No matter how much Star Trek fans love their fandom, Trekkies are also their own harshest critics. Discovery has taken the brunt of Trek controversy in recent years and some fans have been absolutely brutal. Whether fans just have some critiques or absolutely hate it, the backlash can be exhausting. Especially since, despite all of that hate, the show is successfully moving onto its third season.
At the end of the day, does Discovery deserve all the hate it gets? Or are fans just going overboard? In some ways, yes. In other, not really.
Alien Design (Better)
While Star Trek has seriously devoted fans, a lot of its alien design struggled to move past “human but insert some face ridge/spots/etc. here”. Trekkies adore Bajorans, Trill, and Klingons, but creating complex character designs just didn’t seem to be on the table and they settled because hey, the space drama is still fun. And in no way would anyone want to give up Major Kira or Deanna Troi.
But Discovery has taken the alien designs and looks to a new, wondrous level. For that alone the show deserves more praise than it gets. Airiam, Saru, Nahn, and Linus the Saurian are all fantastic characters that impress from the second they walk on screen. Old Trek had nothing on these.
Historical Retconning (Worse)
Star Trek has always been a little wibbly-wobbly with its time rules and historical revisions, but Discovery‘s really bad at about it. And, honestly, worse than most people talk about. While everyone adored Spock and Sarek in Discovery, it’s still violently jarring that these huge, long-running characters never mentioned the daughter/sister they used to have. This is where retconning goes a little too far.
Discovery truly did its best to roll with it and still get an interesting story from it, but it doesn’t change the fact it can make a lot of retroactive information confusing. It’s the curse of prequels. Because with how much good Discovery did, no one ever mentions the ship, crew, or its actions.
Subtle Relationships (Better)
Throughout Star Trek, some of the best content is with the relationships between characters. There’s a reason they ran so deliberately on that A-plot/B-plot format and it worked so well. A-plot was the big, external crisis while B-plot explored the characters and their relationships. It was awesome to see Geordi and Data bond or Worf grumble through making friends. However, the reason we knew about those were the B-plots. There was far less passive, subtle bonding that happened. Discovery does that really well.
For example, if Ash and Michael are in the cafeteria together, fans can often see Keyla and Airiam and others eating together. Or the opening episode of season 2, with Michael talking to Linus in the turbo-lift. The show didn’t have a B-plot to build those, but all the relationships feel believable and real.
Romance (Worse)
Where Discovery has a lot more successes than people give it credit, its romance is decidedly lackluster. Star Trek series love to play the will they/won’t they game, but Discovery more plays the “we wish they wouldn’t” game.
Let’s be honest, Ash Tyler and Michael aren’t a great couple. They had some highlights, but it mostly was just awkward anguish, choking, and crying. And while Hugh and Stamets are a highlight, the show totally blew that up and now is struggling to put the pieces back together.
Overall, let’s just say romance is not why anyone should watch Discovery.
Mirror Universe (Better)
Fans fell in love with the Mirror Universe thanks to The Original Series, Deep Space Nine, and Enterprise‘s adventures into it. However, no one quite does it like Discovery. The Mirror Universe here is a lot better than people give it credit. For one, the Mirror Universe adventures actually matter to the story after they happen. Most of the other shows, hijinks ensue over there but then nothing really comes of it. At least, nothing that effects the main universe.
Discovery really shows how the Mirror Universe can affect the main universe right back. Moreover, it brought Trekkies the fabulous Emperor Philippa so it’s obviously the best.
Consequences (Better)
Because of their episodic nature, many Star Trek shows struggle with consequences. For example, the handling of Tasha Yar’s sudden passing was a mess. Things got better by Deep Space Nine, really having Worf and Ezri work hard through losing Jadzia and that relationship.
But Discovery gets serious about its consequences, and other than a surprise Hugh Culber resurrection, its characters stay gone. For example, Airiam was a tragic loss that the show handled well, as well as the tough place Ash Tyler’s human/Klingon duality puts him in. None of the choices are easy ones, but Discovery follows through when it does make those choices instead of deus ex machina fixing everything or limply forgetting about the choices.
Klingons (Worse)
This entry feels a little silly to write much about because everyone knows that the Klingons are one of the messiest parts of the show. Despite doing great alien design on everyone else, the showrunners decided to change up one of the most beloved designs in Trek history. And honestly, it’s worse than people treat it.
While now fans get to explore the murky, mysterious genetic science of Klingons a bit better, these Klingons have retconned their own history, been much more like a whole legion of zealous Worfs, and lost a lot of the passion that made Klingons…well, Klingon.
Opened The Door For The Star Trek Franchise (Better)
Even if a Trekkie hates Discovery, it has one great upside no one can ignore: what it’s done for the Star Trek franchise. Because of Discovery, Trekkies now are getting Picard, Section 31, Lower Decks, and other Trek-related series.
Discovery may not be their cup of tea, but getting more of their favorite franchise? It’s hard for anyone to complain about that.
The advancement of the fandom and expansion of the universe is worth it. Any Trekkie can agree to that. CBS is now making a Star Trek haven and that’s amazing.
Capturing Classic Characters (Better)
Everyone already loves the inclusion of Pike, Spock, and others into the Discovery lore. The show did a great job of making the show feel authentic and tied to the series fans’ already know and love without causing too much trouble.
However, it’s arguable that Discovery did an even better job at capturing those classic characters than they get credit for. After all, they didn’t just show them well. They augmented them, made them even more complex and interesting than before.
Now, fans know Pike knew his fate and still stayed true to being an honorable captain. Spock’s childhood suffering has been explained more and how he ended up attached to someone like Kirk. Discovery‘s season two did a great job making beloved characters even better.
The Michael Burnham Problem (Worse)
This is a problem everyone knows about, but it doesn’t stop it from existing. Michael Burnham and her writers have a serious “Michael is the center of the universe” problem. Ever since she first showed up, everything was about her. While they did better in season two to strengthen the bridge crew and round out Discovery, the Michael problem persisted, especially considering the fate of the living universe and time travel all centered on her and her mother.
It’s fresh and interesting to have the captain not be the center of attention, but still, the other shows switched focus so other characters could shine. No matter where the plot moves, because it’s serial and not episodic, it just keeps orbiting around Michael. And while she’s not a terrible character, it’s exhausting and needs to stop because it’s hurting Discovery as a show.
