Discovery has returned, bringing its characters into an extremely dangerous situation.
Titles: “Stormy Weather,” “…But to Connect,” and “All In”
Directed by Jonathan Frakes, Lee Rose, Christopher J. Byrne and Jen McGowan
Written by Anne Cofell Saunders, Brandon Schultz, Carlos Cisco, Terri Hughes Burton, Sean Cochran.
Cast
Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham
Doug Jones as Commander Saru
David Ajala as Cleveland “Book” Booker
Anthony Rapp as Commander Paul Stamets
Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
Sonja Sohn as Dr. Gabrielle Burnham
Bill Irwin as Su’Kal
Blu del Barrio as Adira
Ian Alexander as Gray Tal
Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Joann Owosekun
Emily Coutts as Lt. Keyla Detmer
Raven Dauda as Dr. Tracy Pollard
Rachael Ancheril as Cmdr. Nhan
Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Gen Rhys
Sara Mitich as Lt. Nilsson
Shawn Doyle as Ruon Tarka
Daniel Kash as Haz Mazaro
Chelah Horsdal as President Laira Rillak
Tara Rosling as T’Rina
Hannah Cheesman as Lt. Cmdr. Airiam
Ronnie Rowe as Lt. Cmdr. R.A. Bryce
David Benjamin Tomlinson as Lt. Linus
Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance
David Cronenberg as Kovich
Rothaford Gray as Book’s Father
Phumzile Sitole as Capt. Ndoye
Annabelle Wallis as Zora (voice)
Andreas Apergis as Guardian Xi
Nicole Dickinson as Orion Delegate
Alex McCooeye as Lee’u
Giovanni Spina as Provost Sta’kiar
Warren Scherer as Kurr
Oksana Sirju as Cashier
Premise:
“Stormy Weather”: Discovery explores unknowable space in the wake of the DMA, Book begins to hallucinate, and Zora the computer has the crew worrying if they’re in for one HAL of a challenge.
“…But to Connect”: Zora’s newfound sentience and morality complicate matters for the fledgling Federation. Delegates debate what to do, and a brilliant but arrogant scientist finds an ally in Book.
“All In”: Burnham leads a party on a wild adventure to stop Book and Tarka and find some important information. A high-stakes game of Fizzbin ensues, with a side of Space Fight Club.
High Point:
These episodes do lead us, unevenly, to a dramatically interesting predicament. The fate of the galaxy is at stake, sure, but it intertwines deeply with the central character having to make a very serious decision with both personal and galactic consequences.
Kirk had to let Edith Keeler die. Book doesn’t have to die, necessarily, but they’ve raised the stakes and I don’t want the resolution here to feel like a cheat.
Low(ish) Point:
“All In” is a strange episode, which moves the arc by a very small amount while giving us the possibly recurring Haz Mazaro (think the love-child of Harry Mudd and Quark) and a setting that feels like low-rent Mandalorian. It’s not a bad episode, by any means but, for one that was supposed to establish the “City on the Edge of Forever” stakes of the current arc, it really doesn’t do much else. They literally could have included this set up in the mid-season finale back in December, or as the start for the next episode. It was fun…. I guess?
The Scores:
Originality: 2/6
Acting: 5/6 “Stormy Weather” gives several characters a chance to develop– including the computer.
With Tilly gone, Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Joann Owosekun is getting more to do, and I know I’m liking her a lot more than I liked Tilly.
Effects: 5/6 I rather liked the sea-dragon effect.
Production: 5/6
Emotional Response: 5/6
Story: 5/6:
Overall: 5/6
In total, the Star Trek: Discovery episodes “Stormy Weather,” “…But to Connect,” and “All In” receive 32/42
Lingering Question
I guess we saw it before in The Voyage Home, but it strikes me as needless anthropomorphizing that clapping is a universal way for all species in the galaxy to show approval.