Star Trek Discovery S04E07 is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the scifi TV drama series streaming on Paramount+. The series had a mixed reception due to its perceived retconning of Star Trek canon, being set 10 years before the events in the original Star Trek TV series and by introducing Michael Burnham (as the sister of the iconic character, Mr. Spock). In season 3, the series transported the ship and its crew almost a century into the future, thereby (cleverly) avoiding any issue with Star Trek canon once and for all.
Entitled “…But to connect”, Star Trek Discovery S04E07 is the mid-season finale that is surprisingly the best episode of Season 4 thus far, despite itself. Essentially, this episode was all talk and hardly any action whatsoever. But it worked. In terms of plot, the premises were as follows – Tensions rise as representatives from across the galaxy gather to confront the threat of the Dark Matter Anomaly. Zora’s new sentience raises difficult questions. (IMDB)
So… we had delegates from within and without the Federation of Planets debating on how to confront the alien species behind the Anomaly – aggressive or peaceful first contact being the options basically. AND… on the Discovery, another debate – whether to allow Zora – the ship computer – the luxury of sentience or not : should Zora be recognised as a new lifeform?
Now if this all sounds boring, it certainly could have been but for the spot-on execution of narrative and characterisation, which made the interactions heartfelt and thought-provoking. There’s little doubt that the writers are pursuing a progressive agenda in terms of messaging but thankfully, this was achieved without being too didactic or dogmatic but with the message being firmly communicated nonetheless.
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Thus, kudos all round for Star Trek Discovery S04E07 as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger – it is space opera after all – and looking forward to its continuation in February 2022! Recommended.
Now streaming on Paramount+.
… still there’s more …