‘Star Trek: Discovery 1×13: What’s Past is Prologue’ Review
Each week Star Trek: Discovery keeps on getting better and better. Now that we are thirteen episodes in, we know all the characters and what to expect from them. With that in mind, now that Lorca (Jason Isaacs) has been revealed as the new “big bad” just where is the show heading?
With Lorca’s intensions revealed, he spends little time forming a group of rebels and moving forward with his plans of a coup against Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Meanwhile Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) finds herself trying to work with the Emperor to not only get off her ship, but also find a way to get Discovery home.
One of the strengths of Star Trek: Discovery is the actors picked for the show. The ones that stand out this week are Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh, and Doug Jones. Jones in particular is really coming into his element as Saru, to the point where I hope he stays as the captain of the Discovery. His big speech to the crew to build up confidence is probably the highlight of an episode that is full of them.
When it comes to Michelle Yeoh, not only does she continue to build the character of the Emperor, but she also shows off some badass moves in her battle against Lorca and his group of rebels. It will be interesting to see how the character handles what happens at the end of the episode. The twist is also a nice way to keep Michelle Yeoh on the show, which I’m sure will make a lot of fans happy.
While this episode of Star Trek: Discovery may feel like it is the last we’ll see of Lorca, I do get the feeling we’ll be seeing him again. There is at least one teaser that gives a little hint that either he, or something else managed to get on the Discovery, but we’ll have to wait to see what happens there.
One thing that this episode also proves is that nothing will come easy for the crew of the Discovery. Even when they make their way back home things aren’t as they expect. Just how this will be fixed will be interesting, but hopefully the old travel failsafe won’t be used to undo things. I’d prefer the Discovery to have to fight to fix things, it will make things much more interesting.
If there is one thing that we can say about Star Trek: Discovery, it is that it has finally found its footing as a Star Trek show. While certain choices may have been questionable at first, the show has managed to create a foundation that can be built on. There are strong characters such as Burnham, Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Tilly (Mary Wiseman) who are becoming fan favourites, and others that are adding strength to the show. I’d even go as far as to say that any show that gives us more Doug Jones each week is a show I’ll always be a fan of.
This week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery is one of the strongest of the first season, and is delivery what the show needs. If the remaining episodes of this season keep to this quality, it will have been a very successful show that has shown it deserves to be a part of the Star Trek universe.
***** 5/5
Star Trek: Discovery is available in the UK every Monday on Netflix.