3x01 That Hope Is You (1)

[7.4/10] One of the advantages that Star Trek: The Next Generation had is that it was set years and years after The Original Series. That meant it didn’t have to deal with the status quo established by the show in the 1960s. It meant it wasn’t prevented from changing things lest they disrupt canon. And it meant that the new crop of writers and creatives weren’t limited by what had come before.

It was, more or less, the last Star Trek series to enjoy that freedom. Deep Space 9 had a different corner of the galaxy, but still had to play in the sandbox TNG had established. Voyager was theoretically in a new quadrant with new rules, but operated largely out of TNG’s playbook. Even the J.J. Abrams reboot, with its alternate universe take, was at least strongly informed by the 1960s series. Lower Decks and Picard are rooted in what TNG did, even as they move the timeline forward. And Enterprise, as a prequel, was inevitably cornered by what came afterwards in-universe, an issue that also afflicted Star Trek: Discovery.

Until now. The first part of “That Hope Is You” has some of the usual Discovery problems that we’ve witnessed over the past two seasons. The dialogue is often stilted and too far removed from actual human conversation. The characters aren’t as deep or winning as we might like. There’s a lot of superfluous action tossed in that isn’t especially exciting and doesn’t really advance the story beyond including the necessary quota of fist-fights and phaser skirmishes.

But the decks have been cleared. We’re in the future, the 3100s to be more precise, with a new scenario that’s not only so far removed in time from the Star Trek we know, but also removed in terms of scenario, that Discovery can truly chart its own force.

The galaxy we find in the 3100s is one where the Federation has collapsed, gradually over the prior decades, until it splintered into various collections of “true believers” keeping the flame alive in isolated pockets. At some point, more than a century prior, the dilithium crystals -- the central element of warp travel -- blew up in an event dubbed “The Burn”, causing untold deaths, crippling the Federation, and making traversing space a much different endeavor. The future has made technological strides, in the form of nail art control stations, personal/portable transporters, and other advancement, but this is, at first glance, a much grimmer and more cynical world than the one Michael Burnham left.

What’s worse, Michael is alone. One of the smartest choices Discovery’s season 3 premiere makes is to isolate our protagonist in this brave new world. It helps personalize and individualize her and the audience’s growing understanding and, if you’ll pardon the expression, discovery of the state of affairs all these years in the future. Centering this episode on Burnham making her way in this strange new place helps acclimate the viewer to the new state of affairs, letting her reactions, whether they’re of wonder, shock, or confusion, mirror those of the folks watching at home.

Unfortunately, we also have to establish her new, inevitably love interest. Book isn’t terribly compelling as a character in his introduction here. He’s framed as yet another Han Solo type, a handsome rogue who seems out for himself but secretly has a heart of gold. The existence of this type of character -- one who is knowledgeable about the ways of the future who can ally with our heroes and be their shepherd through it -- is probably necessary. But the fact that he has to fit into such a tired archetype, particularly in the form of a telegraphed slap-slap-kiss romance with Burnham, makes his scenes far more exhausting than endearing.

The other thing that drags this hour down is the fact that the show has to recover from the aftermath of “Such Sweet Sorrow,” last season’s finale. In fairness, it’s good (in principle) that Discovery takes time to show Burnham recovering from the psychological trauma and disorientation of succeeding in her mission but leaving everything she knows and loves behind. It was just such a dumb, arguably nonsensical finale that every reminder and connection to it is less availing than it might otherwise be given their ties to that baffling set of story choices.

There’s also a lot of wheel-spinning and empty spectacle that takes place to try to show us Burnham adjusting to the new setting, forging a bond with Book, and uncovering her new quest. It’s entertaining enough, albeit shallow, to see our main character betrayed by her seeming reluctant partner, dealing with a jointly-run Andorian/Orion trading post, and jump from place to place using personal transporters. Some of it’s entertaining enough, and at best it establishes a sense of place for the darker and scrappier 3100s, but it doesn't really process Burnham’s transition or sell her quick (if begrudging) friendship with this clunkily rakish new pal.

But hey, it turns out that Book isn’t such a bad guy -- he’s someone trying to rescue endangered species, including “transworms” and big fluffy kitties. Sometimes he prays/uses magic powers to heal people or commune with animals. Eventually, against his better judgment, Book takes Burnham back to a beautiful sanctuary planet with impossibly colorful flowers and seas. He represents somebody trying to hold onto what’s left, in the hopes that it can one day flourish again, which fits nicely with what follows when he takes her to one of the few remaining folks tending to the Federation’s flame.

The only part of “That Hope Is You” that’s genuinely emotionally affecting is when Burnham meets Aditya Sahil, a Starfleet “liaison” who is the last in a long line of officers. He has been waiting for forty years for a glimpse of hope after all was lost, another “true believer” happy to help Burnham find her ship, and clearly moved to receive a “commission” from her like his forebears did, and raise the Starfleet flag once more. Adil Hussain gives the best performance in the episode, selling the emotion and magnitude of that moment like gangbusters.

That’s a very good thing, because it’s his reaction that (hopefully) sets the tone for the season to come. The universe has become a much harsher and more disconnected place since “The Burn” and the seeming demise of the Federation. Folks on the fringes of the galaxy are out for themselves, brutal in their methods, and devoid of the spirit of altruism and exploration that defined Starfleet for so many centuries.

And yet, with Burnham (and eventually, her crew presumably) comes the titular hope. She brings with her those ideals and, buoyed by them, the chance to find those who remain true believers and perhaps rebuild the Federation once more. She has a mission: not only to find the Discovery and her friends still aboard it, but to find those still sympathetic to her cause from a millennia before and to restore those foundational beliefs to a galaxy sorely in need of them.

With that, Discovery finally has the chance to do something different, beyond just reimagine and recontextualize the TOS era. It has the opportunity to set the tone for its own era of Star Trek, to tell a story of rebuilding the Federation within a skeptical galaxy, to prove that the old sense of idealism still has a place amid a fractious, mercenary, and divided world. Little we’ve seen from the past two seasons of this show suggests that the series can realize the potential of that idea. But with a board this clear and open, unburdened by fifty years of continuity and expectation, for once I’m excited to see Discovery try.

[7.4/10] A good start to the new season. I like that Discovery is clearing the decks for a show unbound by what came before. The leap to the future is still a bit constrained by having to follow-up the abominable season 2 finale, but it gives the show the chance to chart its own course in a way it hasn't really been able to up to this point.

I don't love the fact that we're paired with a discount Han Solo in the form of Book, or that the show strains to establish a connection (almost certainly soon to become romantic) with him and Burnham. But I do like the notion that the Federation has collapsed, the galaxy is harsh and splintered, and it's up to Michael and her allies to not only find the other true believers out there, but to reintroduce that sense of idealism back into the world.

Little that we've seen has convinced me that Discovery can nail this new stage and era of Star Trek, but it's a compelling premise for a new season, no longer bound by the strictures of canon that happened a millennia ago in-universe. I'm excited to see the show try.