Project Daedalus

DVD, Discovery S2 (Project Daedalus)

Right, so this is almost an Airiam episode. Possibly, in the context of this series which doesn't really do character episodes as such, this is an Airiam episode. In that regard it is the first and the last Airiam episode, and therein lies a problem. Judging by the highly emotional ending where she must be jettisoned into space in order to prevent her killing Burnham and taking control of the weapons on the ex-penal station to destroy Discovery, we're supposed to care deeply about her fate. But she isn't really a character at all, she's little more than background support due to the style this series has chosen - just like most of the Bridge crew, she's a face and a name and we know almost nothing about her, let alone had a chance to get to know her as a person. There's a belated attempt to try and create a bond with the audience by showing a few selected memories of her time with shipboard personnel or her walk on a beach with her new husband, but that's all! As with everything on the series it's yet another sped-up element of what Trek once was: rather than injecting little morsels of character interaction across the first season and a half in which we 'knew' her, it's all crammed into this one episode. Maybe for people with tiny attention spans and constant need for stimulation this is what passes for development, but it's nowhere near enough to make me care a jot about her emergency death and it suggests to me that maybe there was more going on with this story idea.

It begins with Airiam being played by another actress from the start of this season, for what reason I still don't rightly know, but perhaps they felt they couldn't keep the character going because of that and so came up with a plan to use her before killing her off. Maybe it was simplification, I'm not sure, as she was fine as she was, maybe they saw it as an opportunity to do something with her instead of just having this unexplained person there for viewers to wonder about and add to the background exotica of showing weird aliens a lot which the series believes is enough to sustain interest without ever getting to know them. There's no time to get to know anyone much and there are recurring characters on previous Treks that have had more development than some of the main cast on this series, so it's no surprise that Airiam was just another casualty of this wrongheaded approach to Trek as mere action drama rather than the richness we used to see. Turns out shorter seasons don't work in Trek's best interests. It actually was of interest to learn her past, that she's half human, half cybernetic and was injured in a shuttle crash, and see her idiosyncrasies: how she spends her time, what her Quarters look like, but it was too little, far too late, and it's distressing to see yet another aspect of the series fail because of the format and approach.

She could have been a fascinating character, albeit one that is a little problematic in some ways because Data was supposed to be such an advancement, and he lived a century later. At the same time we saw many superficially flawless androids and suchlike on 'TOS,' so it makes sense to address artificial life in some way, but they did neither (though touching on it with this 'Control' that is the Starfleet main computer, or something they input data into and gives them strategies, and now wants independence). They don't have room for philosophical discussion on the issues of artificial intelligence or exploring ideas because they're not tapping into that form of storytelling, preferring to concentrate on visual effects and galaxy-spanning dangers, forgetting that the personal is far more relatable. On the whole I would say this season has been far more 'Trekkish' than Season 1, and yet it still doesn't sit right and whatever they do doesn't seem to fit with the vast majority of Trek. It's such a strange sensation to be watching something that plays it as being part of that universe, yet clearly so doesn't wish to be, and it jars. I did like the shot of Airiam in space with her last memory playing across her eye before everything shuts down and so does the episode, but even the fact there was a notable lack of end music, replaced by lapping waves and wind, suggested this was a big, significant moment, yet it wasn't. If Airiam was misused, or more precisely, not built up to a point where she was someone whose loss was meaningful, Spock was also lessened in importance.

He admits himself that he is unusual, but that there are others like him, and in the context of the conversation they were talking about his half-humanness, so they've managed to make him a lesser character. I don't believe it was ever stated anywhere in canon that Spock was the first human-Vulcan hybrid, or that he was the only one, but that's the impression we've always had and one of the reasons why he's so special. It may seem logical that other Vulcans and humans would have mated and borne 'half-caste' children, but this in turn lessens the impact of Sarek and Amanda's union. In 'Enterprise' there was a big deal about the DNA of human Trip and Vulcan T'Pol being combined to create an infant, but that's the only other connection we've seen prior to Spock and it's hard to imagine, given the Vulcans we've seen in both 'Enterprise' and 'DSC' that they would consent to fraternise with humans voluntarily, Sarek being a special case because of his Ambassadorship to Earth. But when even the naming conventions are forgotten (I assumed Admiral Patar was P'Tar until I saw the end credits - typical that this character, who was actually the most true Vulcan portrayal on the series so far, is killed off), they seem oblivious to the damage they're doing to the former consistency and efficacy of Trek, and it is consistent only in disappointing those that care about such things as I do.

They chuck in references to kadis-kot, the game favoured by Seven of Nine and Naomi Wildman on 'Voyager,' and tri-dimensional chess, which we see Spock and Burnham play until their civility falls apart and they bicker like the two non-Vulcans they are on this series, culminating with Spock admitting that for the first time in his life he enjoys expressing emotion (didn't he do just that in 'The Cage' a few years earlier), and smashing the chess set to the floor. I remain generally appreciative that they found someone who could do a good approximation of the voice, and he does maintain a Spockishness in his speech that is admirable, but I really don't know what they're doing with the character other than using him to drum up interest in the series. And I do wish he'd tidy himself up with a shave and a comb, though how he looks is the least of my problems with the series. Each episode is somewhat of a chore to take onboard and I don't look forward to seeing the next part in an ever-advancing plot that still feels like it's treading water. Perhaps that's why they threw in the Mirror Universe jaunt in the second half of Season 1, because they realised they couldn't sustain such slight storytelling across 'so many' episodes. This season hasn't had that advantage of being able to turn on its head, relying instead on our desire to see how they were going to achieve a young Spock, and now, I suppose, how accurately they're going to achieve the USS Enterprise. Obviously we're not expecting the galaxy to end, but they're not even postulating that, really, it's more that events at this time can affect the outcome of the future, an intriguing idea that has barely been touched.

I keep coming back to the reality that had Airiam have been given even a little characterisation every other episode, she'd have become someone whose loss would have meant something, but she wasn't given that dignity. But then I'm not even sure someone familiar, like Admiral Cornwell, has enough of my respect that I'd care about her demise. Here, she's back as an ally of the renegades, as usual doing her own thing regardless of Starfleet, even if she is right in this case. I really get… I was going to say annoyed, but I can't even get that stirred up any more about anything that happens on this series because it's so distant from the precepts and principles of Trek that it's easier to spot things they do right. But about the shuttlecraft she arrives in, all beat up, worn and grimy… That's the 'Star Wars' aesthetic and doesn't fit in Trek. Things are supposed to be clean and smooth, not battered and falling apart. I'm not sure I've ever really liked the Admiral anyway, but she's a difficult person to pin down. She answers Pike's concerns with frank flattery about why he was ordered to sit out the war: Starfleet wanted to protect the 'best' parts of itself by sending the Enterprise (and presumably the other Constitution vessels), out away from the conflict so that if they were defeated what would be left was worth saving. It's all rather false to me, because it's silly to think Starfleet wouldn't be using its best ships in the fight and seems rather designed as an explanation to quiet Pike's moral qualms. That's the reason I see they divided their forces like that: so the less principled, hard-edged officers like Cornwell, could do whatever they wanted in compromising Starfleet principles and shut up people like Pike. It sounds very pat and handy, but it would have made a lot more sense to say he was off on a distant exploratory mission and simply couldn't be reached easily. Instead, he looks like an easily placated guy, not shrewd, just pacified with a compliment, typical of the non-utopian worldview this series chooses to embrace, it seems.

Cornwell is the poster-girl for such views, the ends justifying the means and all that, and she should really have been stripped of her rank when the truth came out about the attempted genocide of the Klingons once Burnham was able to singlehandedly prevent it. Once again we're reminded of Burnham as being this super-important, destiny child which everything hinges on as Airiam says before she gets sucked out that it's all about her. It's all rather tiresome and far from the simple values and qualities of Starfleet previously, and doesn't aid in my appreciation of the series. As always there are many questions thrown up by events in the episode, such as if Admiral Patar is a known logic extremist then why is she allowed to be in Starfleet? Or are there legitimate nonviolent examples of the creed? If so, we haven't seen them, nor have we seen any positives in the position which appears to be all about getting rid of non-Vulcans from their planet, far from the inclusiveness of Starfleet. I may have missed something in dialogue then, but it's hard to believe yet another Admiral is compromised. Then again, Admirals have a bad reputation on Trek and it's always been implied that the Captain, on the front line of decision-making, is the true hero of the organisation, having to deal with the superiors and subordinates to get to the right course of action, which is what is supposed to make the role compelling.

Any concepts and ideas that come up from thinking about the episode are paled by the many choices made, whether that be battered shuttles, more two-handed Phaser grasping (don't they realise how much cooler it looks when they just hold one arm out - see 'Enterprise' especially, for details), not to mention the weedy little poops instead of the screeching beam, or the heavily fantastical approach to Starfleet design that has things like EVA suits whose helmets fold away, click-click-click, rather than simply being removed normally. It's so silly! And what about Burnham failing to minister to the downed Naarn whose breathing apparatus is damaged by Airiam and who could be dying! Instead, she prefers to run around like a headless chicken, emoting like crazy. So much for the Vulcan training, then, and indeed, we've barely seen this aspect of her that was so intriguing, since the first two episodes. Maybe Vulcan behaviour is deemed too boring for modern audiences so she needs to be highly volatile, panicky and superhero-like in her fighting choreography and glamour, a real 'fight first, think later' type, and a real disappointment. If this is the secret base of Section 31, wouldn't there be someone there who would know Discovery was approaching and activate weapons rather than these illegal automated mines (the Federation doesn't permit them at this time, apparently, though this would change a century later when they needed to mine the Wormhole to stop the Dominion bringing in more enemy forces to the Alpha Quadrant).

And Burnham lecturing Spock on the purpose of logic?! And what about Airiam's weekly memory sorting - does she really go through every memory for the week and decide what to keep or junk - we see it in realtime, but if that were the case she'd spend another week going through the process! Maybe she only works every other week? And Cornwell says they're blackout mines that interfere with navigation when Detmer says sensors tell them they're flying upside down, but on this series there's never been a right way up in space, as they've loved to show ships approaching at different orientation, so is this in relation to the station, or what? At least it's more obvious when the shields are being hit, although, rather than the bubble we used to get they appear to be form-fitted to the hull, but then they really love to be as different as possible, distance themselves from those boring old Treks that nobody really liked - who needs Phaser beams, stars travelling in a straight line when seen in a warp field, or shield bubbles? I will say that it was good to see a tiny flashback to when Burnham's parents were being murdered by Klingons, as we've seen flashbacks to the aftermath of the Vulcan bombing in her past, but never to this other integral event of her life. And it's stated on screen about Naarn being Barzan and what that means, even if it is merely to set her up to be damaged later. Because, don't forget, the audience is stupid and needs a lot of help. They can't afford to be 'fanatical' about how much knowledge they take in these days because there's so many other things vying for their attention, so we need to not put them off with anything too complex. I was hoping the Daedalus of the title was connecting to the episode of the same name on 'Enterprise,' and it still could, but I doubt it.

At least there was no Georgiou to stain the halls of Starfleet vessels this time, though it didn't prevent from the usual lack of tension due to chop-socky laughable martial arts combat being the end point of any creeping around. I always like a good creep around in the dark, but, and I'm surprised to say this, considering this was another Jonathan Frakes-directed episode, there really was no build-up of tension. And I really did snort in derision as Burnham tries to fight a cybernetically augmented assailant rather than using her brains. Sure, she eventually traps Airiam in the airlock, but they really did slow-motion kicks across the room, with Airiam leaping through the air like Trinity, and it's just totally off-the-wall ridiculous. All sense of reality is lost in this series. And I love 'The Matrix,' and I always loved a good fight in Trek, but it's just so boring now, all about the flashiness and the glory rather than the functional, graceful simplicity of old. I don't see why she didn't simply Phaser Airiam in the first place as soon as Naarn was overpowered, instead of hesitating. Well, I do know - it's because, like the modern films, they think this is the only way people will be interested in watching. I can't imagine this series ever conceiving of doing a 'Shuttlepod One,' 'The Inner Light' or any contemplative approach that Trek formerly excelled at. Perhaps once their current strategy eventually comes to fruition, and there's a multiplicity of Trek series', each with their own approach and audience in mind, we'll see true diversity that is now missing, and that was so great about Trek: that each week it could be something different. Until that time, 'DSC' is all I have to go on and it doesn't do the job, not by a long way!

**