[SutterBrother]

The anodyne send off to a frustrating odyssey

For me, this is part of the reason why Star Trek being purely serialised, as Discovery has always been, just does not work. Strange New Worlds understands this and is a better show for it. Lower Decks did its own thing and has been a joy for it. Discovery has tried again and again and again to tell a movie-style narrative of grand universal threat over 10 or 13 episodes and every single time, it has underwhelmed. Why? Because Star Trek is not that show.

Did Star Trek of old have great confrontations and galaxy ending stakes? Sure. Quite often at the end of a season. Yet it also took time to sail into steadier, thoughtful waters, using characters to reflect our own world back at us. When does Discovery do that in this final season? What is it really about? I have no clue. I’m not sure it even knows. There is no great thematic revelation here. No powerful transformative moment for Burnham. No real catharsis for audiences. It aims for epic and then just winds down.