Will Star Trek: Discovery Grow Into Its Name?
Two things got me into science fiction from an early age. The first was the Apollo moon landing. One of my earliest memories is watching astronauts walk on the moon, and from that point on I often daydreamed about doing the same. The second was Star Trek. If the Apollo mission inspired me to dream of being an astronaut, Star Trek fueled my imagination with fantasies of the galaxy and beyond.
For me, the crew of the Enterprise were iconic and their adventures a sort of modern mythology. So, when the various spin-offs were released, I gobbled them up like a starved tribble. I looked past any flaws and quietly wished for more episodes. That wish extended to Captain Archer, as much as it currently does to Science Specialist Burnham.
Yes, despite all the cringing, I have faithfully watched every episode of Star Trek: Discovery and hope they keep the series going for years to come. And now, I have reason to believe that my prayers for a Star Trek rescue are about to be answered. Why? One word: hair.
Like most fans, I wondered what the hell Discovery’s producers were thinking when I first saw the new Klingons. These weren’t the cool Klingons of Star Treks gone by. Instead, we were given a group of bald, awkward looking aliens who were neither cool, nor scary. You could practically hear all the Star Trek fans screaming out WTF???
Well, there is good news. CBS apparently listens, and season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery will feature the cool, long-haired Klingon warriors we know and love. Still, I can hear you asking, how is any of this going to save this pathetic excuse for a Star Trek franchise? I’ll tell you how.
Most of the Star Trek spin-offs have started a little slow. The episodes are all great, but it’s the kind of show that gets a lot better once you’ve gotten to know the characters. As the show progresses and the universe develops, you also get some amazing storylines in later seasons. TNG and the Borg. DS9 and the Dominion War. Voyager and temporal incursion episodes like The Year of Hell.
In each case, these shows went from great to amazing with a minor change. Hair. TNG started off with a clean-shaven Commander Riker and the show was good, but once Riker grew a beard the show became amazing. A coincidence? Maybe.
DS9 also started off with a clean-shaven Commander Sisko and it was kind of slow, but when Sisko shaved his head and grew a goatee he was promoted to Captain and the show really took off. I can see you nodding your head now.
How about Voyager? Janeway didn’t grow any facial hair. Well, you got me there, but she did change her hairstyle. When the show started, her hair was always down, but never in later episodes, which gave her more of a badass look. Okay, maybe that’s a weak example. The show really became awesome with the addition of the seriously hot Seven of Nine. Even so, the hair change was there. Are you starting to see the hidden message?
Compare all this to Start Trek: Enterprise. Did Captain Archer grow a beard? Nope. Shave his head? Uh-uh. And how did that work out for the franchise? Terribly. The show was cancelled after 4 seasons, which is catastrophic for a Star Trek franchise.
And all of this brings me back to Star Trek: Discovery, and why I believe it is going to kick some alien butt. Not only are we getting a cooler Klingon, but we are also getting a new captain. Cristopher Pike, no less. I mean, Captain Lorca was okay, but let’s be serious. The guy was no Kirk, or Picard.
Like most Star Trek fans out there, I have not been impressed with the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. Nonetheless, I’ve stubbornly watched every single episode and will do the same with season 2. While I may be grasping at straws, I believe that CBS will turn things around and create a show worthy of its name. What do you think?
Cheers,
G.P. Hudson
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