The general plot: a Starfleet officer accused of a crime she committed (but I wouldn’t consider her guilty of since she was making the best decision she could) is recruited onto a ship (instead of going to prison) on a special science mission/ship on the U.S.S. Discovery to save the Federation and all the planets against the war against Klingons.
Pros of the show
It is Star Trek! I have missed that universe.
Captain Lorca—first of all, he is well played by Jason Isaacs. His accent is so authentically American, I had to look up to see if this was his real accent or his accent in Harry Potter was real. I’m not going to say. I don’t want to spoil it for you. What I will say, is his acting is fabulous. I can’t tell if his character is good or bad, it’s that complex and interesting.
Tilly—There are two things I like about Tilly; she is fun to watch as a nerdy, socially awkward character who transforms into her bad-ass doppelgänger. She is a hilarious character and I love that. I also love that she is a redhead and she isn’t the standard Hollywood body type. She is voluptuous and curvy and they allow her to be attractive as she is.
Aliens—Yes! This is a must for Star Trek. They deliver on interesting aliens.
Vulcans—I like that they bring Sarek in and have some hints of Spock.
The Protagonist Michael Burnham—She has an interesting history and backstory that makes her compelling. And because I wanted to be adopted raised by logical Vulcans, I suppose there is some wish fulfillment in my Star Trek-loving heart.
Mystery—there is good mystery with quantum time and hyperjumps and other things that I can’t comment on because it would be spoilers!
Cons
The Klingons—Why did they have to change the Klingons again? I can understand if they wanted to go back to the old Klingon style that was used in that era of filming or use
the new one to keep it consistent, but to invent another look without even trying to offer an explanation! Sigh. In my generation, Klingons had hair.
Dark and Gloomy—This is not lighthearted and happy Star Trek like TNG. I am glad there is Star Trek in the world but this feels like it is not embodying the spirit of Trek. The original series and TNG were episodic but also explored social and political issues in a lighthearted way.
Klingon Torture Sex—Aah! I didn’t want to see that. That isn’t in good old Kirk flirting with alien women kind of Star Trek. It was horrible for the two reasons listed above. Also, this is not PG Star Trek.
This is a soap opera—I liked entering a show with each separate episode in the old Trek fashion. I didn’t like DS9 after it became a soap opera that relied on not missing an episode. It isn’t as important now that I can stream and binge watch, but . . . it just isn’t what I think of when I think of Star Trek.
CBS—How annoying this is the only show I want to see on CBS and the show can’t be streamed without a subscription. We don’t even own a TV.
This is sooo not canon—this feels very high tech for the era it is supposed to be taking place in.
In conclusion
I never got past season two. I know I will go back some day and finish it. But first, I am going to watch Picard. I have a feeling I am going to get a kick-ass Captain Picard fighting for the federation I believed in—and still feel hope for. Then when there is no more Star Trek, I will go back to this show.