To paraphrase Ambassador Sarek, "That the Burn was caused by a mutant Kelpien on a dilithium planet was not the most obvious conclusion."
Spoilers New York Comic-Con Season 4 Trailer
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While I agree with your broader point, I'm not sure I agree on the specifics regarding Discovery. I think pacing of the serialized arcs has been one of the weakest elements of the show overall.
I mean, in the first season, a clear example is they decided to have a four-episode interlude in the Mirror Universe which took up most of the back half of the season. They seem to have made this choice for various reasons, including deciding after Fuller's firing that Lorca was from the MU, and having an excuse to bring back Michelle Yeoh. But it was completely and totally detrimental to the supposed arc of the season involving the Klingon War. One could argue that it might have been necessary from the POV of Michael's character growth, but the same general points could have been gotten across in normal episodes which actually dealt with the Klingon War. The season was thus left with only two episodes to come up with a messy conclusion to the arc. I would even argue there were a lot of missed opportunities in the (generally stronger) Act 1, with sidequests to Pahvo, Mudd's revenge, and the Tardigrade arc sort of muddling the themes set up in the prologue. One of the biggest sins I think is they never actually bothered to do something like the Siege of AR- 558 - an episode where we actually got to see how the Federation was negatively impacted by the war. Instead, we mostly got told what was happening, with even the major war exploits of Discovery happening off-camera between episodes.
You didn't mention Season 2, but it's a clear example of arc failure as well. Berg and Harberts got fired after the filming of the first third, and they seem to have tore up their planned season arc and started over, retooling with some scattered reshoots. It ultimately worked better than Season 1, but it was shaky getting there, in large part because so much time was spent trying to explain the discordance between what we were told in the first 5 or so episodes and what happened thereafter.
Season 3 is a linear story which makes logical sense. But I have a hard time saying "solve the mystery of the Burn" is the arc of the season as a whole. The first two episodes are about the Discovery crew reuniting, than the next two are their adventures looking for the Federation. The mystery of the Burn is solved (for us as viewers) by Su'Kal, which makes the end mostly about the confrontation with Osyraa (who wasn't built up properly as the antagonist of the season). In the middle, we have another foray to the Mirror Universe - a very well-done two parter, but one which again is narratively unnecessary to the season arc. So you really only have "solve the mystery of the Burn" as the arc through Scavengers, Unification III, The Sanctuary, and Su'Kal. Everything works together logically from start to finish, but it doesn't come across as a coherent arc - just a series of sequential episodic adventures that the crew of the Discovery had over the course of the season. It's hard for me to even point to themes for the season as a whole, which is very much unlike the first two.
I think most of us would agree that the problem with DSC's first season was how much it tried to do in so little time. I imagine in a 26-episode season, we actually would've gotten all those things you described. I wanted to see Captain Tilly in the Prime Universe. I also would've liked one full episode with Burnham in prison.
I didn't mention the second season because we all know there were extenuating circumstances. Mainly the change in showrunners.
The third season actually had the build-up that people were looking for. It took us until the fifth episode to get to see the Federation. The first episode was just Burnham in the 32nd Century. The second episode was the USS Discovery itself. The third was visiting Earth. The fourth was going to Trill and Adira unlocking the secrets of their past and being Adira Tal. Then the fifth episode, we finally get to see the Federation and even then, it takes an entire episode before they accept Discovery.
Then the sixth episode reinforces the Emerald Chain introduced back in the first two episodes and we first hear about Osyraa.
The seventh episode goes back to seeing what happened to different worlds, showing what happened to the Romulans and Vulcans, while also using Burnham's connection to Spock to help open the door between the Federation and Ni'Var.
The eighth episode circles around back to the Emerald Chain where we meet Osyraa for the first time.
The ninth and 10th episodes focus on the mystery of The Burn, explained in the first three episodes, as a framework, while the body of the episodes goes back to the Mirror Universe to show how much Georgiou has changed before writing her out to set up the potential Section 31 spin-off.
So I would say that the first 10 episodes of the third season were nothing but build-up.
Then we get to the 11th, 12th, and 13th episodes... and then that's when everything goes back to being a crazy rush again. I think they killed off Osyraa waaaayyyyyyy too quickly and I hope that the Emerald Chain didn't come tumbling down that easily and that someone else just took over. I see the Emerald Chain as the Federation's primary adversary in the 32nd Century. It sets this time period apart from the 23rd and 24th Centuries, and that's what they should go with.
If anything, I think the extra build-up during most of the third season came at the price of rushing things towards the end. Things that I don't think needed to be ended. Osyraa should've been defeated and lived to fight another day. As for Zareh? Fuck him. He got what was coming.
And there's a whole scene with Saru leaving Discovery that was just begging to be shown (or made) but wasn't.
But I think the main general point of the third season was introducing us to the 32nd Century. And they didn't get to everything, but they got to enough of it, that I have some sense of how that time is different.
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To quote Captain Kirk, "Good."
Now I'm tempted to watch it all just to annoy you. That will probably be more entertaining than season 4.
That will show CBS to stop making Discovery! Seriously, how does that effect any sort of change in what you want to watch? The cognitive dissonance that prevails here is amazing.
Better shot of the the President, you can see her bajoran nose ridges easier
It's Mary McDonnell !!
She sure likes to play Presidents, doesn't she?
That's Chelah HorsdalIt's Mary McDonnell !!
She sure likes to play Presidents, doesn't she?
Really? I could have sworn McDonnell was playing this President as well. I was going by this tweet.
Maybe don't spend five episodes out of fifteen, literally a third of the season, in the mirror universe or meeting Harry Mudd, on totally unrelated tangents?
Berg and Harberts always made me cringe in behind the scenes interview but if their firing coincided with the change in direction in season 2 then please bring them back.
Season 2 had a really interesting and unique premise... then the story-telling fell of a cliff, Burnham's mother was in the angel suit (and so was she, obv), Section 31 can build another suit overnight, and it just became another tired evil AI against the galaxy trope. And the less said about that drone circus at the end masquerading as a space battle, the better.
Berg and Harberts got cut because they were causing problems in the writers rooms, apparently making it a pretty toxic working environment with accusations of bullying and intimidation being directed at them.
As for the story of season 2, its clear that it was planned out differently but a number of things occurred to cause the change in the story arc. Firstly, if they had kept the stories already written by berg and harberts, they would have to pay them royalties or give them a credit. Secondly, it was decided Discovery would go to the future and a series about Pike and the Enterprise would take place 2250's - 60's.
Since all of this happened when the Season was already deep into production, they had to come up with a course correction fast.
Ok, you have 15 episodes. To quote Lorca: "Go."
So, basically, you want All Klingons All The Time for the first season of DSC is what you're telling me. And you want the season to be about nothing but war.
I know it's not, but that answer is effectively what you just said.
But let's continue on with it. Give us a beginning, middle, and end in 15 episodes. Let's see how imaginative you are.
... or, since you won't, maybe we can get back to talking about Season 4? Novel concept.
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I agree. I think this is most likely what's going to happen. Season 4 will be about how the Federation came back together again. I'm going to be so bold as to say I think the people who don't see this don't understand the series.
And this is why:
DSC won't end with leaving the Federation still decimated. And everyone knows it. They'll want to put the Federation back together again before the series ends. So something has to happen to push them out of being comfortable with their status quo. And like you said: an ordinary, "nothing happens", middle-of-the-road, "planet of the week", Strange New Worlds style type of story -- that these people seem to want so badly -- isn't going to be the kind of story that would make bringing back the Federation happen.
It'll be a nice change of pace to see the population trust science.
EDITED TO ADD: Season 4 looks like it'll have a much more clearly-defined story than Season 3. The third season was really just about getting acquainted with the 32nd Century. The fourth season looks like it's moving passed that and just focusing on its story rather than having to introduce everything like last season had to.
So maybe this will lead to the last three episodes of this season not feeling as crammed as the last three episodes of the previous season.
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Probably just referencing BSG. TrekCore says she's played by Chelah Horsdal on their panel Recap blog.
Chelah Horsdal was also in BSG. She played Baltar's defence attorney when he was put on trial
You asked how they can fit a Klingon war in a single season, I suggested by not wasting a third of it on the mirror universe in season 1 of a brand new show.
Fair enough, sounds like it was definitely the right decision to get rid of them and it makes the unfortunate latter half of season 2 understandable. I would love to have seen the original way the season would have finished though.
Aside: For all the overly-produced Klingon redesign / visual stylings, initial political focus and emphasis given to the coming klingon war - I must confess I felt it ended rather quickly, considering how Season 1 was introduced / set.
I guess I expected a bit more from the character of T’Kuvma, perhaps as a protagonist - which I feel fell short in terms of realisation, IMO. Sure - he did what he needed to do (to a point) but I felt there could have been far more done with his character, and we could be shown far of his nuance as a charismatic Klingon leader.
I guess I expected a bit more from the character of T’Kuvma, perhaps as a protagonist - which I feel fell short in terms of realisation, IMO. Sure - he did what he needed to do (to a point) but I felt there could have been far more done with his character, and we could be shown far of his nuance as a charismatic Klingon leader.
They may have dodged a bullet by killing T'kuvma in the second episode given that the actor who played him, Chris Obi has had 6 women accuse him of sexual assault.
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