After so many episodes and so many frustrations with this series, especially its often overwrought and unearned emotionalism, it feels odd that I would indeed feel a great many things while watching this finale. One part of that is probably relief that this unequivocally weakest chapter in almost 60 years of Star Trek is now over.
On the other hand though, for once the sentimentality here is actually earned. Too bad that the cast and crew haven't learned any restraint over the years. The story here isn't half bad, the conclusion to the season-long arc is fine, although not as awe-inspiring as it perhaps should have been. (It would have been fitting if Burnham had become the keeper of the Progenitors' technology, although I'm sure the writers were aware that this would only canonize and make too-literal the frequent criticism of the character as "Space Jesus".)
The episode is overstuffed to begin with and all the B-plots keep distracting from the only interesting thing, I.e. Burnham and the Progenitors. But it gets the job done. Sadly, after the plot ends, the show doesn't end. And it doesn't end about five times, Return of the King style. And with each vignette tacked on, the good will earned in the episode proper erodes. Did anyone still wait for an answer to why Discovery looked different in a short film set in the far future from five, six years ago?
Or is it necessary or even effective fan service to reveal Kovich as being Daniels from Enterprise? Of all people? Now I know Trek very very well and even I had to pause for a moment and think: wait, who was Agent Daniels again?
All of which just demonstrates at the last minute that the writers and producers never really knew what they wanted this show to be, or how to make it Star Trek while aiming at the same time for a Gen Z-ready young adult lit tone. It just never worked and Easter eggs like that felt like scraps tossed to longtime fans to give them, if nothing else, something to fanboy over.
So one can be glad it's over now. The ending is as good as could be expected after the quality had so consistently declined for years now.
On the other hand though, for once the sentimentality here is actually earned. Too bad that the cast and crew haven't learned any restraint over the years. The story here isn't half bad, the conclusion to the season-long arc is fine, although not as awe-inspiring as it perhaps should have been. (It would have been fitting if Burnham had become the keeper of the Progenitors' technology, although I'm sure the writers were aware that this would only canonize and make too-literal the frequent criticism of the character as "Space Jesus".)
The episode is overstuffed to begin with and all the B-plots keep distracting from the only interesting thing, I.e. Burnham and the Progenitors. But it gets the job done. Sadly, after the plot ends, the show doesn't end. And it doesn't end about five times, Return of the King style. And with each vignette tacked on, the good will earned in the episode proper erodes. Did anyone still wait for an answer to why Discovery looked different in a short film set in the far future from five, six years ago?
Or is it necessary or even effective fan service to reveal Kovich as being Daniels from Enterprise? Of all people? Now I know Trek very very well and even I had to pause for a moment and think: wait, who was Agent Daniels again?
All of which just demonstrates at the last minute that the writers and producers never really knew what they wanted this show to be, or how to make it Star Trek while aiming at the same time for a Gen Z-ready young adult lit tone. It just never worked and Easter eggs like that felt like scraps tossed to longtime fans to give them, if nothing else, something to fanboy over.
So one can be glad it's over now. The ending is as good as could be expected after the quality had so consistently declined for years now.
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