Star Trek Discovery S04E08 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 “All In”, Star Trek Discovery S04E08 is the first episode of the second half of season 4. Unfortunately, the episode is simply continuing the bad quality of writing evident in this season’s offerings thus far. There seems to be a genuine conflict within this series as it attempts to find balance between diehard Trekkers and casual fans. For the former, the episodic standalone nature of traditional Trek series is paramount while casual fans might be looking for more serial fare, the kind they are used to on hit Netflix streaming series, where the episodes are strongly connected.
In the previous episode, Book and Tarka disobeyed Federation orders, stole a Spore Drive and set off to destroy the Anomaly, which could anger the species behind the Anomaly and lead to a devastating war that the Federation and Starfleet cannot win. You would think that considering the stakes, Michael Burnham would do everything she can to prevent this from happening.
Well, instead of that, we are ‘treated’ to most of the episode being spent in a gambling casino and silly gladiator contests, which at the end of the day, Burnham effectively does nothing to stop Book and Tarka! Plainly ludicrous. Can this series decline any further?
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Now streaming on Paramount+.
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