Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 5x09 - "Lagrange Point"

[Elaise]

Something I noticed, transwarp is back. I now think that the old guy with the glasses is either one of the progenitors, or a Q. He treated it with such seriousness and secrecy that it gets a special directive and not telling anyone. He has not been seen for quite a number of episodes even thought how serious he was taking this.
That buffer did not seem like breen tec, it seemed more like one of here hidden items she keeps on hand. If thats the case, how is this not a massive thing in trek sense they came to the future. You would hide a shuttle in your damn pocket.

A dimensionally transcendental cylinder built by an ancient all-powerful race that gives access to technology beyond your wildest dreams?...

...Nah.

Its worse. Someone from 800 years ( I think that's what Burham said) put that vortex in a container.

 

[IMC Headquarters]

Was that the Voyager-J doing a flyby as we visited Federation HQ? Nillson says hi there!

 

[Quantum21]

Just some idle speculation:

We all wanted more of a connection to The Chase, and a reason for this tech to be something other or greater...what if like some of the great scifi movies, the first DNA chase was like a Contact or 2001 scenerio: one level of evolution, and this is step two of life proving itself worthy for something...info or technological breadcrumbs.

 

[Quantum21]

The brief scene with Burnham and Book actually works really well... Yes this sharing is a trope these days in all drama, but in this case, the scenerio is justified:

Burnham has just admitted things to herself because of the mindscape. This leads to her honesty with Book. They are literally in a period where they had no time to share this, and may both die and never speak to each other again...this in a hallway away from the others, it's a brief, heartfelt moment.

Okay, this was MUCH better than last week's. Jonathan Frakes again works his directing magic. This was much more focused and didn't feel like it was dragging.

FINALLY, Saru is back! Every scene with him was a reminder of how sorely he has been missed. And T'Rina has simply been awesome. Tara Rosling has proven to be an excellent casting choice for that role.

Rayner was simply badass here! It is a true shame that we won't get more of him past this season. (Honestly, him and Saru are the MVPs of this series.) My only issue is with him picking Tilly as XO. It didn't make sense in season 3, and it doesn't make sense now, not when there are other people who have been in Starfleet much longer. (How many Lt. Commanders are on the bridge alone? I've lost count.) I get that it's a position and the rank doesn't have to be a high one to be in it, but as a Lt. j.g. she is simply not as experienced an officer as so many other ones around her are. It feels like it disrespects the experience of all the other officers who have been serving much longer. I also get that because she's in the title sequence, they had to insert her in the action on the bridge. But she can be a part of the action (a good part of it, if done right) by simply doing her science stuff at her station. This was one of the things I thought was ridiculous in season 3, and I'm sorry that the writers did it again.

Burnham and Book work well together... I thought it was funny how she noticed his 'flirting' tactic for a diversion. But I really wish the writers could resist the urge for YET ANOTHER pouring of emotions with a TICKING CLOCK. (Attack of the writing room shrink... AGAIN.) At least Burnham bothered to acknowledge that it wasn't the best time for that. (I was genuinely shocked she even had enough professionalism and remembrance of Starfleet training to actually say that.) Hey, writers... maybe you should pay attention to what even the CHARACTER HERSELF said. You couldn't spare us this for JUST ONE EPISODE?!

I was glad we got to learn a bit about the Breen, and they started off well in DISCO... but they have been given a huge disservice these last two episodes. Last week, they can't make up their minds about L'ak. He was an outcast on that ship when we first learn of him, then all of a sudden he is a revered figure, to the point that they follow his wife, who is not even Breen, to possible war. (Given their clear bias against anyone that isn't Breen, this is just too unbelievable.) And this week, they seem to let EVERYONE in the galaxy know that a HUMAN is in charge of a BREEN faction. What happened to the race that was so secretive no one even knew about their physiology? Or the clear xenophobia and disgust they have of other races that has been shown repeatedly this season? I actually preferred them on DS9... mysterious to the point where you don't even know what they are saying.

Overall, it was a good episode that had some things I just found unbelievable. The pacing and tight direction really helped here. I give it an 8.

 

[Drunk Superman]

On that topic what about Moll? She was stated as being human in episode 1, however at least her father was not, or was he a human living on Kwejian? Memory does not serve me here.

I don't think they've mention when Book met Cleveland Booker. Doesn't seem to be on Kwejian, though. So he's probably human.

 

[KamenRiderBlade]

The problem with thrust producing engines is why the ship slows down once force is removed. One could argue that the warp nacelles anchor the ship to subspace and produce effective drag.

Or they could be using a form of "Gravimetric Drive".

The Borg manage to move in STL w/o any form of impulse drive.
That would lead me to believe they have some form of "Gravimetric Drive"

You know how they have Anti-Gravity repulsors to let them float within a Planet, the same can make them move laterally or in any direction, but acceleration would kind of suck.

Ergo the need for Impulse Drive to have really good acceleration in STL mode.

I know Babylon 5 had Gravimetric Drive, but it wasn't the "Be All / End All" in STL mobility.

 

[Drunk Superman]

Yes this sharing is a trope these days in all drama, but in this case, the scenerio is justified:

It's a trope as old as time. Sometime played for laughs like in an buddy action film.

 

[Quantum21]

Will we see the Pathway Drive in action?

Will the vfx be?

A. Counterclockwise Swirls?
B. Stars and glitter?
C. Mylar pom poms and lightning?
D. Zathras and a candle?
E. Two confused lizards and a flower pot?

You choose!

 

[valkyrie013]

Will we see the Pathway Drive in action?

Will the vfx be?

A. Counterclockwise Swirls?
B. Stars and glitter?
C. Mylar pom poms and lightning?
D. Zathras and a candle?
E. Two confused lizards and a flower pot?

You choose!

F. Plaid

 

[Uhura's Song]

6.

Good time for a heart to heat with Book, Burnham.

This was was almost slapstick level silly.

 

[Uhura's Song]

Storing the tech at the Lagrange point is like storing a ball at the top of a round smooth hill. All it takes is the slightest perturbation and down it goes.

That makes zero sense.

I mean, in between two accretion discs of black holes (that should be moving, btw) is idiotic. The system isn't stable.

My 6 was awful generous.

 

[Uhura's Song]

The best DISCO call of the season was made by whomever decided to cancel it, sadly.

Not done yet, of course. But if I was making a top 15 episodes of DISCO list, I do not think any S5 episodes make the list.

 

[NCC-73515]

S3-5 make 1 and 2 much better

 

[Frightscape One]

S3-5 make 1 and 2 much better

DISCO season 2 was the worst season in the franchise... until PICARD season 2. I suppose that did the impossible, which is actually raise that from the bottom of the franchise. Second worst, but I guess that's progress.

 

[Firebird]

Was that the Voyager-J doing a flyby as we visited Federation HQ? Nillson says hi there!

Sonequa posted a video on Instagram today that showed photos of the cast on the set this season, and Sara Mitich was part of the group. Makes me wonder if they got the core Bridge crew back together for the finale, or if that was from the reshoots?

 

[fireproof78]

Good time for a heart to heat with Book, Burnham.

Sexy.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

The little face to face with Burnham and Book is almost breaking the fourth wall and flatout winking to the camera at this point.

 

[NCC-73515]

DISCO season 2 was the worst season in the franchise... until PICARD season 2. I suppose that did the impossible, which is actually raise that from the bottom of the franchise. Second worst, but I guess that's progress.

S2 only went down after the Control/Leland stuff and who the angel was.
Everything before, like the Church episode and the Sphere episode, were great compared to S3-5

 

[Fateor]

Time travel, time wars are band. Why would temporal shields be banned to protect from an incursion, just in case someone breaks the rules? And someone will break the rules.

The same reason the time travel ban apparently included most non-dilitium methods of power generation, most non-warp types of propulsion, the whole "bigger on the inside" technology they were supposed to have going on, and reverted back their weapon and shield technology from the point where a small shuttle craft was a threat to an intrepid class to not much more advanced then the 25th century.

 

[eschaton]

One funny observation:
Discovery seems to have entirely done away now with the trope of "redshirts". Since several season now, there haven't been some poor extras killed by monsters or bad guys to show the situation is serious. Which is good.

However... At the same time Discovery has gone down JJ Abrams route of Star Wars action. Meaning our heroes gone down waves after waves of mooks at any chance. Which somehow makes it worse!
The bad guys haven't actually killed a single person this season - yet or heroes gun down & murder them left and right.
Doesn't really feel right, really not proportional.

This is a big issue I have with this season as well. Honestly, the complete nonchalance with mass murder of "baddies" - as if they were video game mooks - started in Discovery with Season 3. But the slow draining of any sort of casualties on the Federation side makes it much, much worse here.

I mean, in this episode alone, the Breen attempt to capture Michael and Book, and Moll says she'll just drop them off on the next planet. A minute later, Discovery crashes into their docking bay, killing at least hundreds, if not more, in the depressurization.

It's especially strange, because only a single episode before, Michael was unwilling to put the archive at risk due to Primarch Ruhn's threat, to the point that she just gave the one thing she wasn't supposed to to him, negotiating with a hostage-taker. But here, they kill hundreds without blinking an eye.