Welcome, one and all, to my continuing ‘Quick Thoughts on Star Trek Discovery’ series. Today’s episode, ‘Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2’, brings us to the end of the series. Let’s see if it went out with a bang.
War Arrives
“I’m a cat. I have five more lives at least” – Jett Reno
This episode was, almost entirely, a battle. Even the more talk-heavy sections played into what was going on during the battle, and everybody was pushing it in terms of survivability. From a visual standpoint, the whole thing was really well done. The actual space battle looked suitably impressive with a cavalcade of lasers and explosions that would rival a bullet hell video game. There was also a nice moment where Georgiou and Nhan were fighting Leland and the ship’s gravity was disabled. The fight spilled up the wall and onto the ceiling. I’m going to guess that the camera was fixed and the room rotated while they were fighting. However they did it though, it looked cool. Oh, and the Trek staple of explosions in the bridge and people shaking all over the place was present too, which raised a smile.
There was a clear feeling that everyone was resolute in their path too, which was made abundantly clear in Pike’s opening speech. It is perhaps that perseverance that prevented a lot of the main cast from being killed off. One thing that was important to note though was that Pike took the time crystal, and in doing so, sealed his vision of the future as set in stone. Michael and Jett touched it, which meant that their vision was possible but not definite. This was illustrated when Leland beamed aboard Discovery but his assault on the bridge didn’t result in everyone’s death. Not knowing that had happened meant that Michael was treated to a little bit of fear when she witnesses an unexploded photon torpedo lodge itself in the Enterprise’s saucer. It was Spock that eventually guided her though, prompting her to time hop backwards to place the five signals before the suit will allow her to jump forward.
I’ve gotta say, I choked up during the battle too. Even knowing that they’d find a way to win, that moment when all hope was lost, only for the Klingons and Kelpians to turn up and make the save was beautiful. I love a good heroic fight back, and when the cleave ship jumped in and tore through Control’s drones, it was so well executed form a time standpoint. Unlike Jett though, not all the people aboard had multiple lives to play with. The biggest loss here was Admiral Cornwall, who sacrifices herself – again, heroically – to ensure the Enterprise survives.
Looking To The Future
“I’m your family. Wherever we go from here, we go together.” – Hugh Culber
The battle was really a backdrop though The real goal here was to tie up the loose ends, and the episode was really effective in that regard. While relegated to a minor role I the story, it was nice to see Hugh and Stamets reconcile, with Hugh vowing to stay with him. I had hoped that they’d find a way to bring them back together, and this made sense during the conflict.
Spock was the driving force for keeping it all on track though. He had a few more sentimental moments with Michael this week, but a stray laser blast knocked out his shuttle’s engines, meaning he could not join Michael on her voyage to the future. This allowed him to make the suggestion to Star Fleet that those with prior knowledge of Discovery and its Spore Drive be barred from ever speaking of it. The reasoning was that the survivors saw the ship explode, and to allow records to exist would potentially give people a foothold to start trying to make timeline changes if the chance arose. This was good, as it gives a simple explanation as to why Spock had never mentioned his sister in TOS.
The other side of this is that Discovery clearly succeeded in their plan. The ship, of course, didn’t really explode, and Michael did send the seventh signal back to let Spock know that they survived. The good thing with this is that it gives plenty of set-up for a third season where the crew won’t have to worry about continuity issues. At the same time, if a third season doesn’t materialize, the ending won’t be harmed, as the crew made one big final sacrifice to ensure the safety of those in the main timeline. This was a great way to plan for the future, but not leave things hanging and feeling unfinished.
Final Thoughts
And so, Star Trek: Discovery Season Two ends. Overall, I thought that it did a great job of balancing the darker themes of Season One with some classic Trek moments. The end of beautifully orchestrated, and it was a nice touch to show us Spock looking like his classic incarnation too. This was an excellent end to what was an enjoyable series.
But what about yourselves? Do you agree with me, or did you dislike the series? Let me know in the comments below.
Matt Doyle Media 