Star Trek: Discovery Mid-Season One Finale

Title:  Star Trek: Discovery – “Into the Forest I Go ” Review

Network: CBS

Air Date: November 12th, 2017

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Drama

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When Star Trek: Discovery premiered back in September, it got off to a considerably rocky start. Over the past couple of episodes though the show has righted the Starship. “Into the Forest I Go” continues that trend, ending the season on a high note with a combination of wholesome relationships and intrigue.

Last episode ended on a cliffhanger, with the ship of the dead on its way to the discovery’s position on Pahvo. “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” also revealed that the planet had the one means of solving the problem that had been plaguing the federation in the war against the Klingons from the outset, the enemy’s cloaking device.

Despite being ordered by Starfleet to jump away, leaving the planet and it’s natives defenseless, Captain Lorca only acts as if he will comply, buying time instead. The diversion is a neat trick, renforcing that the captain is as crafty as ever, but it lends way to a far too convenient plot device.

The entire purpose of Lorca’s trick is simply to lend the Discovery three hours to solve how to bring down the cloaking device. Almost immediately, Burnham and Tyler already have a plan. Not only has this plan not been built or mentioned in Star Trek: Discovery before this point, also defeating the purpose of the Pahvins, it doesn’t make much sense either. While they do their best to explain it with scientific terminology, by the end of things I still didn’t understand why the 133 micro jumps would give them the information they need.

Plot convenience aside, the storyline does lend way to some of the best scenes in the Star Trek: Discovery so far. The first being that before they can even make the jumps, Ash Tyler and Michael Burnham must undertake a dangerous boarding party onto the Klingon’s Ship of the Dead. As the two are beamed upon the ship, they begin to place sensors so that the Discover will use for their plan.

Everything goes according to plan until Burnham finds Admiral Cornwell is aboard the ship. As they go to rescue her, Tyler also finds L’Rell, triggering a gruesome spout of PTSD from both his “torture” and relationship with the Klingon back on the prisoner’s vessel. Tyler’s nightmares continue to haunt him throughout the episode, even after he opens up to Burnham near the end.

While this scene may have put a widely touted fan theory to bed for some, it only complicates and makes it far more interesting in my eyes. Not only that, it also answers a question that plagued the validity of the theory as well, regarding a certain romance.

Right when Tyler’s episodes begin though, Burnham is tasked with placing the final sensor on the bridge alone. Even though it goes well, I had to laugh at the ridiculousness when it comes to the practicality of the sensors. Instead of a discrete beacon that also shows the necessary information, the sensor looks more like the disco ball at the party in “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.”

None of that matters though if Lt. Stamets isn’t able to make the insane amount of jumps that are required for whatever their plan was. Clocking in at 133 in total, the entire process is very intense, especially with Dr. Culber frantically watching the whole thing. It didn’t at all help that Stamets melted even the most cynical of hearts – aka his own – right before the process began by telling Hugh “I love you.”

Following a battle with Kol to stall for time, Burnham, along with Tyler, Admiral Cornwell, and even L’Rell, is beamed aboard the Discovery. Moments later we say goodbye to the Ship of the Dead and Kol for good, as it is uncloaked and destroyed, tying back to the events of the premier nicely simultaneously.

What occurs next is the most interesting thing that could have happened in Star Trek: Discovery. After Stamets reveals he is done working for Starfleet after one more jump, something goes wrong. What exactly it was is left ambiguous. The show could be in another universe. It could be in the future or the past. It could even be outside the laws of time and space, ala Sliders and Parallels. Honestly though, that’s not even the most interesting part of the interestingness, as it may have been Lorca’s plan to take them there all along.

Like the show, I will leave that on a bit of a cliffhanger as well (until my next article on the show). But for now, I am already highly anticipating the possibilities for the show to explore and discover when it returns in a few months.

Verdict: “Into the Forest I Go” close the book on the Ship of the Dead arc, and opens a giant omnibus of possibilities when the show returns in 2018. Intrigue abounds as this episode only adds fuel to the fire of two huge theories, while simultaneously giving Star Trek: Discovery and its writer’s a lot more lore breathing room with the possibilities provided by its ending.

What did you think of the most recent episode of Star Trek: Discovery? What scene or scenes did you like the most? What are your predictions for the rest of the debut season as things begin to unravel? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Also be sure to check back to the site later this year when the show returns to CBS All Access.

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