Star Trek Discover Episodes 5-6 (contains spoilers)

I think what makes a TV show work is that you find the characters interesting enough to want to find out more about them and to see what happens to them. I think they are doing that. Tilly is no longer one dimensional. The writers are filling in Burnham's backstory in an interesting way. Saru continues to get some great scenes. Lorca remains a question mark to me. Sisko had his "In the Pale Moonlight" episode. However, Lorca, appears to be going farther off the reservation. Is he simply overzealous win at all costs? Or is there something pathological about the guy? Am thinking the writers want us to sit in that tension.

As far as plot points, especially in science fiction, you do accept some things that are implausible. However, if the writers make too many mistakes within the narrative world they have created, it can get pretty annoying pretty fast. Thus, for this review of Star Trek Discovery Episodes 5-6, I have complaints on that front.

The narrative arc of episode 5 is to have Captain Lorca captured by the Klingons so that they eventually escape with the help of prisoner (a subject of internet debate) Lt. Ash Tyler and be rescued by the Discovery using the spore drive under the control of Lt. Stamets instead of the poor dying tardigrade. Also, we get hints of the problem with the spore drive with the time shifted mirror image of Stamets at the end of the episode.

All fine and good but the whole episode rests on getting Captain Lorca kidnapped by the Klingons!

The Federation military knows that the Klingons have cloaked ships. Thus, Klingon ships can travel undetected until the last moment when they appear just before taking offensive action. Knowing this, you probably don't want to be sending one of your top military leaders (Lorca) in a lightly armed shuttlecraft to attend a meeting. Rather, you rely on your encrypted secure communication systems! You don't sending him in a rinky-dink puddle jumper with just one other armed soldier on board.

Of course the other problem is that even if you were stupid enough to send Lorca in the equivalent of a Cessna Piper Cub to attend the high level confab, how did the Klingons know his exact route and exact time he would be traveling? This would suggest there is a mole in the Federation providing such valuable intelligence data. Perhaps, that will be revealed in future episodes.

In any case, the various developments we get from episode 5 rests on an implausible premise.

As for the narrative arc of episode 6, the key is Sarek's diplomatic mission to assess peace feelers from the Klingons. This leads to the revelation of a radical faction within the Vulcan political system as its operative attempts to kill Sarek and sabotage the mission. With Sarek injured, Burnham senses his agony leading to some interesting character development as the story unfolds.

We know from Star Trek Enterprise that the Vulcan's had their share of political intrigue and even with the recovery of Surak's foundational teachings (episode arc in Enterprise season 4), bad habits are hard to put away fully. Nicely played by the writers here linking that with the Sarek/Burnham relationship.

If the episode ended there, things would have been fine. But instead, we are "treated" to the plot twist of Admiral Cornwall taking up Sarek's mission and getting kidnapped by the Klingons.

UGH!

First of all, Sarek, a seasoned diplomat, would not have arraigned a meeting at a location where either side would have had an easy opportunity to set up an ambush.

Second, even if Sarek was willing to take the risk of being caught or killed, as a Vulcan diplomat, he would not have detailed knowledge of the Federation's military plans and thus would not yield valuable information under torture.

Instead, we have the sorry spectacle of the highest ranking red shirt (Admiral Cornwall) ever getting into a situation that isn't going to end well. No one in her right mind and no aide/advisor to Cornwall would have allowed her to go on such a mission. She is way too familiar with both the political and military situation of the Federation. She would be an intelligence treasure trove of information should she break under torture.

Finally, there is the internet storm about the Tyler/Voq conspiracy. It is quite possible that this fan theory is correct. However, if the writers have gone down this path, they did not do their continuity with canon work with much care. We know from TOS, the Trouble with Tribbles that a Klingon can be modified so that one could appear human. In the story, Darvin, a staff aide to a Federation development official, has been placed as a Klingon spy to poison a grain shipment. However, his secret is blown in Act 4 when the tribbles squeak and squawk at Darvin. Since the only other time the friendly cuddly creatures reacted that way was around Klingons, everyone is suspicious. At this point, McCoy runs a quick medical scan of Darvin and announces, "Heartbeat is all wrong, his body temperature is ..... Jim, this man is a Klingon!"

Thus, if Tyler is really Voq engineered to be human, they did an incredible job. The effort would have been so good as to fool the Discovery medical team that would have examined Tyler head to toe as a victim of months of torture and possible brainwash. If the ST-DSC writers have gone down this path, they will have to "break canon" to make it work. Of course, maybe, it is all just a big head fake to drive up the fan based conspiracy machine!