I’m glad they went through all that early season plot to build up a reason for not using
the Spore Drive, considering it may be damaging the habitat of JahSepp. Huh. Still using the
Spore Drive then. Hello, Ric here with a spoiler review of Star
Trek Discovery Season 2 Episode 12, Through the Valley of Shadows. Because Time’s all
messy, let’s start with my summary. I think I might be getting acclimatised to the fast
pace and levels of action in Discovery as these scenes are frequently not “doing it”
for me, I’m getting way more involved with the quieter character moments of late and
I don’t know if that’s good or not. If nothing else it’s a sign that pretty much
all of the actors involved can support a scene by their talents, so that’s good. The show
is leaning heavily into a grimmer tone as we approach the section of the narrative where
things are looking bleak for our heroes, but unlike season one, this feels more earned
as I actually know and care about them more than I did before.
We got to see a little of the new D7 design and I really like it. Its silhouette is readily
identifiable unlike a lot of previous designs Discovery has opted for and the ship itself
looks like a slightly more rugged, prototype version of the classic vessel. Which is to
be expected as it’s a new design for the Klingons.
The plot for this episode is as usual, split into two with the Discovery, Klingons and
Pike travelling to Boreth and Burnham and Spock travelling toward a suspicious section
31 vessel. Is there any other kind? I’ll start with the Klingons in this episode.
L’Rell and Tyler’s moments are competently acted though it’s been a long time since
we’ve seen them and I thought I’d be over how the Klingons look, but I just can’t
seem to shake it. Sorry! Had to mention it, won’t mention it again. Boreth, has long
been a spiritual retreat for the Klingons as its system’s star was the one Kahless
pointed to before he died or ascended. It is the location prophesised for his eventual
return and as such houses a monastery of monks who are indeed, above the oversight of even
the Chancellor. So I’m of two minds when we are asked to
accept it as the location of a natural deposit of Time Crystals. The whole idea behind them
is that they cannot exist in our realm of reality, so a natural cave of them is a bit
hard for me to swallow, especially as it’s suggested to be another reason for the monastery
there and that there is a whole unmentioned sect of Time Guardians who protect them. I
get Retcons are a thing, but Discovery is making so many and changing its own lore so
I’m finding it a little taxing. On the flip side, it does add weight to the prophecy of
Kahless returning as these crystals appear to distort time rather drastically around
them, so perhaps some hold the belief that this is how Kahless will miraculously reappear
one day. And the presence of the crystals is not common knowledge it seems, as Voq was
unaware of them too. Tenavik was a pretty minor character over
all but served to promote a powerful scene towards the episode’s end between L’Rell
and Tyler where they learn the name he chose for himself. I initially though perhaps he
was Voq’s father, what with the albino colouration and cranial match.
On to the Control plot for this episode. My first thought on when they arrived at the
section 31 ship and found the crew floating in space was that this was an apparent trap.
Beaming aboard a survivor, again I considered the idea that Lt Grant was a Control convert.
During the events unfolding, that suspicion did decrease somewhat but once the idea was
there; it dampened the shock when it was revealed that he was a puppet.
We also get confirmation this episode that a person that Control infiltrates is completely
killed. Leland, Grant, both dead and effectively meat puppets for a swarm of nanobots.
The Section 31 ship was indeed a trap and originally I was thinking, oh, how convenient
that Burnham happened to be the one who went and this was all very convoluted. Looking
back on it, it was still convenient for Control that it occurred the way it did, considering
Burnham was the target, but even if someone else arrived, they would have still bought
on board the survivor and once word reached Burnham that it was a former colleague, she
likely would have met with him. Still convoluted but Discovery is hardly alone in following
that trope, though it’s still a fault. That being said, I’m still not completely
on board with Control’s motivation, it’s acting too much like an intelligent organism
than a compilation of algorithms. Especially when puppeteering someone. It’s very chatty
and enjoys villain monologues. Why? There was no need for Leland Control to maintain
its cover when it beamed down to assault Dr. Burnham directly, that made sense, but this
time it takes a long discussion with Burnham, taunts Spock for his nerve pinch. It just
seems very inconsistent and I preferred it when it didn’t have a voice and was more
of this ambient “will”. Hidden and manipulative. Though the best of this Episode came from
Pike, in my opinion. He had a lot of involvement in this one and some truly chilling scenes.
On Boreth, he witnesses his future, the training accident that leads to his crippling condition
in the not too distant future. The eerie corridor, the subtle sounds of the respirator and the
out of focus future chair sliding into view all culminated in a trippy visage of him seeing
his future. A truly chilling line was when he says that it was a future he hadn’t foreseen
for himself. I think this is very potent as I believe most act as if they will live a
full life. Most probably can at least imagine themselves being killed or the like, but to
witness the complete crippling future of being trapped in your own body? That’s horrifying.
It makes sense for Star Trek to allude to his future repeatedly, as it is something
set in stone and slowly closing in. In continuity, it was about the only thing we knew of him
and this series has gone out of its way to flesh out his character, and done it very
well. This vision serves as a sudden, startling reminder and contrasts with the Vina talk
from earlier in the series. That made his life on Talos softer, this element of foreknowledge
paints his future as more of a horrific but heroic sacrifice rather than a tragic accident.
I mean it was always a heroic sacrifice, he got a medal of valour named after him after
all, but this amplifies it. To me it didn’t need to, but for viewers of the show who were
unaware of Pike, or have never seen the original Menagerie well… they’re you go. Know you
get what all the Trekkies were on about. Finally we get some good progress on the Culber-Stamets
relationship and this time it’s being reconciled by Reno of all people. I like her attitude,
in fact I like all three of them in this series, especially with how similar they can be despite
their differences. All three come off varying levels of blunt and compassion, but basically
with similar outlooks. Finally, the teaser of Discovery being self-destructed,
well it would be Trek without a self-destruct fake out. My bet is that they are going to
either bluff Control into a standoff, or use the warp core explosion to power the time
crystal. Can we rename them, I feel like TNG would have called them Temporal Lattices.
Anyway, thanks for watching this review and I’ve got to ask. Anyone watching Discovery
who hasn’t seen the original series, what do you think of Pike’s future? Or have we
all seen TOS here? Just curious. Thanks again, I’ve been Ric and until next
time, goodbye.