"Just let them fight with a relative in the mud for a few minutes. They'll be fine!"
Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 5x08 - "Labyrinths"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
"Just let them fight with a relative in the mud for a few minutes. They'll be fine!"
My wife said the Primarch’s voice sounded like Saris from Galaxy Quest and I can’t unhear it
Exactly… this was my beef with this episode. Putting aside for the moment that the key to the last clue was more therapy in a therapy-based show…it’s all stuff we’ve seen from Michael before. We’ve seen her self-actualize. Over and over again. There wasn’t really anything new or interesting about it because we are constantly given extended looks into her inner emotional life.
Contrast this with just about any other captain in the franchise: looks into the deep inner psyche of Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and even Pike were so rare that they are almost always memorable. And give us some of the best episodes/movies/moments/whatever in the franchise.
This episode wasn’t actually bad…just the same thing we’ve seen a bunch before.
The only times we dove into Archer's psyche he was aging in an alternate timeline where the Xindi successfully destroyed Earth or he got so angry and determined to succeed at his mission to stop the Xindi that he tortured an alien.
Reminded me more of Anubis from Stargate SG:1.
Sooo...more in line with Maslow's original theory than the pyramid that was used as a presentation?
I've had less to say about this season.
Part of it has been because I'm done arguing with the bashers. They're not saying anything they haven't said over and over before. To the point where I'm starting to think they haven't actually watched because it sounds so canned.
But the other part has been my mostly just saying, "Great episode! Had a good time watching! Some bullet points... All I've got!" So, in other words: I have nothing to complain about, but also not too much that I'm feeling a super-strong urge to stick up for.
"Good, decent entertainment overall" is also where I'm at. That's pretty much as far as it goes. I'm starting to think, "You know, I actually can tell this wasn't meant to be the last season." I think a season that was intended to be the final season would be a lot different.
Yeah, I really feel a let down coming. And that’s a shame…DSC isn’t perfect and I sure do criticize it but I do like it and feel warmly toward it for beginning the streaming era of Trek. It deserved to end on its own terms but Paramount can barely keep the lights on.
The biggest problem I've probably had with this season, is that it's been extraordinarily predictable.
To the point where I would give it a 90% chance that it will end with the equally predictable act of Burnham destroying the precursor technology under the idea that nobody can be trusted with it.
To the point where I would give it a 90% chance that it will end with the equally predictable act of Burnham destroying the precursor technology under the idea that nobody can be trusted with it.
Oh they will definitely Tox Uthot (sp?) that m-f’er
Another one that could have been b plots in other episodes. Boring, forgettable, generally inoffensive. The library was an interesting location. Why was the Book avatar wearing a dress?
Oh man. Thats right. ENT would’ve been a lot better were it not for getting swept up in post-9/11 weirdness…those were odd times for sure.
He was Ancient Greek and Roman on his motherboard side.
At least they got to film some additional scenes for the finale. I don't know the extent of those but I'd agree, it sure doesn't feel like a final season. Hopefully, it closes nicely. And undoubtedly I'll miss it when it's gone even though it's not my absolute favorite. I have really enjoyed some the characters.
Even in this episode, I loved the library setting and thought the librarian was charming!
Did I hear a Holy Shit?... I think overall this was pretty much a paint-by-the-numbers episode, and too Burnham centric for my tastes, given that we know about her Angst already from previous outings. I think I preferred the Breen as a more enigmatic alien race, and sure wish they could have worked more with the subtitles and less with proper English... The Patriarch was unimposing, and it's tough to be when you can't possibly emote or intimidate through full body armor... Moll's takeover was pretty well handled I guess, although I like but don't love the portrayal by the actress. For ten episodes a season, this moved way too slowly IMO and didn't really involve any new stakes. Hopefully the final two episodes can rev things up again, not necessarily action wise, but pacing and story wise, to wrap up the show on a high note. Barely an 8 from me this time...
+ Beautiful effects work in many scenes
- Not enough has been done to make Moll sympathetic. She's single-mindedly selfish to the point of destroying the galaxy for her emotional needs. Not enough backstory there to make us feel that makes sense and not that she's a psychopath.
+ Some good "taking action" moments when Burnham finally gets back on Discovery
- Burnham's "mindscape" test and resolution wasn't interesting or novel
- Discovery's unique spore drive should give it an unbeatable advantage throughout all this, but it doesn't amount to much more than "somewhat faster warp drive". No one seems to be the least bit surprised that this ship keeps popping in out of nowhere. Library archivist: "we observed your approach"...
+ Librarian Hy'Rell was a fun character and well acted
- Despite otherwise excellent production work, Hy'Rell's alien make-up was distractingly fake
- The library's defenses seemed pretty limited for one that had survived for hundreds of years
- They go out of their way to make it clear the badlands is (are?) incredibly dangerous - to the point Discovery barely makes it through while being guided in. We assume this will serve as a defense or deterrent against unwanted visitors. We are wrong: the Breen come in without a scratch despite zero guidance
- The very premise of this season doesn't make much sense to me. Everyone's acting like the Progenitor technology will give them some magical power -- whatever it is that they're seeking or are afraid of -- without actually knowing what this power is. It's like watching a Trek version of The Wizard of Oz.
- Not enough has been done to make Moll sympathetic. She's single-mindedly selfish to the point of destroying the galaxy for her emotional needs. Not enough backstory there to make us feel that makes sense and not that she's a psychopath.
+ Some good "taking action" moments when Burnham finally gets back on Discovery
- Burnham's "mindscape" test and resolution wasn't interesting or novel
- Discovery's unique spore drive should give it an unbeatable advantage throughout all this, but it doesn't amount to much more than "somewhat faster warp drive". No one seems to be the least bit surprised that this ship keeps popping in out of nowhere. Library archivist: "we observed your approach"...
+ Librarian Hy'Rell was a fun character and well acted
- Despite otherwise excellent production work, Hy'Rell's alien make-up was distractingly fake
- The library's defenses seemed pretty limited for one that had survived for hundreds of years
- They go out of their way to make it clear the badlands is (are?) incredibly dangerous - to the point Discovery barely makes it through while being guided in. We assume this will serve as a defense or deterrent against unwanted visitors. We are wrong: the Breen come in without a scratch despite zero guidance
- The very premise of this season doesn't make much sense to me. Everyone's acting like the Progenitor technology will give them some magical power -- whatever it is that they're seeking or are afraid of -- without actually knowing what this power is. It's like watching a Trek version of The Wizard of Oz.
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No Saru... AGAIN. Five straight episodes... so literally half of the season without the best character since the beginning of the series. Great job, DISCO! 
(That last sentence was sarcasm.)
So in the 800 years since we see the Defiant travel within the Badlands with not only no problems but could also be cloaked within it (like in DS9's "FOR THE CAUSE"... and in that same episode, a freighter was able to stay there for HOURS with no problems), Starfleet ships have become as fragile as paper airplanes when in the Badlands? (shakes head) Shaka, when the walls fell.
So the final test was... Burnham looking inside herself. Again. I've lost track at how many times she's done this. Yet another episode of 'Shrink Sessions on DISCO'. Maybe it's the frequency that this has happened with her or the fact that out of all the captains I think she's the weakest lead, but those scenes with her laying it out yet again was just boring.
The Efrosian... she reminds me of a super chipper customer service person. You know... the annoying type? There's a line between good customer service and just being annoying, and she was conveying the annoying type. I don't know if it was the actress or the direction she was given, but it just turned me off.
The Breen... so when we first see L'ak and his story, he was basically an outcast by the Breen on that dreadnought. Now all of a sudden, everyone not only honors him but is fully behind Moll after she kills Ruhn? I really don't think the writers pay enough attention to what they are doing within the same season. Correction... doesn't feel like they are paying attention to anything. Unless it deals with their shrink sessions. This strained past the point of being credible.
Book was most certainly the standout here, both the real and the mind one. His scenes were the only real good ones in this entire episode.
There were so many elements that could have been very interesting, and feel like they SHOULD have been interesting. But I was just so bored throughout the whole thing... I actually kept looking at the time to see when this would be over. I haven't done that since PICARD season 2 or multiple episodes of DISCO season 4.
This was a 3.
(That last sentence was sarcasm.)So in the 800 years since we see the Defiant travel within the Badlands with not only no problems but could also be cloaked within it (like in DS9's "FOR THE CAUSE"... and in that same episode, a freighter was able to stay there for HOURS with no problems), Starfleet ships have become as fragile as paper airplanes when in the Badlands? (shakes head) Shaka, when the walls fell.
So the final test was... Burnham looking inside herself. Again. I've lost track at how many times she's done this. Yet another episode of 'Shrink Sessions on DISCO'. Maybe it's the frequency that this has happened with her or the fact that out of all the captains I think she's the weakest lead, but those scenes with her laying it out yet again was just boring.
The Efrosian... she reminds me of a super chipper customer service person. You know... the annoying type? There's a line between good customer service and just being annoying, and she was conveying the annoying type. I don't know if it was the actress or the direction she was given, but it just turned me off.
The Breen... so when we first see L'ak and his story, he was basically an outcast by the Breen on that dreadnought. Now all of a sudden, everyone not only honors him but is fully behind Moll after she kills Ruhn? I really don't think the writers pay enough attention to what they are doing within the same season. Correction... doesn't feel like they are paying attention to anything. Unless it deals with their shrink sessions. This strained past the point of being credible.
Book was most certainly the standout here, both the real and the mind one. His scenes were the only real good ones in this entire episode.
There were so many elements that could have been very interesting, and feel like they SHOULD have been interesting. But I was just so bored throughout the whole thing... I actually kept looking at the time to see when this would be over. I haven't done that since PICARD season 2 or multiple episodes of DISCO season 4.
This was a 3.
Biggest issue with this season is it has become inconsistent. I also realize The Breen was a mistake but so is Moll. One problem with modern Trek is it feels like it needs a big villain all the time. That worked fine on DS9 with the Dominion but if your telling a story about finding the aliens that more or less created all life in the universe it feels like this season should by more philosophical and less pew pew in it. Embrace the Science Fiction and downplay the action adventure stuff. This is Trek. Not Indiana Jones.
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