Brother

DVD, Discovery S2 (Brother)

Any time this series conforms to Trek tradition is a good thing for me, so it's appreciated that one of those few times has been regarding the titles of episodes not repeating what has been used before, making every title unique. Some cut quite close, with names such as 'Muse' and 'The Muse,' or 'Paradise' and 'Paradise Lost,' and now 'Brothers' and 'Brother.' I must say that I came to this season with heavily lowered expectations from that which I went into with Season 1, especially when the makers gave us such choice comments as 'everything will make sense by the end of the season,' and 'we wouldn't bring Spock into the series.' The first was proved incorrect, and now the second has been, but if there's anything Trek has taught its viewers over the years, it is to hope. Even though Season 1 was the worst year of Trek ever made, I still have the tiniest smattering of hope that its second will be an improvement. I know significantly less about it, for a start: I knew Pike would be the Captain. I knew Spock would be in it. I knew it would have something to do with something called 'The Red Angel' (what is the obsession with angels these people have? - first Michael and Gabriel, now this…), with the hint of a Borg connection. I knew the theme would be a discussion of faith versus science. And that 'time crystals' will be a device involved, Culber would be returning to life from the mycelial network, Sylvia Tilly's Mother will be appearing, Sylvia will be even more of a 'comedic' character, and apparently there's to be a clips episode at some point. And that's it.

First thought on watching this season's opener was that they'd ditched the slightly squished widescreen they championed before and are now filming in cinema ratio, which was a little distracting, it's not a film, but you get used to it. Last thought was that Ethan Peck's voiceover in the form of Spock's Personal Log did sound reminiscent of Leonard Nimoy. I wonder if they affected his voice in some way or if he was coached to try and lean towards the slight rasp, deep timbre of the man who made Spock, because I can't imagine it was mere serendipity that they found someone with a close similarity in vocal cords! In between these thoughts I found the episode to be a mixed bag, which is actually a positive for me as right from the off I found myself blanching at the self-indulgent twaddle that this melodramatic series loves to peddle as if it's deep drama, so to find anything to like in it was a success in my eyes. Strangely, considering in how low esteem I hold James Frain's portrayal of Sarek, it was one of his scenes that first broke light of day out of the murk of the 'same old misery' I experienced with Season 1 (and experienced again even more on my re-watch). It was when he and Burnham were discussing their past with Spock and where she fitted into the family that some small thing clicked for me and made me realise if they were more careful about what they did and how they wrote, avoided the overly emotional outpourings and heavily pretentious voiceovers Burnham is prone to, they can make worthwhile contributions to Trek's unfolding past.

So it is gravely unfortunate that for far too much of the episode things felt awkward, frivolous or self-indulgent. Ensign Tilly has reverted to her most annoying persona from last season, and though I'd been forewarned that she was to be used even more as a figure of fun, so it came as no surprise, it was no less a shame when I had come to appreciate her a little more at times on my second viewing. Here, she's just as scatty and inappropriate to get laughs as her worst showings before, but the misguided attempts at humour weren't hers alone. The most egregiously out of place comedy moment comes when several of the crew enter a Turbolift which features an Arcturan (I think they're called), a species that had been a minor background alien in 'The Motion Picture' and had never troubled the screen again. It wasn't the most inspired design, being a 1950s bug-eyed alien, but it's nice that they had something like that for those of us who recognise such touches ('TMP' is also an inspiration for Spock going off on some mystery, being troubled by a 'question,' just as his Kolinahr training was disrupted by V'Ger in that film, leading him to go off and seek answers). The writers get points for bringing back a forgotten minor race that looks a little less 'Star Wars' than most of their full-head prosthetic background uglies, but then they lose those points for ripping off one of those typically unfunny gags in the most recent Trek film, 'Beyond': Keenser has a cold and sprays acid mucus wherever he sneezes. It wasn't funny then (though it had a function in the plot), and it's even less funny here where somewhat snooty Science Officer Connolly gets snot splattered on his face in a typically undignified 'comedic' moment for modern TV and film.

It's not just the lack of dignity for characters that irks, it's that the writers think this will lend appeal to the series, that this kind of scatological 'humour' is the way to go. It really isn't, and like a lot of choices in Season 1, shows a juvenile mindset that is far-removed from the intent of previous Trek. Even on a practical level it's ridiculous that this alien member of the crew doesn't even show the hint of an apology as if he's just some dumb animal (like the beast of burden in 'The Phantom Menace' letting rip in front of Jar Jar Binks to give him something to react to). Considering Connolly's fate I wonder if it was even appropriate on a dramatic level that he should be demeaned shortly before he dies. That's another thing, I knew he was destined for death quickly into the rescue pod sequence as he, Captain Pike, the Engineer woman (who appeared to be a Zaherian, or whatever the princess from Tilly's 'Short Trek' was called), and Burnham hurtle through asteroidal matter to get to a downed ship, the USS Hiawatha. You know that the woman in red is the one who would traditionally die, the famous 'redshirt,' so they were obviously going to kill off Connolly in reaction to expectations. At the same time they were aping the Kelvin Timeline films again since that's exactly what happened to Chief Engineer Olsen, who thought he knew better in the space jump and got himself killed. Connolly was set up as a grumpy, superior type who wasn't going to listen to Burnham, who is somehow an expert in everything (!), and since someone had to die to demonstrate the danger this asteroid field posed to our cast, he was always going to be the one. Just to dig the point in deeper, Pike is ineffective enough to need rescuing and not only is Burnham the one to do it (surprise!), but she even hits it on the nose by grouping herself with the 'ladies' on the Bridge that are part of the rescue attempt, not the best way to introduce the new guy - these writers really shouldn't have access to Trek royalty.

Similarities to the modern film series didn't end there, either: we also become acquainted with the Hiawatha's Engineer Reno, a foul-mouthed 'expert' who somehow needed Burnham to show her how to do her job, when the 'crackerjack Starfleet Engineer' trope is so well established that it makes her look like half the woman she should be. The film connection is in how they find her, essentially exiled on this asteroid, along with her little friend(s) - this time they're robots rather than Keenser, but it's virtually the same setup, and she's like a mix of the finding of Scotty in 'Star Trek XI' with the characteristics of junk jury-rigging Jaylah from 'Beyond,' so much so, that I half expected it was going to be the Prime Universe version of her (which might have been interesting, but they wouldn't have been able to get the rights, I think, though I'm not sure). Even though she shows herself less than you'd expect in the engineering department (aside from her success in creating this makeshift shelter), she's somehow able to be a doctor, keeping a few survivors alive, her offhand explanation being that the body is just a machine. If that were the case then Doctors and Engineers would be interchangeable, and it's just one more example of the kind of unstable logic-plotting that this series is notorious for. If they don't set up Reno particularly well, then neither do they succeed with the season's arc of some mysterious signals emanating from somewhere in the galaxy, or in Captain Pike's inauguration. I will give Pike that he is a positive role model of a Captain (well, certainly more than Lorca, anyway, which isn't hard!), in the way he remembers the Bridge crew's names and prefers to refer to them that way rather than by rank, although his casual dismissal of the need for rank could not be seen in any way in Jeffrey Hunter's masterful origin of the role.

'Casual' is a word that can far too often be levelled at the series, consequently, having a Captain that is so easygoing to add to that mix may not bode well for my appreciation levels. At this point it's very hard for me to see my way to liking anything in 'DSC,' but one of the things that has always got under my bonnet is the lack of protocol and structure, a remnant from the days when creator Bryan Fuller wanted the focus to be on lesser ranks rather than the main roles of a starship, a wish that proved incompatible with the needs for drama on a continuing basis, and certainly within the style of the series that came to be after he was booted out. It shouldn't be a surprise that this casual tone has persisted into Season 2 since the series was still under the control of Harberts and Berg, Fuller's appointed successors, before they too were booted out at some point during the writing of this season. Whether Kurtzman stepping in was able to right a choppy ship is yet to be seen, but there was enough about the writing of this episode to make me hope for a considerable improvement. Take Pike's inauguration as Captain, it's all very simplistic, with Saru spouting regulations, but it's a little fuzzy and I was even wondering if Pike was up to something nefarious since his explanation of why he's taking command was so weak: the Enterprise lost power… and, um… did I miss something? Again, it's utterly simplistic plotting in the same manner as a devastating war was begun by Burnham's accident with a clumsy Klingon!

I didn't really follow the central story, either. Where are the signals coming from, what are the ramifications? It must have been in dialogue, but they confuse the issue so much with things like Burnham wittering on about some African tribal legend about 'the girl who made the stars' that you almost don't spot where the 'poetic' nonsense ends and the real facts begin, and so it was hard to get invested in the story. All I really got was Pike didn't have a ship and they had to go somewhere to investigate something: an asteroid field where this signal was originating and where they located the downed Hiawatha. It remained clumsy storytelling, in my eyes, unless I'm just being too unsophisticated to keep up. But so much is covered in melodrama and emotive music that confuses the issue so far away from the simple, clear approach Trek used to take. The visit to Sarek and Amanda's home on Vulcan where we see Burnham first taken into their care, meeting her foster-Mother and young Spock should have been a highlight. Wow, we're going to see Spock's childhood bedroom, what a treat for we who love the canon and the history, especially as it was reminiscent of the design seen in non-canon 'Yesteryear' from 'The Animated Series,' making that little bit a part of continuity now, which is great. But it's all filmed in such a way as to be unreal and, again, melodramatic. Spock reacts badly to this human intruder, drawing a holographic dragon which flies round the room like one of Gandalf's famous fireworks, just so they can show off their swanky visual effects. Such things don't impress me - to do that they'd need to make everything more grounded and realistic, but for the simpleminded folks of today that need visual treats to keep their disloyal interest from straying to mobile phones and social media, this is apparently what they need to get them to watch. How sad.

As before, I didn't like Sarek, Frain has none of the gravity or weight to him that Mark Lenard had, so that I just wish they didn't show him at all, but he's tied in to Burnham's backstory so we'll never be rid of him, I suspect. Amanda isn't as bad since she's human, but for what was shown as such a practical woman that had learned to live among Vulcans effectively, she's very emotional. We're given the mystery of why Burnham and Spock don't interact these days, with only that it was her fault, in her eyes, to go on, so it'll be interesting to see that play out. But yet again the casualness of life on Discovery is so anathema to me and to my view of how life on starships is, even at this time in history, that it's so irksome the way people talk to each other: Burnham should be making a 'personal request' when she asks the Captain if she can board the Enterprise for what are purely emotional reasons. Instead of a formal request, it just comes up in conversation as she hangs out with Pike, losing the value of ship operations and the reality of that world, again to make it more appealing and accessible to a modern audience that don't like being told what to do, having discipline, rules and protocol. Then when we do get our view aboard the old girl it looks nothing like the Enterprise of either Pike's time in 'The Cage' (I assume the fortune cookie message he finds under Lorca's desk was supposed to be a reference to that title, as clumsy and irrelevant as it was), or Kirk's time in the future, so I dread to think how badly the rest of the ship has been messed with - Spock's Quarters should have been a wonderful moment where we go back in time to 'TOS,' the small, simple Quarters a delight to revisit, and they could have simply added more texture to the same basic layout, but no, suddenly it's a vast room that is a waste of space and pushes me away as if to overwrite what had gone before: you know, that thing we love, called 'Star Trek'?

I'm not convinced the makers even know what 'Star Trek' is, and if they do, they probably have never viewed a single episode of 'TOS,' that's the impression I get from the writers, the designers, and almost everyone behind the camera - watching the DVD extras to Season 1 and reading interviews from the official magazine it was clear these people had no reverence for the past, they were only interested in creating a series today. And that's why, as long as this is the prevailing attitude, that people like me will never be able to accept the series. I know it's a trope that every time a new series comes out the loyal viewers complain and point out everything wrong with it, but I'm one of the most loyal, Trek has been kept alive by me for years. I've suffered through the recent films, hoping for a series to come along which will clearly be more Trekky than those things. I've enjoyed every new Trek series, and I worked hard to be accommodating when I came to this one, but they made it very hard for me and it still has a long way to go to regain my trust. The trouble is, if it was compelling drama, great sci-fi ideas, and just generally impressive it could appeal. Or if it was as dull as ditchwater, but was slavishly true to Trek ideals and history it could appeal. But it is neither of those things! If it could go one way or the other, and I'm not saying the concepts are mutually exclusive - most other Trek proves that you can be devoted to the canon, this inspiring greater ideas that come out in terrific writing, direction and drama, then it would appeal more to me, but so far I don't see evidence that it ever will.

Yet I'm still humbly grateful to have the opportunity to consume another new season of Trek (even one that has been shaved down to fourteen episodes rather than Season 1's fifteen - which might be a good idea considering how much of a struggle it was for me to get through the last few episodes on my re-watch), on physical media because I sense the day coming when I won't have that option and I very much doubt I would go out of my way to get on the streaming bandwagon to have access to this kind of Trek. As it is, I'm privileged to be able to remain onboard with current Trek, even if I'm often repulsed by it. At least I still have the ability to view it and make my own opinion with which to weigh in, which is better than nothing. It doesn't make it easier to cope with how lax they are with my beloved continuity, the wrongheaded choices they frequently make, and the concessions to modern thinking (or unthinking!), they feel forced to adhere to, but it's one small consolation.

Before I wrap up, I noticed some odd things here and there: like Airiam seemed to have a slightly altered appearance, I don't know whether it was the colour scheme or pattern, but something was amiss. Plus she seems to be played by someone else now (Hannah Cheesman), while Sara Mitich is credited as Lt. Nilsson. Is this a deliberate clue to something that we're supposed to wonder about (I did hear rumour of Airiam being killed off…). And did Detmer always have such different-looking eyes? It's a shame they have to make her look so ugly as when you see the actress out of makeup she has a nice look to her, but she's far from the only member of the cast they squander. At least the Bridge crew were more integrated right from the first episode, although it's still strange that they're not main cast members in the opening credits. Some changes come to those credits with Wilson Cruz being an addition as Dr. Culber, as is Anson Mount as Captain Pike - when they first showed pictures of the actor online, comparing him with predecessor in the role, Hunter, I thought he looked very similar, but on screen he lost that, and if anything bore more of a similarity to the Kelvin version. I'd already seen the uniforms, a modified version of the Discovery cut, with that strange crossover black collar and the shoulder ribbing, and although they look far superior to the main 'DSC' ones, I still wasn't enamoured with them because again they ignore the canon: we know what the uniforms looked like from three years ago ('The Cage'), and that the same ones were in use a decade later in Kirk's first appearance, and we also see them used to cool effect as historical dating for images of crew from before that time, back when those making Trek cared about creating a living history, but these ones (which are new, according to Pike), are neither the 'TOS' main uniforms, nor 'Cage' designs, so it's a further complication.

People can laugh at someone being hung up on what a uniform looks like, but it's all about intent and how much care and thought is lavished on the production, and choices like this show me that little reverence is paid to the giants upon whose shoulders this series is precariously perched, and if Trek is to survive as a coherent whole then they need to change their attitude. Otherwise it may as well be another universe, like the films, and then they lose the ability to contribute to an unfolding history that has been developed by so many different people across more than fifty years, and if they can't see their way to caring about such an incredible legacy, then I can't see any way I'm ever going to care about their production. At least a little more went into this opening of Season 2, with an episode running time that almost reached an hour, making it the longest single episode so far, even if some of that time was taken up with a longish recap of the first season, or had precious minutes wasted for a pointless action scene or special effects demonstration. Kurtzman's direction was okay, I liked little things like the human ear of the Science Officer being the thing we see when he beams aboard, but as usual there's far too much moving camerawork, there to keep ADHD sufferers interested. The holographic stuff still irritates, as ever - the rules for Trek have been established, we know how advanced Voyager was a century later, yet they couldn't easily project things outside specific areas, but now, in this century Burnham can play around with such things in her Quarters. And yet they do daft things like needing to use ordinary cameras to take photos of the asteroid field, as if sensors couldn't deal with it! The double standards are humungous and laughable!

I'm not going to go through and point out all the inconsistencies and things that don't make sense, but maybe I will touch on the fact that the Discovery clearly doesn't have the new uniforms that the Enterprise does, and Pike even changes into their uniform by the end when the Enterprise is being towed away by the Corps of Engineers, mentioned by name! - it's so frustrating that they can give us shots of asteroids, but they still fail to realise that what we most want to see are the ships themselves, which are given such short shrift as if they're afraid of turning off viewers by showcasing the beauty of starships in space. Were those Miranda-class vessels towing the Enterprise? You can't see, it's only a reflection in the porthole, or an out of focus view out the window, it's maddening! Anyway, they don't have the uniforms, but somehow they do have the emergency suits Burnham, Pike and the others wear to fly in the pods, and they're in the new colour scheme, so what's going on, it doesn't make sense? It's also annoying to see Starfleet tech fail just so they can create a moment of jeopardy (although it was nice to see the Transport Pattern Enhancers back again), making Starfleet look stupid - what happened to multiple backup systems that makes Federation technology so dependable? I could buy it if this were 'Enterprise' a century before, but they want both the cake and the eating of it when they have inferior tech for dramatic purposes (Pike's suit failing), yet also superior tech to show off in holographics, etc. Why can't they make up their mind and stick to it? Argh! At least there was plenty of technobabble to leaven some of the frustration. Not the worst episode of 'DSC,'
but neither does it set up a new standard. Hope springs eternal.

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