Your human tongue is not the problem, it's your human heart." Before I begin this review, I'd like to point out, guiltily, that I have never watched Star Trek before - not even the films. I have always been a Star Wars/Doctor Who fanboy and have never once thought of being a Trekkie, or even watching some of the old repeats on TV. So, this review comes from the perspective of someone who is entirely new to this concept and Universe. Interestingly, this is a prequel, so hopefully I won't have much trouble jumping on the story, but if any references or homages pop up, believe me, they will sweep over my head without notice. Apart from "we come in peace" of course.
From the first seconds of the show, it's clear that the budget is monumental, giving us a visual richness that I highly doubt has graced Star Trek shows before. The grand landscapes and glittering space is wonderful to look at, and the science and astronomy behind it, being an astrophysicist myself, is pretty prominent in the narrative. The binary system looks and is described correctly, with references to the accretion disk adding to the feeling that the writers have done their research. However, there's always a dramatic license when it comes to space, and I always question when it is not shown as a hostile place. Regardless of scientific accuracy, the story is very intriguing, giving us introductions to the USS Shenzhou and its crew, and a battalion of Klingons who have disguised themselves in the orbit of a binary system. The story predominantly concentrates on the events surrounding the ship's discovery of a Klingon ship, but there are also hints to First Officer Michael Burnham's troubled past, in which her parents were killed by the Klingon. Whilst this is a good way of developing our main character, there's not enough to constitute a full introduction yet as we're heavily involved in a diplomatic situation towards the end of the episode. The interactions between characters, especially Michael and Saru are great banter, but the script is dripping with corny lines. Unfortunately, this can take away the seriousness of the scenarios, especially when it comes to Michael disobeying an order from her captain to destroy the Klingon ship before they can make the first move. The conflict between the officers is interesting, especially as it's hinted that they are close. It's also interesting to see a new take on the morality of violence and how the relationship between Vulcans and Klingon was built on the fact that the Klingon respected their opposition for their strong attacks. Whilst the tone may suffer in places, and lose respectability, the director does his best to create a atmospheric situation. Michael trip through space with a jet pack was wonderfully shot, and actually gave the impression that she was flying through space. I also loved the opening scene between Michael and Philippa as they traversed a desert planet in search of a well - it gave me the notion of a science-fiction such as Star Wars, Stargate or Dune. However, most of the episode was set inside, on the deck of the Starfleet spaceship, which has its limitations. If only the script had a little filing, especially in terms of flat jokes (something that I'm never a big fan of), then the episode might have appeared more exciting and threatening. The Klingon scenes were fine, it's just that as a newcomer I'm liable to be blind to their intentions and motivation as a species. Their language sounds wonderfully guttural, but their culture and general traditions are lost on me for the moment. Why were they hiding in that binary system for one question? 7.5/10
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AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
October 2017
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