Star Trek Discovery did something to me that the show has never done: it had me on the edge of my seat for an entire hour.
This isn't a knock on the series; anyone who knows our pod knows how much each of our hosts loves Discovery fiercely. To put it simply, Discovery had never really done a true adventure season until now. The fact that now, in its final season, the crew of Discovery is finally doing so is bittersweet.
We don't talk about it much as podcasters or members of the press, but we have the privilege of receiving screeners. While it is certainly that, the privilege is also a bit of a curse. If you're a Trek fan who is jealous or annoyed that some people get to see episodes early, let me explain.
Getting screeners takes the magic out of experiencing the episode with everyone else. This has not gone unnoticed by me in almost four years since Strange New Pod existed. The reason I bring this up now is that despite still not getting to experience that feeling, the premiere of Discovery season five did something to me that I don't think I've felt since seeing the series premiere of Strange New Worlds in my at hotel room at Mission Chicago: I had goosebumps the entirety of the episode.
In the show's fifth and final season, the Discovery crew can finally explore, even if the mission is of grave importance. It doesn't feel like the galaxy hanging in the balance stakes, which is so fresh for this series. And treading carefully here, I find the way in which the first four episodes I had the pleasure of watching tied into the larger Star Trek universe simply delightful.
And it's not just the story that has evolved; our beloved characters have as well. From the word go, Michael walks around Starfleet Headquarters and the corridors of Discovery with grace, maturity, and wisdom. It comes through in a masterful performance from Sonequa Martin-Green in all four episodes, but it also comes through in the way that Burnham is presented physically; her uniform is just a little more fitted, how her hair is styled. As Girafe and I pointed out to each other, this is a Michael Burnham who has fully grown into her role as a Starfleet Captain.
Sonequa Martin-Green's performance in these first four episodes is made all the better alongside newcomer this season Callum Keith Rennie, who bursts onto the set of Discovery and immediately owns the role of Captain Raynor. Rennie may be very familiar to those in sci-fi fandom, having played the Cylon Leoben in Ron Moore's reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, and he brings the same acting range from that series into Discovery.
Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Raynor is definitely a wild card in Discovery season five - Photo Credit: Marni Grossman /Paramount+
Raynor is the equivalent of a wartime captain; due to the nature of the burn, he has had to make tough calls and be a bit more rigid. Since Discovery's victory over the Emerald Chain and the discovery (so much pun intended) of the dilithium nursery, Raynor has been a character struggling with peacetime.
His relationship with Michael is the most compelling this season, at least so far. From the trailers alone, you already know that these two butt heads. That's an understatement. But in the four episodes I watched, Burnham and Raynor's relationship morphs from adversarial to reluctant allies and continues to evolve as the adventure unfolds.
So much of these first four episodes revolves around the central relationships the show has established over four seasons: Michael and Saru, Michael and Book, Tilly and Stamets, and Stamets and Hugh. Each of these is given the proper time it deserves over the course of these episodes.
It's hard once again not to focus on one of Michael's relationships, and that's her bond with Saru. At this point in the show, these two are ride-or-die; they're family, and what happens in the show's first couple of episodes is certainly bittersweet, as Saru has to make a decision about his future not only in Starfleet but also with T'Rina.
While it is bittersweet, their away mission together in episode 502 shows off everything Discovery fans have loved to see as their bond has grown throughout the series.
If I had to find one thing that worries me about this season, it would be the show's overuse of creating unnecessary turmoil in romantic relationships. With this being the last season of the series and only having ten episodes to finish the story, I worry that the issues we see with some of the relationships in the series are unnecessary and difficult to resolve in the limited time the series has left.
When it comes to the overall theme and story of season five, I think Trekkies are going to have their jaws on the floor when it comes to where this show is going and where the US.S. Discovery is going on its final adventure. I mentioned that this season does a great job connecting to the greater Star Trek Universe. By the end of the season premiere, it's done in such a massive way that the landscape of Star Trek may be changed forever by this season.
Even when the show takes a quick break from the main story (while still being very much connected to it) in episode 504, it still builds upon one of the relationships we talked about earlier between Reynar and Michael while also taking viewers on one of the most fun and emotional romps the series has ever done.
I only hope Discovery's final season keeps up the momentum the first four episodes have. The series, whether at the beginning of the season, the middle, or even the end, sometimes fails to stick the landing fully. With just six episodes left after these initial four to tell the crew of Discovery's final story, this crew deserves to go out on a high note. Judging by this start, they can do it.
Star Trek Discovery's final season premieres on Thursday, April 4th, on Paramount Plus.
