Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 2 "Battle at the Binary Stars"

 Star Trek: Season 1, Episode 2 "Battle at the Binary Stars"

September 24, 2017

“Battle at the Binary Stars” is the back-half of Star Trek: Discovery’s two-part premiere. It continues the prologue of the series as it makes clear that Michael Burnham is the central character of the show, even if it comes at the expense of the ensemble. This episode shows the beginning of the war between the Federation and the Klingons. Honestly, these first episodes would be right at home in the rebooted film series. They are shiny, has more action than expected, and have some central characters that you get to care about. And yes, there is lens flares that you would expect from an Abrams movie. The writing still needs improvement, but I like how the showrunners are tackling the war from both angles. With that in mind, the Klingons and their harsh language can become irritating at times. Other than that, I liked this episode slightly better than the opening. It has some very cinematic battle scenes, and Michael Burnham is quickly becoming a character that I care about and want to know more about.

We learn that Michael was raised Vulcan by Sarek and was the first human to graduate the Vulcan Learning Center and Science Academy. Seven years later, she is the First Officer of the U.S.S Shenzhou, yet she used the Vulcan finger pinch move on her captain to avoid war and was taken to the brig. Meanwhile, a Klingon outcast named Voq started a beacon to attract the 24 great houses of the Klingon society, where T’Kuvma pleads with them to join the fight. Michael hatches a plan to escape the brig, so she can help fight the Klingons after their ship was attacked. As they board the ship to take T’Kuvma surprise, there are many surprises to be had.

Overall, I really enjoyed this fast-packed, action-packed episode. The final minutes I was not really expecting. The show took time to introduce us to characters seemingly important just to say goodbye within two episodes. I like that boldness. These two episodes gave us an idea of who Michael is and what to expect as the “real” season begins. The very ending had me feeling for Michael so bad, but I think she will be fine.

My Grade: A-


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