Star Trek: Discovery Review: Die Trying (Season 3 Episode 5)
The Federation represents many things to the Discovery crew, and one of those things is home. The crew reunites with the Federation on Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 5, “Die Trying,” but finds coming home harder than they imagined.
The episode starts on a hopeful note with Saru’s excited captain’s log and the crew’s awe at reaching Federation headquarters. They all even get a chance to geek out at the future tech we’ve seen bits of throughout the season.
But that joyous atmosphere gets replaced by something much more sterile upon meeting their new comrades. Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) welcomes the crew not with open arms but many suspicions.
The episode does a good job early on to point out some of the flaws with the second season decision to erase Discovery from the records and the problems it causes. While the show could have decided to gloss over that, it’s more interesting to embrace the conflict.
Throughout this season, Discovery assumed the moral high ground, but when the conflict is with their command it forces them to question what they stand for. If the Federation is their guiding light, what does it mean when they’re on opposing sides?
In other words, they saved the future but the future doesn’t seem to care that much. Their encounter with the new Starfleet command also challenges their status as a unit, which is one of the few things they have to rely on in the future.
The conflict also gives the audience a chance to further explore Saru and Burnham’s new dynamic as Captain and First Officer. It’s unlikely anyone thought Burnham would fall completely in line, but watching the two navigate just how far to push each other will be an interesting development this season.
Each character has undergone tremendous growth to get to where they are now, but what does that mean for the future of their personal and professional relationship? Burnham gladly accepted the role of First Officer, but already said this season she’s not sure where she belongs.
The episode drags a little when Vance rattles off the history of the Temporal Accords that places Discovery on the wrong side of the law. But the subsequent interrogations of the crew more than make up for it, providing some of the funniest moments of the episode.
Tilly trying to explain how she pretended to be her bloodthirsty Terran counterpoint is as amusing to the viewer as it is confusing to her interrogator.
Tilly: But ask me if any of this was in the handbook.
Discovery eventually gets a chance to prove itself to the Federation by helping Kili refugees suffering from an outbreak. They must retrieve plant samples from the USS Tikhov, a ship only they can get to in time because of their spore drive.
Of course, a mission can never be that straightforward and they must also help a Barzan crew member, Dr. Attis, on board. Not only has he lost his family, but he also lost his molecular stability in a coronal mass ejection and can’t stop phasing in and out.
Instead of playing up the body horror angle of the storyline, the writers choose to go down a much more sentimental route, focusing on fellow Barzan Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) and her backstory. Despite the crew finding “home” with the Federation, Nhan realizes through saving Attis she misses being with her people.
If this season is about finding a place in the future, it’s good to see the show giving everyone the option for self-discovery, not just Burnham. And Nhan’s reference back to Airiam’s funeral gives the character a fulfilling full circle moment as she and Burnham say goodbye.
Nhan: And I have never seen anyone reach for the best in others quite like you Michael. Don’t ever stop.
Unfortunately, in the end, the stakes raised at the beginning of the episode feel moot. Ultimately Discovery succeeds in its mission and more or less wins the rights to carry on as it wishes as long as the Federation gets to call some shots.
You sort of wonder why Vance gives them such a hard time to begin with, since it only takes one mission and some heartfelt words for him to accept they’re not time traveling subversives.
As much as it’s nice to watch a show so focused on hope, especially in today’s current state of affairs, this episode raised some questions about how much the show relies on telling instead of showing. Star Trek: Discovery could afford to cut back a little on the rousing speeches and metaphors and just let the inspiration come from the work the crew does.
For example, although heartwarming, Saru’s speech near the end about Discovery providing the Renaissance era for the Federation feels a little heavy-handed. It’s hard to believe a line like that would work on someone as cynical as Vance.
Art history lessons aside, Discovery seems to have found much more comfortable footing in the future. The mystery of the Burn isn’t going away anytime soon, but things are looking up for Discovery.
Additional Thoughts:
- The entire episode is chock full of interesting new information, like about the evolution of Kelpiens and who still belongs to the Federation.
- Burnham references her mom at the beginning of the episode, but then that plot point seems forgotten about by the end. Will we ever learn what happened to her?
- Interestingly, Vance calls out Detmer specifically as someone still suffering from trauma. While I don’t expect her to recover overnight, I wonder how much more of a role it will play in future storylines.
- What is up with Georgiou? Her interrogation starts with her trademark humor, but by the end, I wasn’t sure what to make of her ominous suspicions about the Burn and her creepy interrogator (played by director David Cronenberg). Her reaction to Burnham is extremely weird, too. Is she actually just zoning out, or did they do something to her mind?
- I’m also not sure how I feel about this music conspiracy. Hopefully, it has something to do with the Burn. Otherwise Star Trek: Discovery is putting one too many mysteries on its plate.
What did you think of this episode of Star Trek: Discovery? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Star Trek: Discovery airs Thursdays on CBS All Access.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.