Star Trek: Discovery’s third season takes the iconic franchise to new heights by propelling the crew of the USS Discovery over 900 years into the future. This bold move allows the show to break free from the constraints of established canon and explore new themes, challenges, and character dynamics. However, with the potential for fresh storytelling also comes the challenge of delivering a satisfying season that provides meaningful arcs for its characters and tackles complex topics.
A future uncharted: The new setting
The third season of Star Trek: Discovery takes a daring leap by sending the crew to the 32nd century, far beyond any time period previously explored in the franchise. This decision effectively sets the show free from the constraints of established Star Trek lore, allowing the writers to explore a universe that feels more alien and unpredictable. The jump to the future also introduces the central conflict of the season: The Burn, a mysterious event that greatly impacted dilithium supplies, causing space to become fragmented, lawless, and chaotic.
The setting of the 32nd century offers intriguing possibilities for the show, with a broken and diminished United Federation of Planets, resource scarcity, and the crew of the Discovery navigating through a universe that is vastly different from the one they knew. This uncharted territory allows the show to tackle themes of hope, rebuilding, and emerging from the ashes, which resonated with me in today’s uncertain times.
The overarching theme of hope and rebuilding is evident throughout the season as the crew of the Discovery works to restore the United Federation of Planets and bring light to a dark and chaotic universe. The show embraces its utopianism through the actions of its characters, such as Michael Burnham inspiring hope in a man who has been waiting in vain for Starfleet’s return.
One of the strengths of Star Trek: Discovery’s third season is the exploration of character dynamics and growth. The crew of the Discovery face the challenge of coming to terms with their new reality and the consequences of their decision to travel into the distant future. This provides opportunities for the characters to confront their traumas, adapt to change, and assume new leadership roles.
While exploring mental health issues and coping mechanisms provided opportunities for meaningful storytelling, these topics were often oversimplified, leading to unsatisfying resolutions for the characters involved.
Michael Burnham: A new path
Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham is given a chance to show a lighter, more playful side in the first episode of season three, as her character explores a new world and forms a charming, bickering partnership with David Ajala’s Book, a Han Solo-esque courier. Burnham’s arc in this season sees her grappling with her role within the crew and her insubordination, eventually leading to her promotion to Captain by the end of the season.
Saru: A captain’s burden
Doug Jones’ Saru finally takes on the mantle of Captain, but his journey in the third season is fraught with challenges as he navigates, leading a crew of overachievers pushed to their limits. While there are missed opportunities for Saru’s character to fully explore his leadership abilities, his story in season three is ultimately one of sacrifice and self-discovery.
New characters: Adira and Gray
Season three of Star Trek: Discovery introduces the franchise’s first major trans and non-binary characters, Adira (Blu del Barrio) and Gray (Ian Alexander). Their inclusion marks an important step in Star Trek’s commitment to representation and diversity. However, the handling of their storylines and character development leaves room for improvement, with the potential for more meaningful arcs in future seasons.
A bold but flawed exploration
Star Trek: Discovery’s third season still had pacing issues but not as severely as the first two seasons. The mystery box element of the story, aka “The Burn”, was introduced in the first episode and took the whole season to reveal what or who caused it. I am okay with long-form storytelling; however, the cause of the burn was a little ho-hum for me. At least now, the federation has plenty of dilithium to rebuild and bring hope to communities that have been separated for so long.
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