Season 4 vs. Seasons 1-3

[Lord Garth]

I'm not going to do a long detailed post, but I'll get the ball rolling with something simple, then add to it later. Here's how I think Season 4 is holding up against the first three seasons so far.

I'll take each episode from the fourth season and compare it to the corresponding episode from previous seasons. It's something different and another way of looking at the seasons.

Season 1 vs. Season 4
1. "The Vulcan Hello" vs. "Kobayashi Maru" --> "Kobayashi Maru". Burnham is too knuckle-headed at the end of "The Vulcan Hello".

2. "Battle at the Binary Stars" vs. "Anomaly" --> "Anomaly". Book dealing with his grief is more interesting than fighting the Klingons.

3. "Context Is for Kings" vs. "Choose to Live" --> "Context Is for Kings". The episode that officially sold me on DSC as a series wins out and Lorca's a bad-ass.

4. "The Butcher's Knife" vs. "All Is Possible" --> "The Butcher's Knife". Can't beat Discovery coming to the rescue after the first successful long-distance spore jump.

5. "Choose Your Pain" vs. "The Examples" --> "The Examples". Watching the choices that had to be made was simply more compelling. Sorry, Harry Mudd.

6. "Lethe" vs. "Stormy Weather" --> This is a tough one. I'll have to go with "Stormy Weather", but it's a difficult choice. "Stormy Weather" sums up what I think Star Trek is while doing it in a Discovery way. "Lethe" just has the mystique behind Lorca (which is gone now), Cornwell in Lorca's quarters, and the Klingons seeming scary for the first time in a long time. Like I said, it was tough.

So two episodes go to Season 1 and four episodes go to Season 4. Looking pretty good for this year.

I'll do the other seasons on a day when it's not Christmas.

 

[Lord Garth]

Waiting for pizza to heat up before I re-watch The Animatrix. I re-watched the first three Matrix films today before I go see Matrix: Resurrections tomorrow night... but back on topic while I wait for the pizza to cook.

Season 2 vs. Season 4
1. "Brother" vs. "Kobayashi Maru" --> "Kobayashi Maru". "Pike's here! Let's have some fun!" vs. "We're channeling the Abrams Films this week!" Both are channeling them in their own way. I have to give the nod to "Kobayashi Maru" because it sets up what the fourth season is going to be about from the get-go.

2. "New Eden" vs. "Anomaly" --> "New Eden". I find the story of 21st Century Humans transplanted to a colony in the Beta Quadrant very intriguing. And the episode really sells Pike as a Captain. I think this is the episode that made people say, "I want a Pike series!"

3. "Point of Light" vs. "Choose to Live" --> "Choose to Live". Both are kick-ass episodes (IMO), but "Choose to Live" has a much tighter focus and gets the badassery done in a better way.

4. "An Obol for Charon" vs. "All Is Possible" --> "All Is Possible". A wacky Tilly episode vs. a non-wacky Tilly episode where she gets to move forward with her life and becomes an instructor at Starfleet Academy. The choice is pretty clear.

5. "Saints of Imperfection" vs. "The Examples" --> "The Examples". I love the Mycellial Network, but I like trying to figure out the Anomaly more. And the asshole scientist in "The Examples" really helps. Plus we get to see Burnham and Saru work some of their budding political magic.

6. "The Sound of Thunder" vs. "Stormy Weather" --> "Stormy Weather", I love this episode. "The Sound of Thunder" dealt with things waytoofast! on Kaminar. It actually was what people like to accuse DSC of being all the time.

So five episodes I give to Season 4 and one episode I give to Season 2.

-- EDITED TO ADD --

Season 3 vs. Season 4
1. "That Hope Is You, Part I" vs. "Kobayashi Maru" --> "That Hope Is You, Part I". Nothing beats Michael and Book meeting for the first time. I loved our introduction to the 32nd Century.

2. "Far From Home" vs. "Anomaly" --> Tough one. I like them both almost equally as much. But I'll give the nod to "Far From Home" because I get a kick out of Star Trek living up to its 1964 pitch as a Space Western.

3. "People of Earth" vs. "Choose to Live" --> Another tough one. But, at the end of the day, given the choice between hunting down a rogue Qiwot Milot and irate people who live on Saturn, I'll go with the Qiwot Milot and "Choose to Live".

4. "Forget Me Not" vs. "All Is Possible" --> "All Is Possible". "Forget Me Not" is a beautiful episode and makes great use of the Trill, but "All Is Possible" simply has more moving parts and does more with all of its characters.

5. "Die Trying" vs. "The Examples" --> "The Examples". As much as I love Discovery encountering 32nd Century Starfleet for the first time, it's just too weird how they wrote off Nhan the way they did in "Die Trying". And "The Examples" has a meaty moral/ethical dilemma, along with trying to figure out who and what's behind The Anomaly. "The Examples" made anomalies more interesting than TNG or VOY ever did.

6. "Scavengers" vs. "Stormy Weather" --> "Stormy Weather". An average episode of the third season versus the best episode of the fourth season so far. No contest. Comparing these two episodes shows just how far Burnham's come in just one season.

So, two episodes go to Season 3 and four episodes go to Season 4.

 

[Quinton]

Good stuff. I'll try to find some time soon to do the same thing!

 

[Lord Garth]

So far it looks like I prefer Season 4 over each one of the first three seasons on an individual basis, but even when you team up the first three seasons, it looks like Season 4 still holds its own. It takes all of the first three seasons put together to level out the playing field.

1st Episode) Season 3 has the better episode.
2nd Episode) Seasons 2 and 3 have the better episodes.
3rd Episode) Season 1 has the better episode.
4th Episode) Season 1 has the better episode.
5th Episode) Season 4 still has the best episode.
6th Episode) Season 4 still has the best episode (even though Season 1 makes it close).

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

So far it looks like I prefer Season 4 over each one of the first three seasons on an individual basis, but even when you team up the first three seasons, it looks like Season 4 still holds its own. It takes all of the first three seasons put together to level out the playing field.

1st Episode) Season 3 has the better episode.
2nd Episode) Seasons 2 and 3 have the better episodes.
3rd Episode) Season 1 has the better episode.
4th Episode) Season 1 has the better episode.
5th Episode) Season 4 still has the best episode.
6th Episode) Season 4 still has the best episode (even though Season 1 makes it close).

I wonder are the earlier seasons tainted by what's to come. You briefly mention it with Lorca but seasons 2 and 3 were also certainly tainted for me because of the endings.

For me personally season 2 right up until the point Burnham's mother arrives is my favourite run in the show. 2nd half of season 2 though my most hated (Terminator S31 was an even worse character than ruined Lorca)

 

[Lord Garth]

It could also be Recency Bias, but I'm concious of that, so I take that into consideration as well. I have no idea how S4 will end, but they ironed out a lot over the previous seasons and it's really starting to show.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Season 4 has been an easy watch but unspectacular like 3 was, IMHO. Season 2 was Discovery's peak.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

Season 4 has been an easy watch but unspectacular like 3 was, IMHO. Season 2 was Discovery's peak.

I agree with this. Season 2 had the feel of things coming together, all of the elements clicking and running well, with the arc going on, the smaller things fitting in nicely and someone like Pike to get everyone back in line to recognize the bigger picture and to the mission at hand.

Seasons 3 and 4 have been OK, where it has the arc and plot, but when things get moving nicely and building to where I think it's going to get better, it takes steps backwards.

Honestly, I find myself wanting to go back and watch Season 2 episodes, but that hasn't been the way I feel with 3 and 4.

And having a couple seasons in a row with a threatening situation interrupted by someone freezing due to anxiety or some other hesitation is getting too redundant and stale. These are supposed to be Starfleet officers that had to have passed some form of psych evaluation. Having a ship full of people like what's going on would have been destroyed by the time they hit their first contact with a hostile action of some kind.

 

[Odo]

Oof I was not a big fan of season 2 but still liked enough of it. Season 1 remains my fav, though I don't like the Klingon redesigns. Season 3 started out spectacular then ended up pretty good but not great IMO. Season 4 seems to have settled things down - they know more where they want to go with the show and what the show is - I'm enjoying it so far! Just my two cents.

 

[Vger23]

Season 1 was easily the best from my perspective....it was moody, tonally different than past Trek. The MU stuff was really good (and kind of terrifying in how oppressive they made it feel). Georgiou was at her best. Lorca was an awesome character. I liked Ash Tyler a lot. (9/10)

Season 2 was also very good, but it so gut-wrenchingly shifted in mid-season (transition to "Red Angel is Burnham's mom and the real plot is Control") that it can't withstand that to rise to my favorite. Pike, Spock and Number One help elevate it past it's structural problems as well. (8/10)

Season 3 was my least-favorite. I really don't even remember it well, and have no desire to re-watch. It wasn't "bad..." it was just not particularly stand-out either. It just felt like a pretty run-of-the-mill plot with new characters I don't much care for (save Vance) against a villain I don't much care for either. I did not really like the time jump either. (6/10)

Season 4 is better than S3, but not by much. It's easily the steadiest DSC season yet, but with that has come a feeling of "ho hum" in terms of the structure and level of excitement. It's starting to feel like "Star Trek: The NEXT Next Generation" as opposed to "Star Trek: Discovery"...which is precisely what I wanted a new series to avoid. (7/10 so far)

I'd rank them
1
2
4 (so far)
3

To the point of the post, looking at @Lord Garth 's ratings, I'd rate most of the S1 and S2 episodes higher than any of the S3 and S4 episodes thus far except:

• I'd take "The Examples" over "Chose Your Pain," which I think is the weakest of the first 1/3 of S1's episodes. I'd also take "The Examples" over "Saints of Imperfection."
• It's a close one, but I'll take "Chose to Live" over "Point of Light." PoL is a really interesting hour of Star Trek in it's own very unique and engaging way...but I think "Chose to Live" is a better overall episode.
• The only S3 episode that beats a S4 episode thus far is "The Hope That Is You, pt1." I actually found "Kobyashi Maru" to be pretty pedestrian for a DSC season premier. It wasn't bad...but it in no way matches up to the pervious 3 season premiers.

 

[Ovation]

It's easily the steadiest DSC season yet, but with that has come a feeling of "ho hum" in terms of the structure and level of excitement. It's starting to feel like "Star Trek: The NEXT Next Generation" as opposed to "Star Trek: Discovery"...which is precisely what I wanted a new series to avoid.

Captures my view of S4 rather well.

 

[Cyrus]

I have found each season better than the previous one. So good job Discovery writers/producers. Keep it going!!

 

[Lord Garth]

The century change doesn't bother me. They made the 32nd Century different enough from the 23rd and 24th Centuries that I want to see more.

I can actually tell the centuries apart, so I'm happy with that.

 

[Jadeb]

This season and the first half of season two are my favorites. The heavy focus on grief this season makes it a harder watch, but I admire what they’re trying to do and appreciate the slower, more thoughtful pace. Let’s hope the second half of the season satisfies in a way that season two’s didn’t.