In Review: Star Trek: Discovery (S5 – EPS 1 & 2) Red Directive & Under the Twin Moons

Synopsis: After an 800-year-old Romulan vessel is found, Captain Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery are sent to retrieve it. But the artifact inside is stolen, starting an epic chase. Saru is offered a lifetime position.

The Story

Star Trek: Discovery returns for its fifth and final season with a story that is spun off from the 6th Season Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode titled ‘The Chase’. In Red Directive Captain Michael Burnham gets introduced to Captain Rayner as they are forced to work together to recover an artifact from an 800-year-old Romulan ship. Unfortunately for the two Captains, they are beaten to the ship by two intergalactic thrill seekers, L’ak and Moll, who steal the artifact from under them. 

Due to Moll and L’ak’s ships’ use of older technologies and the fact that they are using multiple warp signatures as their getaway trick. Captain Burnham is forced to call upon the services of Cleveland Booker.

In Under the Twin Moons, Captain Burnham and Saru go on one last mission together to find information about the progenitor artifact they are on a mission to find it. The progenitors were the ancient alien race that seeded humanoids across many planets in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. By the end of this episode, we learn that the artifact that The Federation is after is spread out across various locations.

The Acting

Callum Keith Rennie makes a strong first impression as Captain Rayner who is the first Kellerun we have seen in a Starfleet uniform. In these first two episodes, he strongly disagrees with how Captain Burnham operates because he has been tracking L’ak and Moll for years and feels that Burnham blew his best opportunity to get them. This sets up the basis on which Rayner winds up taking Saru’s place as Burnham’s first officer and it looks like their relationship could be interesting as the series unfolds.

Doug Jones puts in a strong performance as Saru who departs his post as Burnham’s number one at the end of the second episode for a new post alongside the love of his life Vulcan Ambassador President T’Rina.

Overall

These first two episodes are a strong start to Discovery’s last hurrah. I like the link-up with the TNG episode ‘The Chase’, which has always been a favorite episode of mine. So I’m all in to see how this story arc develops.