In the first season of Discovery, TIlly was hands down my favorite character. She was a breath of fresh air as a somewhat "lighthearted" character in a perpetual dour season. Her character did veer pretty widely in the early episodes as they tried to figure her out (from her initial introduction as someone who seemed borderline ASD, to being a flirt by Magic to Make The Sanest Man Go Mad) but overall, she was a great example of how to play characters to their strengths in an ensemble cast.
I felt like Season 2 was a big step backwards for her to be honest. The whole "command training" subplot was pretty quickly dropped. I wonder if she was a favorite of Berg and Harberts, because in the back half of the season she was really reduced in role - even not appearing in one episode. With so much of that season relying on Michael's relationship with Spock and Pike, there simply wasn't much time for her as Burnham's BFF, so she was more or less relegated to scenes with Stamets in the Spore Drive.
So far, Tilly is getting a pretty wide set of characters to interact to. She's been paired with Michael and Stamets again. She's being more frequently paired with Saru, which I find interesting because due to her low rank she really shouldn't be Saru's confidant (though I can excuse this because I presume there are a lot of interactions with people like Rhys and Detmer off camera).
What bothers me though is there's really no sense of forward movement to Tilly. She's still just a perpetually awkward ensign used for comic relief. Something - anything, would be helpful in order to avoid her being "Harry Kimed." Some possibilities include:
I felt like Season 2 was a big step backwards for her to be honest. The whole "command training" subplot was pretty quickly dropped. I wonder if she was a favorite of Berg and Harberts, because in the back half of the season she was really reduced in role - even not appearing in one episode. With so much of that season relying on Michael's relationship with Spock and Pike, there simply wasn't much time for her as Burnham's BFF, so she was more or less relegated to scenes with Stamets in the Spore Drive.
So far, Tilly is getting a pretty wide set of characters to interact to. She's been paired with Michael and Stamets again. She's being more frequently paired with Saru, which I find interesting because due to her low rank she really shouldn't be Saru's confidant (though I can excuse this because I presume there are a lot of interactions with people like Rhys and Detmer off camera).
What bothers me though is there's really no sense of forward movement to Tilly. She's still just a perpetually awkward ensign used for comic relief. Something - anything, would be helpful in order to avoid her being "Harry Kimed." Some possibilities include:
- Promotion to Lt. Junior Grade. Obviously this is just a change in title, not a change in character, but a whole arc could be put together to get her there.
- Some sort of romantic/relationship development. Similar to my issue with Saru to be honest, although we know from comments in the first season that Tilly is attracted to men. I think the comments that people make about Mary Wiseman's weight are usually scuzzy, but I feel it's important in terms of inclusion to let women of all sizes be seen as sexual beings with their own wants and needs - and not restricting it to the "hot" cast.
- Talking with Culber about some of her many insecurities. We now know Culber can serve as a counselor in a pinch. And similar to Neelix, Tilly is a friggin mess under the surface, with a crippling inferiority complex.
- Being put in a situation where the ship/cast is in danger, and her unique skillset actually saves the day, which helps to build her confidence up.
- Maybe take Adira under her wing a bit to show the ropes? Tilly isn't a fresh-faced kid any longer, and the juxtaposition of her mentoring someone younger and greener would help her to realize how much she has grown.
