I've been doing an ongoing series on my site about what I feel are essential episodes to watch before Discovery premieres, and this weeks article is about Duet. Thought I'd post the text of the article here because this is one aspect of Star Trek that I'm really hoping Discovery has, yet I've seen little evidence of it so far.
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Welcome back to another entry in our "Guide to Discovery" Series!
This week we'll be discussing last weeks homework assignment, "Duet" and what insights it could possibly give us into Star Trek Discovery.
Duet is a masterpiece of storytelling. There's very little praise that I can heap upon it that hasn't already been said by those far more eloquent than I. The reason I chose Duet as essential viewing in the lead-up to Discovery is not because it showcases something I'm confident that Discovery will have, but because it it represents something I desperately hope it has.
I want Discovery to challenge my preconceptions. I want it to have stories that stay with me long after the credits roll.
To explain what I mean we need to cut to the heart of the message of Duet. In many ways Duet is about Nazis, but it's not about Nazis in the way that the vast majority of stories are. It's not about Nazis during World War II, it's about the ones left in a time of peace. Marritza certainly doesn't seem to hold to the traditional Cardassian values that created the forced labour camps during the Bajoran Occupation, yet he was a part of the machine of oppression nonetheless. Certainly his refusing to continue in his role as a filing clerk wouldn't have stopped the Cardassian activities, it wouldn't even have slowed them down, but the fact that he was unwilling to stand up for what he knew was right made him at least partly responsible for what happened.
Let me briefly explain something about myself. I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I don't mention that as a precursor to a long explanation of my beliefs, only to raise this point; thousands of my fellow Jehovah's Witnesses were killed by in the Nazi death camps in WWII for their refusal to take political sides. Re-watching Duet made me ask myself a soul searching question; Were I a person who had lived through the holocaust, and were I to come in face to face contact with a person who played even a minor role in the murder of those who I consider "my people" would I be able to find it within myself to forgive that person? Would I even think that they deserved forgiveness?
I honestly don't know the answer, and that is part of what makes Duet such a striking example of what Star Trek can, and should do. Trek has always served to challenge our preconceived notions. We enter the episode viewing Cardassians and Bajorans in one light, yet the episode forces us to consider if that light is correct? As Marritza points out to Kira, she was directly and personally responsible for the deaths of more people than he was, she actually went out and ended people's lives, he just filed the paperwork. The incredible thing is that that fact doesn't make Kira evil, and it doesn't exonerate Marritza, it just creates another theme in an already complex tapestry.
I last watched Duet two weeks ago and there has not been a day since that my wife and I haven't talked about the messages it carries for at least 10 minutes. That is what good Star Trek can do!
I have yet to see much to assure me that Discovery is going to do this, yet I'm eminently hopeful that it will. Star Trek can and has served as a basis to tell topical and relevant stories in a way that is almost timeless. I think that, sadly, Duet will be just as topical and important 100 years from now as it is today and as it was in 1993.
In order for Discovery to succeed as a Star Trek show it needs to rise above simply being visually exciting and give viewers something to talk and think about. The vast majority of television and film today is easily digestible, mass appeal fast food. At its best Star Trek is a steak dinner, something that takes time to digest. That may limit its appeal to some, but for me, and thousands of others across the world that is what has made Star Trek so satisfying and enduring.
Whether or not Discovery lives up to its rich heritage remains to be seen. This factor of Star Trek is heavily based on the dialogue and actions of the characters, which is something trailers are almost entirely unable to showcase. Nonetheless I hope that upon watching the first episode I'm able to experience something that both gets my heart pumping and my mind working. For me social commentary has always been as pivotal a part of Star Trek as spaceships and tricorders.
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What do you guys think? Will Discovery deliver on the thought provoking episodes that all previous Trek series have, even the ones liked less by fans? I'm very hopeful but quite worried it will get swept aside in favour of action.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome back to another entry in our "Guide to Discovery" Series!
This week we'll be discussing last weeks homework assignment, "Duet" and what insights it could possibly give us into Star Trek Discovery.
Duet is a masterpiece of storytelling. There's very little praise that I can heap upon it that hasn't already been said by those far more eloquent than I. The reason I chose Duet as essential viewing in the lead-up to Discovery is not because it showcases something I'm confident that Discovery will have, but because it it represents something I desperately hope it has.
I want Discovery to challenge my preconceptions. I want it to have stories that stay with me long after the credits roll.
To explain what I mean we need to cut to the heart of the message of Duet. In many ways Duet is about Nazis, but it's not about Nazis in the way that the vast majority of stories are. It's not about Nazis during World War II, it's about the ones left in a time of peace. Marritza certainly doesn't seem to hold to the traditional Cardassian values that created the forced labour camps during the Bajoran Occupation, yet he was a part of the machine of oppression nonetheless. Certainly his refusing to continue in his role as a filing clerk wouldn't have stopped the Cardassian activities, it wouldn't even have slowed them down, but the fact that he was unwilling to stand up for what he knew was right made him at least partly responsible for what happened.
Let me briefly explain something about myself. I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I don't mention that as a precursor to a long explanation of my beliefs, only to raise this point; thousands of my fellow Jehovah's Witnesses were killed by in the Nazi death camps in WWII for their refusal to take political sides. Re-watching Duet made me ask myself a soul searching question; Were I a person who had lived through the holocaust, and were I to come in face to face contact with a person who played even a minor role in the murder of those who I consider "my people" would I be able to find it within myself to forgive that person? Would I even think that they deserved forgiveness?
I honestly don't know the answer, and that is part of what makes Duet such a striking example of what Star Trek can, and should do. Trek has always served to challenge our preconceived notions. We enter the episode viewing Cardassians and Bajorans in one light, yet the episode forces us to consider if that light is correct? As Marritza points out to Kira, she was directly and personally responsible for the deaths of more people than he was, she actually went out and ended people's lives, he just filed the paperwork. The incredible thing is that that fact doesn't make Kira evil, and it doesn't exonerate Marritza, it just creates another theme in an already complex tapestry.
I last watched Duet two weeks ago and there has not been a day since that my wife and I haven't talked about the messages it carries for at least 10 minutes. That is what good Star Trek can do!
I have yet to see much to assure me that Discovery is going to do this, yet I'm eminently hopeful that it will. Star Trek can and has served as a basis to tell topical and relevant stories in a way that is almost timeless. I think that, sadly, Duet will be just as topical and important 100 years from now as it is today and as it was in 1993.
In order for Discovery to succeed as a Star Trek show it needs to rise above simply being visually exciting and give viewers something to talk and think about. The vast majority of television and film today is easily digestible, mass appeal fast food. At its best Star Trek is a steak dinner, something that takes time to digest. That may limit its appeal to some, but for me, and thousands of others across the world that is what has made Star Trek so satisfying and enduring.
Whether or not Discovery lives up to its rich heritage remains to be seen. This factor of Star Trek is heavily based on the dialogue and actions of the characters, which is something trailers are almost entirely unable to showcase. Nonetheless I hope that upon watching the first episode I'm able to experience something that both gets my heart pumping and my mind working. For me social commentary has always been as pivotal a part of Star Trek as spaceships and tricorders.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What do you guys think? Will Discovery deliver on the thought provoking episodes that all previous Trek series have, even the ones liked less by fans? I'm very hopeful but quite worried it will get swept aside in favour of action.
