holographic communications, updated looks of the sets and the ship design; none of these things pulled me out of the narrative. I just rolled with the others, those things all made sense to me. The turbo lift was the only thing that pulled me out and made me say “Wait..... what?”

[@texasyojimbo]

Maybe one explanation is that during the "upgrades" that Discovery got after finding Starfleet, maybe a lot of the ship was hollowed out since the crew is pretty small (maybe like 2 dozen people who actually live and work on Discovery now?). With the intent that it would be reconfigured at a later point for cargo duty or something. That said, yes, it was kind of jarring, given that most Trek has featured ships that seemed sort of cramped, or at least used as much of the space for living quarters as possible (hence why Scotty, Geordi, and others seemed to spend so much time crawling or hunched over in tiny jeffries tubes).

[@alanpennie8013]

@@texasyojimbo You don't really want superfluous mass on a spaceship. But the Spore Drive is such magic tech that it renders everything moot.

[@FoxDragon]

I'm just chalking it up to the writers being grown up anime nerds so now Star Trek gets "LiftSpace" it's own special little subdimension where the turbo-lifts live and play :D

[@chrisgerena229]

Well in previous series there have been ships discovered from the future that had special dimensional technology that lead to much larger spaces inside a ship than the outside profile allowed for so what's to say that this isn't a standard tech now used to make the internal space larger.

[@ejungleska]

I had a little bit of an issue as well with the turbo-lift scene but overall I was okay with it. Like James Dallas said the upgrades could explain that. In Enterprise "Future Tense" the ship (the TARDIS) they found was also bigger on the inside than the outside came from this time, so that would explain how the upgrade would better solve that. But speaking of more space inside than it would seem possible. The second season where Pike/Burnham/Jimmy? were in those tiny fighter things. Those launch tubes seem way too long given where in the shuttle bay they entered.

[@frankrevelation293]

I was disappointed in the explanation for the burn. A child's panic attack. But, that's ok because I probably couldn't have come up with an explanation anyway.

[@cynthiapowell2629]

I was waiting for something like the crystals are the offspring of a sentient being, or a new form of meta materials, or a new process of the evolution of a star, or the universe is changing into a different environment as space accelerates and changes" you know, something science. It seems like the entire season was about social science, not space science. Social science in "a child's scream" or "men kissing" or "women in charge" etc. It was like the social platform of the writers took dominance over the science that should be in a Star Trek episode. I enjoyed season 3. The actors are great! It just did not seem like Star Trek. It seemed more like a super heroes movie to me.

[@jonathanbui5282]

I thought it was going to be caused by Michael going through time (something exploded in temporal vortex on the way, sphere data reacting strange to temporal space, whatever, etc). So the payoff with her obsessing over finding the cause would be "oh fuck. I caused it." And it creates conflict because she's been promising Vance and Nevar she would find the cause. It would also create irony because Vance didn't care about finding the cause. Then the new conflict is whether or not she and Saru would come forward considering they were just readmitted back into SF with the season ending on (shock) them choosing to hide it for now, turning their backs on the SF values they pushed pretty hard first half of the season because the lesson Book had pushed on the crew was "this is a tough galaxy and you gotta do unsavory things you don't like to survive." This would also expand on their world building because technically there's an alt universe out there where Discovery never caused the heat death of the galaxy and lay the groundwork for a redemption mission story (more conflict: do we even come forward with our mistake if post-burn federation will cease to exist if we successfully fix things anyyways? Or do they deserve to know the truth in case we die trying?) I liked a lot of Season 3 (bring Osyrra back) but reason for the burn was underwhelming

[@seymssogood]

@@cynthiapowell2629 Trek has always been about the human condition (in particular, the American human condition) and has often stood on its soapbox and made social commentary on the current times in which it was made. That is Trek's core, social science wrapped up in a sci-fi format. Right now, the social science / commentary hits home more than at any time since the 60s.

[@Endgame1011]

there was a TNG episode that explained that high warp was damaging subspace, coulda done something with that, so much warp meant subspace came apart and bad stuff happened. couldve more played into the isolationist aspect of the season as subspace also allowed ftl communication. would've been better than "some rando kid on a rando planet blew it all up cuz he was sad"

[@Michoss9]

@@jonathanbui5282 I mean, making Michael BURNham cause the Burn would have been such an obvious thing, right? Honestly, no matter what caused it, I would have loved for it to actually have been a consequence to anything that happened before in the series - a scheme by Control, interdimensional shockwave from some Mirror Universe catastrophe, collapse of the spore network, whatever, really. Just not something invented entirely wholecloth and based on no previously established logic or events.

[@francoislacombe9071]

I understand what you mean when you say "it's all made up folks" but I always considered that a bad way of excusing lazy writing. Yes, all of fiction in general, and Star Trek in particular is an invention of our collective imaginations, but once something has been "made up", those coming afterward should at least make an effort to respect the results, otherwise what is the point of world building? My favorite example of that is in the episode The Wounded, when O'Brien explains how he'll be able to beam aboard the Phoenix even though her shields are up. Most of the time, the question of whether or not one can beam through shields depends only on what the plot requires. Here however, writers made an effort to find a work around that fitted perfectly in universe. I applaud that and I wish this was a more prevalent attitude among writers.

[@grumpyotter]

Agree completely. If you want to do your own cool thing with no regard for what came before, then don't call it Star Trek! Do your own cool thing. The entire tone of Discovery makes no sense in this universe.

[@DamienPalmer]

Just to ground this in the context within which that comment was made: this was specifically in reference to the "unrealism" of Tilly being promoted the way she was. This isn't bad, or lazy, writing. This is lazy watching. What I observed was an incredibly powerful example of the way hierarchies can exist and insist on being justified, in an anarchistic sense. If you can't get past your initial reaction to the events, you're missing out on expanding your mental horizons.

[@ForceMaximus84]

It is. Respectfully, “It’s all just a TV show!” and You’re just hating!” are excuses for any legit criticism. We can be better if we kindly suggest, at least.

[@Foomandoonian]

Star Trek has never been PERFECTLY consistent, but it has always made an effort to keep things coherent. If anything, paying attention to these little world building details is MORE important in a science-fiction show because you are already asking people to suspend their disbelief so much. Going into a new SF universe I’m happy to let the writers establish their own ground rules. I have VERY different expectations from Doctor Who than I do for The Expanse and I enjoy both shows immensely. I never stop to wonder how the shields or artificial gravity work in the Star Wars universe because that series never dwells on those kinds of details. But for 50 years Star Trek has been telling more grounded stories where the details do matter. Stories about fixing things, solving problems, learning about and understanding the universe better. They’ve thrown all of that away.

[@johngardner8201]

I very much agree with you here. I do like that Steve, at least in relation to the Tilly criticism, has other justifications for why it didn’t bother him. I felt that the promotion was handled well and made sense in the context of the drama. Where the “it’s all made up” rebuttal gets me is in things like the turbo lift scene. I’m really good at suspending disbelief and even I couldn’t help making a doctor who joke during book’s fight. (Tilly should have been the one to kill that guy but whatever that’s another post) Which tells me that it’s something is broken there beyond pedantic nerd shit.

[@bennyfifeaudio]

Captain Saru is my favorite right after Sisko.

[@Gregnier]

and D.) Somewhere during the time skip Ensign Kim screams "COME THE FUCK ON..."

[@collins.4380]

and E) in Star Trek, it's not exactly unheard of (Savik)

[@fredrickwilliamsjr6872]

I hear ya!!

[@HumanisticJones]

Look, the turbolift scene is perfectly technically sound. All you have to do is acknowledge when the Gallifreyan people joined the Federation back during the Temporal Cold War. They left after the outlawing of time travel, but by that point most federation ships had already integrated simple versions of the "Bigger on the Inside" technology the Gallifreyan's shared.

[@Scimarad]

As someone in another comments thread pointed out if you really wanted to explain it (personally I'd rather just ignore it) you can go to that 'bigger on the inside' timeship they found in Enterprise. I'm sure if that was the case it would have come up now and again, though.

[@BigSeayProductions]

Think back to the tine ship from ENT. That was from the 31st Century and it was bigger on the inside. There is a canon example of this tech so boom, your nerdy problem is solved

[@k1productions87]

@@Scimarad and it also came from the 31th Century, which also fits

[@alanpennie8013]

@@Scimarad There was a definite Dr Who vibe here.

[@davyc412]

Some of the best episodes were just figuring out what the hell was this future like that they were in. It feels like a lot of the novelty of the future was wasted when they found the federation. It would have been cool to see a whole season of them bumbling around trying to learn about this new galaxy before they found the federation, then next season they could single handedly save the galaxy

[@maximeteppe7627]

I Kinda wish there weren't a federation left to speak of, and sseing them rebuilding it from scratch. Or at least deal with a federation that had maybe lost more of its innocence. But I think they did a good job of showing the crew trying to fit back in.

[@DoctorMeh]

Truth

[@huemus]

The problem is the spore drive. Since they can teleport to anywhere in the galaxy, there is no reason to not find the Federation right away. Without that, you could have them traveling to differents sector through the episodes as they colect information.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@maximeteppe7627 Didn't want to be too like Andromeda I guess. I think having a diminished Starfleet was preferable.

[@DrewLSsix]

@@maximeteppe7627 perhaps more episodes of them finding lone outposts like that forst one and the Starbase mentioned by Osyraa. Disco finds this outpost separated from starfleet having to compromise to survive by dealing with a band of pirates has lots of potential.

[@sophia8482]

If anyone had told me I'd listen to any TV show review for 45 mins, I would have said they're crazy. This is the best review of anything I've ever seen-no unnecessary insults or over-analysis, just insightful observations. Refreshing!

[@elengul]

There was one super-fan-service thing I wanted (and I'm totally OK with it not happening) ... I really wanted the Ni'Var fleet to show up, and hail Ossyra, and when she answered, it be Burnham's mom who only said, "Please friends, choose life."

[@VirginPrince]

Honestly, that would have been cool.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@VirginPrince A lot of people wanted it. But too similar to season 2 probably.

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

I know there's an in-show explanation for the name Ni'Var, but I still prefer to believe it's called that because the planet is now made up of the: Native Inhabitants of Vulcan And Romulus.

[@spacewitchvulcan]

@@D.M.S. I don't think this is the case. It doesn't translate. It only works in English... Would be cool though!

[@zerotrustSZN]

i looked away and performed some menial task, so when you said "knock the ship out of warp", i heard "knock the sh** out of worf"... i was like "huh, who did what now???"

[@joefitzgeraldrodriguez4079]

Steve, thought you were 99% spot on in this video -- but! -- respectfully disagree regarding Osyraa. When I saw her arguing with Admiral Vance, I became so very, very excited for a complex recurring character a la Gul Dukat. Wouldn't it be amazing to have seen Vance say "yes" and follow the repercussions of his (maybe terrible) choice next season with a good/bad/everything-inbetween Osyraa as an antagonist on a diplomatic/psychological level? That's where I thought they were going with it. When she went wild and it became a pew pew situation I just sighed in frustration.

[@JessieGender1]

Technically if you count Short Treks, we got 4 seasons of Star Trek this year... so yeah... I'm a nerd.

[@k1productions87]

I consider them to be OVA's :P

[@DrewLSsix]

Technically Technically, if we are comparing to old school trek we have something less than 2 seasons by episode count. This matters when comparing how well we know characters by a given season because by season 3 of DS9 we had 71 episodes while DSC only gives us 42 episodes. From season one the episode count has been my number one issue with DSC! The pacing and development issues would be greatly improved with even a few more episodes per season. More stand alone episodes would be possible and more quiet moments too.

[@danielmaher9512]

My only "issue" with this season is the same as almost every series these days. The show runners come up with a WONDERFUL arc for a season. Lots of individual plot points to catch interest. And then they JAM IT ALL INTO ABOUT 10-14 EPISODES. There's literally no time for anything. It's like that Skyrim speedrun at AGDQ. 1.5 hours to rip through it all. I'm amazed that we even know the recurring character's names.

[@MartinPittBradley]

I guess the position of not caring about things like the giant elevator shaft is to focus on character dev and themes, but... It did pull a lot of viewers out of the story, and that undermines everything

[@shotarohidari7417]

I like to think the Voyager J is commanded by the original voyager’s EMH. Also the USS Nog is a Eisenberg class ship, again a reference to the late actor. It was definitely weird that the apparent flagship of the fleet was Voyager and not an Enterprise. Personally I think it is in a way a touching tribute to Spock and in a way Picard that Vulcans and Romulans did eventually reunify. It was also weird that the Romulan side of Ni’var was the one siding with the Federation and starfleet. And Lt Sahil now has the honor of being the person waiting for a commission/promotion longer than Harry Kim. Was also nice they acknowledged him getting a commission in the end of the episode. Although people were ranting about why the discovery became the Discovery A, i think people need to pay attention more. Vance outright says it that the discovery being there is basically 1 big law violation. Im sure part of the reason for the massive refit and registry change was to make it seem like either discovery was a new build or the old ship found and rebuilt. Wonder with the fact that they now have 2 people who can use the spore drive, will they perhaps refit another ship to use it.

[@alanpennie8013]

Book be able to operate The Spore Drive was really underplayed given what a big deal it is.

[@TheLittleMako]

Admiral Vance was one of the highlights of the season for me. Oded Fehr does an amazing job portraying him as firm but fair, a little jaded but still sincere and professional. The scene of him giving Burnham a dressing-down through furious clenched teeth was great, and his speech to Osyraa about maintaining the federation's core morality through hard times was really a great summation of what the federation is all about. Also he's got this real silver fox thing going on... ahem. Kind of a shame he wasn't around at the time of your evil admirals episode, he's a perfect counter-point.

[@Jgosse]

Also I have to say over all I feel this was the best season of discovery. Though that's not saying much as as far as I am concerned It is also the first season I really enjoyed and did not struggle to get through.

[@FrantiC119]

Yeah, that was my feeling too. It was okay, but still far below any old Trek show. It at least didn't make me visibly angry like Picard and I enjoyed parts of it at least up until the end. Most parts of the mirror episodes I really liked, Stamets and Hugh are written really well when mainstream TV gay relationships often aren't, and Suru is I think the best part and fun to watch, but at this point I'm just resigned to the fact that Trek isn't made for me anymore and I at least have The Orville.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@FrantiC119 Pretty much agree with your take. Saru and Stamets are definitely the people I want to see. This season was fine but a little underwhelming. Season 2 was hilariously bonkers, and I enjoyed everything apart from The Klingons.

[@Mimeniia]

Agree, it and Mando made 2020 bearable to a certain extent for me.

[@durazno4948]

Part of the reason Osyraa feels small time is that we're so used to thinking in terms of a galaxy ruled by massive empires and alliances with illegitimate space pirates lurking around the edges. That's not the case here, though - the pirates are an empire unto themselves. (We don't need to get into the veneer of legitimacy that separates pirates and empires, of course.) I think it would have been helpful to see the Emerald Chain's fleet in a standoff with the Federation at some point, such as when they were threatening Kaminar. If we could have seen the pirates arrayed against a Federation fleet on more-or-less equal terms, or even outnumbering them, that would have done more to sell Osyraa as a threat.

[@DavidBrendan7799]

I liked her character, she wasn't the problem.

[@danamaniac66]

One thing to note is now we can officially refer to Saru and Michael as Captain Saru and Captain Burnham in the pantheon of Star Trek captains

[@ryanbach9929]

The one change I would *love* to see for NuTrek in general: more episodes per season. I'm fine with waiting longer between seasons. I think this season would have benefited a ton from having something like 6-8 more episodes, mostly self-contained "adventure of the week" style episodes that would give the show time to breathe, give supporting characters more development and screen time, and help establish this setting so we had a better sense of the overall state of the galaxy, just how weakened the Federation is, the scope and strength of the Emerald Chain (I can't be the only one who assumed they were basically just an alliance of pirate ships until the negotiation scene when Osyraa and Vance started talking about its civilian population and government structure), etc. Plus, this time period is cool, there's lots of cool new tech and potential stories to tell. Also I have to say, as a nonbinary person, Adira is some of the best nonbinary representation I've ever seen in science fiction. I teared up when they finally felt safe and comfortable enough with Stamets to come out to him, and started outright crying when he and Culber were immediately unconditionally supportive and became their new space dads. I remember reading an interview with Blu del Barrio about how they were very involved with writing that scene based on their own experiences having fairly recently come out, and it shows. I really hope the writers don't drag their feet next season having Stamets find a way to keep his promise to Gray - some technobabble explanation for his engrams being extracted and interfaced with a mobile emitter, or some "biobabble" about Stamets' magic mushrooms, I don't care how they do it, I just want to see more of Gray. The scene where Gray finally gets to be seen by other people and Culber gives him a hug was also a tearjerker :')

[@Ma55ey]

I'm sorry for directing this at you Ryan, but as an almost 40 year old cis man that has no trans, gay or non binary friends to ask, this is kind of my only way to reach out.. I often think that a better storyline would have been if it had been revealed that Michael was transgender mid season 3? They come up against a race who is prejudice against that for some reason and it's revealed... then the realisation that as an audience we've been watched this woman struggle with things, she's had relationships and not once has this fact been an issue.. she just is.. and that's that.. in a sort of well in the 24th century that wouldn't be a topic that people would discuss.... in the same way that being gay is (i get not for everyone) a none issue... but then here you have a show where the lead character has always been an lgbtq character, we just didn't realsise it until now... By using words like non issue I'm not in any way trying to invalidate anyone today, but I'd hope that in star trek they'd have all these social inequalities sorted out... as opposed to wrapping it up in the Adria's trill storyline? I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.. again I hope you don't mind me singling you out..

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

"Die Trying" was absolutely one of my favorite episodes because of the sequence with the Discovery crew geeking out over the 32nd century ships. It was like, for just a minute...they were us. But seriously. The USS Nog is a first-generation ship? It took them nearly a thousand years to name a ship after the first Ferengi in Starfleet?

[@vernonhampton5863]

If Osira was an enemy of Sisco on DS9, she wouldn't last as long as Q did on his one episode.

[@horizonbrave1533]

Lol giving her "Better hair" is an understatement... lol, in one year her hair grew like 5 years worth xD

[@LioraBCT]

Her whole "changed person" arc would have played much better if it had been 5 years.

[@m.h.6470]

I especially liked, that while Saru tried out numerous versions of "energize". Burnham immediately found hers: "Let's fly!"

[@ronethan]

To be fair, she'd probably been planning it for a while

[@plucas1]

Probably the only line in the entire season she didn't whisper.

[@k1productions87]

"I wanna flyyyyyyy awaaaaayyy, yeeeeeeah, yeeeeeeah, yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaah"

[@judgegiant8951]

You mean "Engage". Energise is transporter related

[@chefbennyj]

@@plucas1 lol

[@alexturlais8558]

I genuinely didnt even realise that Picard came out this year. It feels like a lifetime ago.

[@JanetStarChild]

One of my biggest issues with ST: Discovery is how overly emotional Michael Burnham has been. It's like the writers simply abandoned her unique Vulcan upbringing backstory, only to remind us of it in that one episode of Ni'Var. I'm not asking for Michael to be a soulless automaton or an antisocial sourpuss, but I would like to see her more stolid and stoic. One of my biggest pleasures of ST: Discovery is the addition of Adira & Gray. Those two are on my list of favorite characters. Now I just wish we got more screen time of Jett Reno, and more character development of Joann Owosekun; I can see so much potential in her.

[@bobthoughts]

I must admit I felt let down by this season. It was with heavy heart that I had to drop Disco beneath Voyager on my Trek Ranking pdf ( first world problems right?). Burnham seems to be falling into the same traps as Janeway. From episode to episode her actions and motivations seem to change to fit the the script. In particular when she went off with Georgiou. And for all its faults by season the end of season 3 of Voyager I at least knew who all of the recurring characters were. I still really love Saru. He'd fit into any iteration of Trek and steal the show. I thought there were some interesting ideas too, I liked reunification 3 for example. I just don't feel like I can love Disco though and that makes me sad. I honestly wouldn't be affected if were cancelled. Really enjoyed Lower Decks though and I have high hopes for Strange New Worlds.

[@morrisfoston2]

Is it me or did Stamets still seem upset with Burnham even after getting his family back together?

[@alanpennie8013]

No. Not just you.

[@FilipWithAnF]

Yep, he’s a grudgy bitch

[@mindyp51d]

No, not just you. Oh, well, he'll get over it.

[@Donnagata1409]

@@FilipWithAnF Don't agree. She nearly forced him to abandon his family out to die! Call me petty, but I definitely would hold a grudge after that. And I would gladly hold-a Grudge anytime #SheIsAQueen

[@CDREtrev]

It would take me a while to get over that ish too

[@michaelcamacho7424]

Lol Steve: star wars fan service week trash talk. Also Steve: oh man thats some old fashion Trek stuff I appreciate that. Well I appreciated Luke ok! So just leave it alone lol great episode man !

[@FrantiC119]

I kind of have a bit of contention with the point on Tilly being promoted. I think what the intention was to normalize anxiety disorders, which is noble enough. At the same time it is a bit world breaking that someone with severe anxiety would be given such a crucial role in a life and death situation. So I'm kind of conflicted about it and I think it could have been set up better even though I think it was well-meaning. I actually like Tilly a lot in the same way I liked Barclay, it's just they really need to give this character development more breathing room in my opinion.

[@spacewitchvulcan]

Agreed!

[@spacewitchvulcan]

I love her though...So, who cares :))))

[@Cobbido]

@fairy wishes Stop talking shite.

[@mossiegee4674]

....Grudge had that licked up long before the DOT got there with the sponge #SheIsAQueen

[@trekjudas]

I feel about Discovery basically the same way you feel about Voyager.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

To me this season was downright amazing. Between episodes like Die Trying and Unification which were some of the best Trek since the Berman era. The Trilogy of Su'Kal, There Is A Tide and That Hope Is You (2) was basically Die Hard for Kurtzman Trek. And it was INCREDIBLE

[@totaleNonale]

While I generally agree with the point that the writers can choose who to put as the main character, this season still made me wish for less screentime of her. I had several moments this season where she was without question the first choice for something, even though there are many characters present that are more qualified to do it. (The whole away mission on the Trill homeworld culminating in her desecrating the Symbiont-vats by jumping in, while the spiritual guide and Symbiont-expert stood aside to throw in the emotional-support-poolball, took me out completely) I guess this was them trying to 'show-not-tell' but unfortunately it was never really badass and always felt forced to me...

[@bryankehler]

Interpreting everything as pure sarcasm makes this a lot more fun to watch and agree with.

[@tommoseley9262]

Ive tried to like it but it just seems its a Burnham love story now. The Expanse is so superior its sad.

[@AUBWallace]

Very low volume

[@iandowall153]

Okay, so it's not just me. I have every volume control turned up to max and it's still pretty quiet.

[@klausklemens]

One might even say quiet

[@FrantiC119]

Same. I have a Chrome addon that I can turn it up, but it has to go almost all the way before I can hear it well.

[@Platypi007]

Yep, can barely hear it withy earbuds.

[@somanymods]

I enjoy this show. Definitely has some big flaws, but the amount of people who seem to think it's complete trash baffles me.

[@IanZainea1990]

I thought Stamets was just terrible this season.

[@percytheclown9763]

Saru is probably my favorite character (which is saying a lot because I love them all). I loved all the stuff with him that you mention here, and I was so relieved they didn't kill him off, because for a couple episodes it seemed like they were setting that up to happen. Great review. I mostly agree with you, and this was fun to watch.

[@avatarofaiyel]

I love that this season was basically a love letter to Starship Andromeda (a show I loved) without having to put up with fascist sympathizer and discredit to my whole religion Kevin Sorbo.

[@crazypomp927]

It's strange that I don't watch Discovery but still enjoy listening to you review it.

[@TuomasLeone]

I enjoyed this season, of three so far, the most. It entertained me, and I looked forward each week to a new episode. Was it the ideal "Star Trek" to me? No, but that doesn't matter it presented another vision of it, and that alone I am happy with.

[@ninjabunny.66]

I as a whole really liked this season, but I felt that this season (and indeed much of the series in general) really suffers from the fact that modern shows have shorter seasons. The show tries to do a lot of neat things, many of which you mention, but in a season half of the length of what it probably would have taken to do it justice.

[@alanpennie8013]

The season and Picard would definitely have benefited from more episodes.

[@thegreatbaolmagician3032]

i cannot agree more if DIS had few more episodes, it would have been much better (still i really like the series)

[@erasure25]

@Cato G To me, Mando suffers the opposite - too little plot, too little happening, and skews much too episodic.

[@SuspiciousKoala]

The discussion of Detmer's trauma was very nice in my opinion. I remember during the start of the show with Lorca and how all the theories were that he was suffering some form of PTSD from the loss of the Buran. Then it was, as you so well put it, just a Trek thing. It was cool, don't get me wrong, but it felt like they had skipped over what could have been a good discussion of a serious issue in our world. I'm glad the writers approached the issue during this season and how they did it justice. As for other general comments: I understand the criticism of the turbolift fight. It was a bit "immersion" breaking and did take me out of the scene a bit. However, it was a fun scene and was visually interesting to watch, so I don't mind it too much. Regarding the pacing/serialization, I felt it needed work. I prefer the DS9/TNG/VOY style of serialization and was hoping there'd be more episodes of them just in the future, with nothing pushing the plot. To me, it felt like each episode was just there to service the plot. I'm hoping Season 4 strikes more of the exploration vibe since it feels like the main point of season 3 was just to set the stage for the galaxy. Overall, I enjoyed the show, and I think the writers are becoming more comfortable. All of the acting was suberb and I can't wait to see more of all of them! (And hopefully we'll see more of the "recurring" characters too.)

[@arklestudios]

Hot Take: The "Riker saves the day" moment in Lower Decks >>> the "Riker saves the day" moment in Picard. Not relevant to DIS Season 3, it's just that this video's intro got me thinking of that.

[@Jgosse]

Oh you missed the fact they added Kelvin into Canon. In Tera Ferma part 1.

[@ChateauLonLon]

What was the reference?

[@ronethan]

Ok I'm only like 11 minutes in but I wanna say this before I forget: I know people are pissed about the way The Burn was resolved, but to me it is incredibly potent that a child's grief and loneliness can be so deep and raw and explosive that everyone around might be affected, even without knowing. I see fans who want things to "make sense", but this is a story and it's about meaning. That a child's grief is tragic makes sense to me, even if "how it happens in the story" may seem far-fetched. Also: Grey's invisibility gives me a lot of feelings and thoughts about being transmasculine. Really good story for this character, I think.

[@texasyojimbo]

I think a lot of people wanted to think it was some sort of technical mishap. But this would have led to a denouement that was heavy on treknobabble and light on character or theme. Put another way, remember all the times the warp core breached (or almost breached) in TNG? It was never really at the center of the plot (OK, except maybe Timescape) but just a plot complication or macguffin. Now imagine if TNG spent an entire season trying to explain why a warp core breach happened. It would have been insufferable.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Rowan J noted in his recent video that the burn cause is basically a version of the problem that President T'Rina described to Saru during Unification

[@michaeldeboer9940]

The only thing I find takes me out of what would otherwise be a good story about connecting and grief, is that it's all explained away with "he was born there, so it's in his genetics" in utero or something. It's not like if my child is born on the moon he suddenly learns how to breathe in space. You don't get superpowers by being born somewhere. This kid gets radiation in utero on a dilithium planet and therefore his emotional state can affect minerals AND that shockwave reaches the entire galaxy? It's a little bit of a stretch.

[@matthewcheung7014]

Well said. And to those who complain about lack of realism, that has always been a part of Star Trek.

[@poozizzle]

I met Johathonn Frames at a Star Trek convention and he reluctantly signed my dirty flyer. Such a gentleman.

[@harfharfful]

I won't watch this yet, until I've caught up. But there's one thing I wanted to get off my chest. For those who were saying Discovery's SJWness was going to kill it... with a 4th season ordered, it's lasted longer than TOS.

[@wimsweden]

After three seasons I find myself still not really caring about any of the crew. They feel like cardboard figures used as plot devices or to speechify at each other. I for example don’t feel the father-child relationship between Stamets and Adira, I’ve only heard the writers say that in speeches from Stamets to Adira and vice versa. Characters don’t seem to be having actual conversations with each other, they’re just doing speeches where you can see the writers’ fingerprints instead of it feeling like an actual conversation where people are getting to know and love each other.

[@crystalfajman3732]

Also in the Kelvin timeline Kirk was promoted from Cadet to first officer then almost immediately Captain!

[@Nimelennar]

I agreed with almost everything you said. A couple of positive notes you missed: I appreciated how this season had more back-and-forth between characters about moral dilemmas, as well as inter-character conversation. You mentioned the Burnham-centric nature of the show, which is absolutely a criticism I've made in the past, but such moments as the dinner with Saru, the repair of the damage to Discovery, the rescue mission by the bridge crew, the moments where Owosekun is encouraging Detmer, all gave the show at least a feel like these characters had relationships with each other separate from the plot. And a bunch of times, they had to make the choice between doing things the Starfleet/Federation way and a different way, and these felt like actual choices with weight to them, which is something I didn't feel in previous seasons. I especially liked how, at the end of the "Burnham goes rogue" episode, the Admiral chastises them for not coming to him and getting authorization for the mission, because in hindsight, it would have been such a great resolution to the whole conflict, but it's one that didn't feel obvious from any angle because the Admiral started as such a suspicious, uncompromising character, even though we know he'd softened since their arrival. And giving Doug Jones, an actor known for playing characters hidden behind heavy prosthetics and CGI, a chance to show his real face to the world was just *chef's kiss*. A couple of negatives: This season had a bunch of problems with set up and pay off. There were some good set ups for some pay-offs, and good payoffs for some set-ups, but a whole bunch of things that could have come back didn't. For one example: how did Burnham find Discovery? Well, in the season premiere, she had asked Lt. Sahil to look out for them. It would have been nice for that to be called back. A scene thanking him by video call in the third episode, or showing Burnham entering the paperwork to register his commission when she returned to Discovery. Yes, they gave him a cameo in the season finale, but it would have been so much better to have him serve the purpose he was set up for, to help her find the ship when it arrived. (That said, I loved, loved, LOVED what they did with Sahil in the premiere, using him as a proxy for all of the other "true believers" who still held faith in the Federation despite its withdrawal) For an example of a pay-off without a set-up, Burnham's message to Tilley. It references a scene in the nacelle access port, where Tilley and Burnham had a bonding experience on her birthday. Wouldn't that have made for a great Short Treks episode, that that message could have called back to? And, my biggest complaint about Discovery, which also somewhat falls into the "payoffs without set-ups" category, is what I'm beginning to call "the Airiam effect." By which, I mean, a character is given a great character arc which could really impact their story going forward... just in time for them to be written off of the show. There are two of them this season, where Commander Nhan and Empress Georgiou each got an arc focused on them right before leaving (three, if Saru doesn't come back). It's so frustrating to want an episode about Owosekun, or Detmer, or Nilsson, or Bryce, or any other such character. Then, finally they give you an episode which gives some depth to Nhan, and then Nhan leaves the ship, and that character building amounts to nothing. Apart from those points, which are less disagreements than "things you didn't mention," my only real disagreement with you is that I think this was a huge leap ahead of Season Two. I can't think of any problems with this season that weren't even larger in the second season (even the Airiam effect is somewhat mitigated by the fact that at least the secondary characters are GETTING some development this season), and this season is just a better, more timely, more optimistic, more nuanced, and, above all, more Trek story than the second season was. I probably would not have returned for a Season Four if I thought Season Three had not been an improvement upon Season Two. I will be coming back to Discovery, because it absolutely was. Edit to add: and, in Adira, they FINALLY added a "Roddenberry character" (e.g. Spock, Data, Odo, Seven, etc.) who is meant to fill the role of someone exploring what it means to be human. It's something that I felt was dearly missing in the first two seasons, and that I'm really looking forward to seeing explored in the next one.

[@klausklemens]

Since i first saw the DOT-23 robots in the Intro, I was scared of robot apocalypse. I don't know why they triggered me so hard, but i'm glad it didn't happen.

[@xxclokwerkzxx6438]

and also the burn is not the first time they've used an emotional outburst that causes a catastrophe in Star Trek. in season 3, episode 3 of TNG the survivors, we had Kevin the Douwd who wiped out the Husnock an entire species of over 50 billion souls over his grief of seeing his wife die at their hands. (one of my all time favorites)

[@davepoul8483]

took me a while to get into Discovery.. I started watching from S1E3... Like it ..looking forward to next season.. BUT I WANT A STAR TREK, The PIKE YEARS..on Enterprise.. :)

[@fgdj2000]

4:39 I like how Michael‘s appearance, Saving the Discovery with a tractor beam, mirrors her own first encounter with the Discovery in Context is for Kings, when she was saved via tractor beam.

[@dreadelectric7745]

‘To further piss off the angry impotent nerds.....’ 😂😂😂😂Damn Steve DAMN....😂😂

[@travisgames6608]

I mean, caring about SOME continuity is essential

[@DustinM83]

I'm glad you folks can enjoy the new era of Star Trek. For me The writing is so bad and the tone is just so off, I cannot. Even in this glowing review Steve has to point out some silly stuff like federation and starfleet is constantly conflated.

[@zodden01]

I WISH I could enjoy it. I keep trying. I keep waiting. I went through the rough times of Season 1-2 of Enterprise. Season One of TNG and DS9. The ridiculous (except Seska) Kazon. Its just that by the fourth season of every previous show they had come out of it. I feel they are still struggling with this one.

[@huemus]

Me too. I'm watching it not beacuse I love the show, but rather I'm a completionist. At least I'm not hating it. I think the show would benefit of a more episodic narrative, rather than a full arc season, so if one episode is bad or nonesensical, it wouldn't drag all the season down. The Mandalorian is a good example that you can make a episodic serie (with an overall arc) nowadays.

[@bobthoughts]

What your not looking forward to the Section 31 series, following the further adventures of an absolved fascist dictator?

[@Wizastudios]

The turbolift scene totally took me out of the show. I understand this is scifi but I couldn't help wonder if they were in a TARDIS instead of a Starship. Like how many lifts are going around the ship at once? Plus with the new badges why even have them when everyone just teleports where they need to be. The Burn plot wasn't working for me. The reveal felt lazy and didn't pay off other than a world of honestly

[@cynthiapowell2629]

The badge devices for transport were taken from the crew.

[@BalooSJ]

I did not really mind the turbolift scene so much, but I definitely felt that in a hypothetical Galaxy Quest scenario, that's definitely on the same level as the chompers.

[@CDREtrev]

We saw "bigger on the inside", TARDIS-like tech in Enterprise, that was from the 29th century. It stands to reason it may still be around and have been part of the "upgrades" to Discovery.

[@ModerateHipster]

Thanks for making this episode. I was considering watching Season 3 out of morbid curiosity, but watching this review has shown to me that I won't like 3 any better than I liked what I have seen. You saved me a lot of time! Keep it up!

[@jdvoyager9159]

I think the problem with pacing in kurtzman Trek they get a significantly less amount of episodes to develop characters to get in a full stride like Berman track . For example the average Number of episode of the Season went from 24 episodes to barely scratching 13 it just a thought.

[@marcodavinci3150]

Very good and objective review! I was looking for a reviewer who doesn't rave about the show but actually adresses the issues I've seen! Thanks!

[@Jgosse]

I still don't get how the Orians looked worse in discovery then in enterprise. I mean they were shiny.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

Yeah, I was not a fan of the makeup for them or the Andorians. In general, I've not liked a lot of the visuals in Discovery at all; the ship interiors are poorly lit (when it's 'day shift' time, it's like Red October or something), all the light in space is blue...

[@gioc3496]

My impression was that Stamets referred to Adira as his child as a negotiation tactic to connect with Aurelio. That might be me covering for the writers, but I think it would make sense. Love the vid as always! I especially liked how you, like me, COULDN’T CARE LESS about the size of the Turboshaft.

[@davidcolby167]

I mean, if Starfleet isn't a military, maybe they should stop acting like it? Like...nothing is keeping the authors from making Starfleet a civilian organization, with civilian organizational methods. They're just want their space pew pew cake and their we're not a military cake, at the same time. Which i guess they're allowed, but I'm also allowed to complain when they promote an ensign to first officer. but, like, the REAL issue is...why didn't they promote tilly for all her cool actions before now????? you can have more than one promotion!

[@sandordugalin8951]

Even civilian workplaces have a chain of command. They just don't use military ranks. All large projects and undertakings require some sort of organization.

[@samanthaquinn3003]

I'm of the opinion that part of the problem with development is episode numbers, while a 12 episode season for a serialized series is plenty we miss out on filler episodes (for the most part) that give secondary characters a chance to flourish. That being said, that finale had more interesting stuff going on with the secondary characters than we have gotten over the entire series thus far. Maybe with S4 we'll get some time devoted to the bridge crew.

[@gordonlong3095]

I found this season to be simply outstanding, the best third season since TNG. Other reunion points included Michael reuniting with her mother and the fact the Romulans had reunited with the Vulcans, while Book got to reunite with his brother and with Michael after a brief separation, and there is a big chance that the Federation can reunite now. I loved First Officer Tilly. Now one thing a commanding officer can do in the military is appoint anyone they wish for a watch shift, maybe to run things while the captain is of the shift. Slightly unrealistic for it to be Tilly, but there were times when someone else other than Scotty took over when Kirk and Spock beamed down (usually Sulu, but once Lt. Leslie). There’s even a really good Trek novel called Doctor’s Orders where Jim, tired of Bones’ complaining, sticks the good Doctor into the captain’s chair while he’s off the ship for a while when he disappears on a planet for most of the book. The Doctor had briefly been left in command in an earlier novel as well. I greatly enjoyed the connections between Stamets and Culber, and Adira and Gray, beginning to form a real family. We haven’t really seen a family form since Ben married Kasidy and since Tom married B’elanna. I liked how the disaster of The Burn called back to mind that forgotten TNG plot where warp travel had to be limited to warp five. I greatly enjoyed Osyraa. I felt her limited appearances, plus the constant mentions of her by people in many episodes, heightened her presence. I was actually scared of her by her second appearance. For me, she was the best villain in decades, probably since Dukat. Her attractiveness and sensuality were well-matched by her calculating and power-seeking personality. I loved her menace. She is the most successful Orion character in the whole franchise, even more than Tendi, whom I like a lot. I will miss the Empress. I do think having the Guardian appear as Carl was quite clever. The performer who the original voice of the Guardian was the television announcer of the gladiator fights on the Roman planet. I think the Guardian adopted the announcer’s voice as a bit of foreshadowing as the Guardian knew the Enterprise would encounter many situations as though they were in Earth’s past-Romans, Nazis, gangsters, The Old West, Apollo, Kukulcan. (I know it wasn’t written that way, but it’s a fan theory of mine.) also, Carl’s actor had been a police officer on CSI, so I thought it was an interesting twist for him to send her back to Section 31, since she had been a law unto herself. I also was touched by them bringing back that guy from the space station in the first episode who kept the idea of the Federation and Starfleet alive. Oh, and the idea of Su’kal losing his mother is harkening back to those four TNG episodes where the kid was orphaned.

[@gordonlong3095]

One more thing. I don’t really like Ash all that much. I think Book is much better character, better written, better acted. He has far more chemistry with Michael than Ash ever did. I really enjoyed having him around. He’s the best love interest since at least Kelvin Spock and Uhura.

[@philrochester9562]

I liked it. True the lift scene was weird. Also it'd be nice to get a bit more from some of the supporting characters, that said, look at the original series, it's not like Uhura, Sulu or Checkov ever got their own episode. Scotty sort of got the Jack The Ripper one and Chapel had the android husband episode but otherwise it's pretty much Kirk / Spock / McCoy! It'd still be good to have an occasional episode where Bryce or Owoshekun get to be the focus for once. Just one or two per series to look at other characters (although they did do a good job with Detmer on this one). Also, less episodes where Burnham cries, I think it was ten out of thirteen this time!

[@berthulf]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that got the Vera Webster reference. My friends all thought I was mad.

[@JoeKawano]

Fun romp through season 3. Thanks for going through this with us.

[@flerkensgalaxy5779]

"Damn, really? I hope they don't have republicans on vulcan" Best line ever. Better hope Leninspock doesn't take advantage of it though.

[@shockwave7513]

I'd like to say, the fact that the personal pronouns "they/them" apply personally to the actor playing Adira; I think those pronouns also make more sense for a joined species like the Trill. Because those who are joined aren't just one person, they're two. So "they/them" is quite applicable to Adira not just as their gender identity, but also as their now physical identity as an entity with "multiple personalities", for lack of a better term.

[@AJBiskit]

So a little "This Century is more advanced than That One" touch I picked up on over time that I quite liked: The 32nd century personal transporters were visibly much quicker than Discovery's 23rd century ones (pre-refit). It's never drawn attention to, but its a subtle little indicator of the different technology levels.

[@troikas3353]

It’s fine if you don’t care about continuity, narrative logic, world consistancy or character motivation and just want to be entertained by whatever’s happening on screen at a given moment. It’s all subjective. I just find it incredibly lazy if a writer can’t be bothered to maintain consistancy with something as basic as the shape of the room their scene is in. They don’t need to bother with plotting out a story beat so it makes sense. You need a dragon in your story to solve a narrative thread? Write one into the next scene. Doesn’t matter if you’ve never referenced dragons even existing in your world prior. Just wave your authorial hand, poof a dragon into existance and move on to the next set piece. All that time spent on research and planning and forethought other writers do to ground their stories is for the birds. At a point it stops being a story and just turns into a vaguely connected sequence of events whose only driving factor is Rule of Cool. The complete antithesis to what Trek, at its best, tries to be. It’s the Voyager mentality of “none of this shit will matter next week anyway” but without the honesty of admitting thats what you’re doing. Part of what made the best of Trek so incredible is that it put forth effort to achieve some level of verisimilitude. It tries to make the world seem real even though we know it isn’t. It treats the world as more than just a pointless fluff. It doesn’t need to be accurate to every last detail. There’s a difference between wanting the writer to remember minutia established 30 years ago by a now dead writer...and wanting them to not change the scale of the bloody ship on a minute to minute basis because they couldn’t be arsed to care.

[@berendharmsen]

I really wanted to like the third season of Discovery - I really did. The first season was extremely 'meh' for me, but I thought the second one was a significant improvement, with only the main plot (follow the lights) being a bit, well, light, on substance. But it moved along at a brisk pace and of course Captain Pike was a delightful addition. I went into season three with some optimism. I wasn't expecting Mandalorian quality, but certainly hoped to see the line continue. I stuck with it, and saw every episode, but I must say it was a slog. Some episodes I had to watch in two sittings, because I just got so annoyed sometimes. I have no problem with any time line stuff. I'm just not a big enoug Star Trek fan to really be bothered all that much about internal inconsistencies and I can watch the shows as standalone objects and enjoy their stories regardless of context. But the stories were a real problem here for me. The thing that distracted me the most was that - to an even greater extend as in the previous seasons - that every episode seemed to be not so much about the sci fi premise of the story, but more as a vehicle to create 'emotional scenes'. I like a good emotional punch. When Picard finally sat down with his officers to play poker, observing he should have done that ages ago, that was a well-earned sentimental moment. Star Trek has been very much about emotions since TNG, and that gave the show an added depth. I can see why you would want to aim for such moments in your show, but in Discovery they just go all out, in every single episode. You get the distinct feeling that the script meetings for each story start with an empty whiteboard and someone says: which two characters get the violin treatment this week? And then they pick the two tearjerking scenes of the week and then proceed to write the episode around them. The emotional scenes are incredibly ham-fisted. The violins feel unearned. I rarely felt any emotions when everybody comes together and rallies behind whatever it was that was bothering one of the crewmembers this time. The elevation of Tilly to first officer was fine, and I agree she's one of the rare characters in the show that you can actually care for. That wasn't the problem. But it was incredibly annoying that you then had to sit through that entire - completely predictable - series of scenes where she was constantly expressing self-doubt and you just know that there is a heartwarming scene on the horizon where the entire crew will stand and confirm her authority as first officer in a big loving group hug. I think I briefly tasted vomit when that happened. Star Trek Discovery, season three: people endlessly patting each other on the back and hugging each other, punctuated by occasional moments of something that vaguely resembles a science fiction story. There were several moments in the show that I contacted friends who have given up on the show in disgust where I texted 'well, maybe there's some improvement here' - only to follow up half an hour later with: ah, never mind, they're hugging again and the interesting thing was resolved as a casual afterthought. I really wanted to like it, I really did.

[@DonDonP1]

Hello, Steve. I must be honest: "Star Trek: Discovery" is mostly an OK current "Star Trek" show overall, since "Prodigy" is my #1 current "Star Trek" show, but I love its score. Despite that, I'm ready for season five and also the final season of "Picard"--also an OK current "Star Trek" show for me. Keep up the good work and Happy 2023!

[@wendyking2769]

Thank you sir, I have heard so much negative it was great to hear measured praise. Your closing remarks were a balm for my exhausted brain. I remain stubbornly optimistic.

[@danielgertler5976]

Funny how you think Osyrra should have been downgraded as a villain because I feel like she should have been upgraded. As in make her this show's Dukat, there was a second of her being this more complex character when she sat down and seemingly genuinely wanted to negotiate...But every other time we see her, even the very next episode, she comes across like a very one dimensional villain. Keeping her alive at the end of the season and having her and the emerald chain become more and more of a threat every season, as well as returning to that more political minded Osyrra in future seasons, could have made her one of Star Trek's best antagonists. But alas she's green jelly now.

[@alanpennie8013]

I too thought she had potential and wanted to keep her for next season.

[@GrannyGamer1]

Best metaphor is Sabin. Sometimes, That Hope Is You. Just keep doing The Thing, without reward or even acknowledgement. Be lonely, fight off the doubt and discouragement. Get up every day. Make your bed. Brush your teeth. Do your commitment. And, is there a better metaphor for pandemic lockdown? That hope is you.

[@GrannyGamer1]

Sahin damn autocorrect

[@pedasn]

I still havent gone beyond S03 E01 in Discovery, and i'm sad to say as a lifelong Star Trek fan, i probably will not watch it and abandon Discovery. This review only cemented that feeling

[@rmeddy]

Forgot me not and Unification III were my favourite episodes. I enjoyed this season for the most part but The Burn explanation was kinda weak even though the whole "Dilithium is EEZO now" thing has potential, like I don't expect them to have Star Trek characters doing Biotic Charge or anything but I like it's actually a thing now, when ST:Picard took stuff from Mass Effect I was annoyed, but this concept works for me here. Osyrra and the Emerald Chain were kinda one note, it's basically just the Orion Syndicate evolved and she was trying to make herself the nice tyrant and clean her image It works as a nice reset and it should feel like "normal" Trek from here on in, with Burnham being captain is fine by me. Let's Fly is good call out.

[@lazerpipe]

Disco: Saru is Captain now. Steve: I almost cried. Me: I DID cry! 😂❤️

[@plucas1]

You forgot to whisper the entire review so everyone can tell how serious and dramatic you're being.

[@mgscheue]

This. The way she whispers her lines is so annoying.

[@MrMeldonius]

And cry! Dont forget tears, there must be tears!

[@owbu]

He also forgot to say "in the truest sense of the word" every other sentence. (I'm sorry if you hadnt noticed that yet and now have to live with it for the rest of discoverys life)

[@cynthiapowell2629]

The problem with Star Trek Discovery Season 3 is there is no science in it. I enjoyed watching it. The actors are great! It just seems more like a super hero movie than it does Star Trek. Also, the plot rambles. If they are going to carry a story line through the entire season, there needs to be some smaller scenarios within each episode that have a clear open and close within each of the episodes to keep the storyline engaged. Perhaps they could hire some scientists to give them a basic understanding of science and technology 900 years into the future?

[@Vandelberger]

Captain Seru was good, but I think angry 7 was very bad. She could of been any Ex-Borg. I would of preferred the other blonde kid they saved in voyager. Yes, I know they left her there but I do like the ST Online canon where a wormhole allows easier travel to Delta Quadrant. I love Jeri but she didn’t act like 7 at all. Time changes people but 7 acts like a different human all together. The Burn plot didn’t make sense to me as Discovery is a thousand year old ship and it has that huge “buy” that no one thought to solve the mystery in 900 freaking years? The discovery didn’t have anything special required to solve the burn plot. Maybe the spore drive could of been required to teleport inside a mystery bubble that no one has penetrated? Idk.

[@JK-dx4ob]

*could _have_ *would _have_ 😜 Also, the burn happened a little over 100 years ago (125?), not 900 years ago!

[@seymssogood]

They had a different perspective, having recently arrived in the future, and a different motivation, the need to connect with home and to help their home to heal.

[@dansmith4766]

Totally agree with regards the bridge crew. Do you think the lack of development for the bridge crew will change next season with Captain Burnham or is it an inevitable cost of having these more story/ action heavy episodes (and less of them per season)? Perhaps the pike show will scratch this itch a bit more but what I wouldn't give for a show that could slow down and tell smaller stories about the characters dealing with more everyday problems.

[@JimmyNotes]

I agree with you on being indifferent to Carl being "The Guardian of Forever". I do think it would have been cooler if Carl had been revealed to be a different Guardian of Forever. I think this season of Discovery did a good job of revisiting a few different plot points established by previous Star Trek series.

[@marcodavinci3150]

I loved Captain Saru and don't know if I will be able to watch without him as the Captain

[@kirk001]

You made a really good point of Discovery having so many good ideas that it's crowded. It just dawned on me it's because they put so much screen time into bread crumbs / mystery box story telling. For example, they could do a single solid episode on Grey for less screen time than all of the build up that hasn't led to a pay off yet.

[@glamourweaver]

I guess because I only just watched this season in 2024, while I understood the thematic tie of “connection” tied what happened to Su’Kal to the state of galaxy caused by the Burn, to the arcs of the characters, I didn’t place at first how directly the whole season was a response to COVID isolation, as exemplified most directly by Su’Kal

[@Euroflounder]

Yes, yes I have taken a step back. It's awesome.

[@MP-uk1yc]

I agreed with nearly all your points on this, I enjoyed Discovery a lot, but the season fell a little short at the end as the "big bad" really never felt fleshed out or that big of a threat. The one point I will make is you compared Discovery to Deep Space Nine saying DS9 by end of Season 3 had fully fleshed out most of the background characters, I would point out by the end of S3 of DS9 there had been 72 episodes, whereas Discovery has only had 42. DS9 had a lot of "filler" episodes, that really helped to flesh out everyone, Discovery doesn't have at much room to do this, though I would love to see some better pacing in S4 and give time to become a bit more episodic than season arc, giving them the time needed to give everyone a bit more screen time.

[@dianacrow9400]

I'm starting to think that Star Trek shows ith lots of characters and over-arcing storylines need about 20 episodes per season. Like Deep Space 9 had time to spend an entire episode on a baseball game, while waiting for reinforcements to arrive...Can you imagine Discovery having time to just do something like that?