REVIEW: Season two of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ on DVD and Blu-ray
Photo: Courtesy of CBS / Provided by press rep with permission.
Star Trek is going through a much-welcomed renaissance, and although some diehards have questioned the proliferation of new series and action-oriented narratives, there is plenty to enjoy and lots to think about. Put simply, this is another golden age for Star Trek, rivaling the mid-’90s when The Next Generation was in movie theaters and Deep Space Nine and Voyager were on TV.
Star Trek: Discovery, the flagship of this new resurgence, has had two quality seasons so far on CBS All Access, the streaming platform for the eye network. Starring Sonequa Martin-Green as first officer Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Commander Saru and Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, the series is an engaging tale of originality, set in the years before Star Trek: The Original Series.
In season two, which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, the team is joined by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), chief engineer Reno (Tig Notaro) and Spock (Ethan Peck), who is actually the estranged brother of Michael Burnham. These new cast additions are what make this set of episodes so special. Mount, in particular, is pitch-perfect as the captain, providing the U.S.S. Discovery with a sense of professionalism, integrity and calm, even though the stakes haver never been higher for the crew.
Along for the journey are Mary Wiseman’s Ensign Sylvia Tilly (still considering captain aspirations), Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler (still dealing with his Klingon identity issues), Wilson Cruz’s Dr. Hugh Culber (spoiler alert: still alive, somehow), Mary Chieffo’s L’Rell (still a villainess) and Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou (still the mirrored version).
The thrust for the new season is a mysterious figure known as the Red Angel and these strange red signals. In order to understand what it all means, Burnham must reconnect with Spoke, but he’s nowhere to be found.
There’s a lot of action and mystery within these episodes, but the true heart of Star Trek is never lost. Important questions about war, peace, identity, society and acceptance are still considered. Conversations are always interesting, and the Prime Directive is (mostly) respected.
The new Blu-ray and DVD set has some wonderful features for Trekkers and Trekkies alike (this reporter prefers Trekker). There’s features on “Designing Discovery,” “Prop Me Up,” “Dress for Success,” “Creature Comforts,” “Creating Space” and a gag reel. Some of the Short Treks are included as well; these are mini add-on episodes that offer B storylines to the main A storyline.
Star Trek: Discovery deserves to be the flagship of this franchise’s renaissance. It is well-suited for many more years of engagement and will only be further buoyed by the addition of new Star Trek series, including Picard, coming in 2020.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Star Trek: Discovery: Season Two is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Click here for more information.
