Star Trek: Discovery Recap: Mother!

Photo: Michael Gibson/CBS

Look, anyone who knows me even slightly knows I'grand not i to whine well-nigh the canon. By all means, please race-bend, gender-bend, queer every sacred inch of pop culture — in an era dominated by franchises, that's how we're going to get to greatness. It's how we got Into the Spider-Verse.

But I'grand afraid 1 element — or glaring lack thereof — of this calendar week's Discovery merely cannot go uncriticized. Considering well-nigh half of our time this episode is spent on Qo'noS with the Klingons, witnessing their internal political struggle to plant a new, united authorities nether 50'Rell. We've got espionage via nanosensor pigment! Nosotros've got secret albino heirs gestated ex-utero! We've got a sneaky coup, full of mood-lit mek'leth bloodbaths, that, for better or worse (likely worse), would accept been successful in unseating L'Rell from her chancellorship! Still in all this fourth dimension, not a single Klingon — not one! — mentions the word "award."

I get that leaning solely on the one admittedly crucial element of Klingon culture might take made L'Rell's road to victory over the dissident House of Kor more complicated, and would have made some (if non most) of Georgiou'due south meddling in Klingon diplomacy unnecessary, but come up on! Accolade is literally all Klingons always talk virtually! How many times did the Enterprise crew leave of its manner and then Worf could fight somebody in club to defend his honor? Once, a blackout-drunk Klingon died trying to fight Quark, and Quark actually had to marry his widow to not be honor-killed by the dude's brother! Even if Kol-sha's spying on 50'Rell and Ash didn't bring dishonor on his house, letting his minions fight and dice in his stead — and then paralyzing the two with some sort of electric device rather than fight them himself — was, without question, the most casually un-Klingon string of decisions I've e'er seen a Klingon make on a Star Expedition show, including marrying a Trill. L'Rell could have campaigned on that alone and won the other houses' loyalty!

That said, I've gotta acknowledge that Emperor Georgiou's surprise entrance, like some sort of avenging Enfys Nest/Boba Fett hybrid, was positively delightful. She's "consulting" now with Starfleet'south CIA, Department 31, because "misfits take merit" and "the freaks take more fun," both definitely lawmaking for "this was the nearly viable avenue for me to violate the maximum number of rules in this repugnant universe." Despite the absence of all things "honor," her rationale that L'Rell can't possibly unite the Klingon Empire as a woman with a homo Torchbearer, even if he was Klingon at one point, much less one with an illicit albino heir with said human, can't be ignored. Her program: spirit away Tyler, whose identity means he's certainly well-nigh to be clean-cut as a Section 31 spy, and the infant, who they driblet off at a Klingon monastery to be raised as an orphan and a monk, and create a theatrical lie to cement L'Rell's leadership.

L'Rell parades the (counterfeit) heads of Tyler and the baby, claiming her man Torchbearer killed her baby (why would he exercise such a affair? Who tin can say!) and came for her too; she says that Kol-sha gave his life defending her; that she killed her human lover to defend her people; and that she would never over again carry children. It's all copied and pasted direct from the Terran Emperor'due south playbook and information technology'south terrifying how well it works — especially when she declares that they must all call her "mother" now. (If only honour could accept played some part in the entrada!) I fully support every conclusion this franchise needs to brand to continue Michelle Yeoh around; from her smug gaslighting to her flawless secretly-loves-babies-just-would-rather-die-than-permit-someone-run across reaction to Tyler'south infant, every moment we get with Mirror Georgiou is a gift.

In other news: It is with a heavy heart that I must report that Ghost May is not, in fact, gay for Tilly — she was actually a dark-affair-juiced eukaryotic parasite living within Tilly. I know that Tilly'southward own anxieties and cocky-doubt are the reason she didn't figure this out on her ain, but daughter. Why wouldn't yous immediately ask Stamets about seeing Culber in the mycelial network the second you lot realized y'all had a ghost of your own? Instead of allowing it to hunt you through an entire half-marathon (barf) and into a mortifying, career-ending incident on the bridge, in which you appear to scream at the captain, while sitting in his chair! Girlllll. Thankfully, Burnham is avoiding her own problems, so now we have the big blob in a containment field. It needs something from Tilly, and I'k sure she'll eventually figure out what.

Speaking of Burnham's problems, her foster mom is here with Spock's encrypted medical file, which she stole. (I gotta say, Amanda Grayson looks astonishing for her age. I assume skincare and plastic surgery have reached incredible levels in the 23rd century. Is that the ultimate illogical human being conceit? Or — galaxy brain — is it actually extremely logical, given how little respect Amanda seems to be afforded on Vulcan as information technology is?) Expressway makes an official call to cheque on Spock, only to detect that he's now suddenly on the lam, I gauge? From his voluntary comprisal? Subsequently allegedly killing a couple of doctors! Definitely smells fishy, and so Throughway goes full-Cool Stepdad again and orders Burnham to crack the file. Inside, they find a dr. insinuating that Spock is a "psychopath," which is actually a pretty legitimate psychiatric concern for a half-human raised on logic-ruled Vulcan — legitimate plenty that I'grand actually surprised that item concern hasn't (to my knowledge) been broached on Trek earlier.

Oh, and lest nosotros escape the "Red Angel" for five minutes, the paradigm is in his medical files, too — and now that Amanda is here, nosotros know that information technology beginning appeared to Spock when he and Michael were children, the dark Michael attempted to run away later she was "nearly killed" by some "logic extremists," (the euphemism for "racially motivated" in Vulcan, if you volition). That seems to suggest that these "angels," any they are, are manifesting at the exact moment when certain people need saving. Almost similar they're preserving a timeline — like the Federation is a pre-uber-warp society which can't exist contacted directly. Hey, I'd be into it.

• Now, I'grand not maxim L'Rell should have disemboweled anyone that chose loyalty to an ancient house over the new united Klingon government, but I'thou not not saying that. I couldn't aid thinking of The 100's Octavia and her brutally effective unification strategy from concluding year. ("You are Klingon Empire, or y'all are the enemy of Klingon Empire — choose!")

• Oh my God, somebody, please, cut this ponytail off Shazad Latif in his slumber. It'south pain me. Physically. Through the tv. Information technology'south like a handle. He looks like Hare Krishna Pebbles Flintstone. The DP won't stop backlighting it. Assistance.

• The future-tech in this episode — nay, this flavour — has been fantastic. Handheld dark-matter vacuum! Hologram-enabled tablets for children! Genetically identical forged trunk parts! And Fifty'Rell's babe having been successfully brought to term ex-utero is a spectacular dunk on Star Wars, intentional or not.

• That whole incident on Vulcan is why Spock and Michael aren't speaking — to protect him from the racists, she did something to brand him hate her, I guess? It must have been pretty horrible, since even equally a dutifully logical adult he's been uninterested in her apologies.

• Await, I only realized Georgiou said she got a moisture nurse for her infant — unless she picked up Mirror Burnham in the delivery room, does that mean she has another child out at that place?

Star Trek: Discovery Epitomize: Mother!