Star Trek: Discovery Review: The Vulcan Hello / Battle at the Binary Stars (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)

After delays and the loss of show runner Bryan Fuller, Star Trek: Discovery has finally premiered.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Episode 1, “The Vulcan Hello,” premiered on their more traditional CBS television time slot, and Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Episode 2, “Battle at the Binary Stars,” was exclusively available on their subscription service, CBS All Access.

It’s been more than a decade since Star Trek Enterprise, and Star Trek: Discovery is arriving in a time where more cable customers are cutting the cord every year. Perhaps it’s apt that the new Star Trek pave the way for the possible future.

Most Trekkies will note that the series has revamped the production design of Star Trek, borrowing more from J.J. Abrams’ influences, with glossy, eye-popping sleekness and an attachment to landscapes more concerned with visual appeal than realism.

The Klingons of this dazzling world are unlike any Klingon seen in the Trek universe so far. Diehard Trekkies will probably lament at their transformation, wondering how Worf descended from creatures with much more alien than humanoid form.

Despite the changes, the visuals are a fresh update, and the format of the series itself, though more serialized than its counterparts, stays true to some of the more pleasing Trek tropes.

There will be redshirt deaths (although they will not wear red shirts), people storm the bridge to the constant irritation of the captain, and Starfleet tries their best to uphold their rigid rules, a point that becomes a battleground of ethical dilemmas.

Most promising are the characterizations. The crew has a believable camaraderie between them, and the wit of their conversations whizzes by as the camera arcs around the bridge. Supporting characters Saru (Doug Jones) and Captain Philipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) play their roles well.

Saru is an alien from a race engineered as prey and constantly haunted by fear. Captain Georgiou is a mentor and dedicated proponent of Starfleet regulations. They play off of each other well, especially with the show’s lead, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green).

Michael is the burning star of the series. She walks a line between Vulcan logic and human recklessness. She is a xenoarchaeologist with an obvious love for discovery, but she has a traumatized past that influences her decisions, and conflicts with her Vulcan upbringing.

She is perhaps the most complex Star Trek character to date, and the reason the show will succeed if it does.

As for the episodes themselves, they are more setup and background than two-part pilot. Events occur that suggest the beginning of the rest of the series, but unlike most Trek shows, it is somewhat difficult to discern what the format of these shows will look like, even after two hours of consumption.

Still, it promises to be an entertaining show, with a strong, female lead, and an interesting take on the Star Trek universe and its dedication to peace.

Star Trek: Discovery is entertaining, but it is difficult to assess whether future episodes will follow the same format and production quality of its first two episodes. In fact, the preview of the following episodes seems like a strange 180, and it is possible that the first episode, which premiered on live television, could be a marketing strategy, creating a very polished pilot in order to lure more subscribers.

The production quality might not be as outstanding as the almost movie like scope of the first two episodes, but there Is still enough story and characters to follow for hopefully more episodes to come. Time will tell if this show is enough to sustain CBS’s new subscription platform.

What did you think of the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Star Trek: Discovery airs Sundays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS All Access.

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