The final season of Discovery is upon us, and to be honest, I don't mind having seen the last of "god like solves it all" Captain Burnham.
Because let's face it, compared to other Trek, the crew is just an ornament most of the time in the series...
The USS Discovery is assigned a top secret "Red Directive" mission by the mysterious Dr Kovich to find an 800 year old Romulan research vessel, but before they reach it, couriers Moll and L'ak take something from it. Pursuing them together with the USS Antares of Cpt Rayner, who has experience hunting them, they learn it is a Romulan puzzle box holding a journal. The USS Antares accidentally triggers an avalanche, allowing Moll and L'ak to escape. Kovich reveals to them that the journal belonged to a team of 24th century scientists that holds the key to the Progenitor life creating technology. Rayner is brought before the tribunal for his actions, and loses his chair, but Burnham offers him a new chance as her new first officer. Saru is retiring from his post in order to become a Federation ambassador, to be closer to his fiancee T'Rina.
Book contacts Moll, learning she is actually Malinne, the daughter of his namesake and mentor Cleveland Booker IV, as Burnham and Saru learn the next clue of the puzzle is located on Trill. As Adira breaks up with Gray while there, they meet Jinaal, a conscience now residing in the host Bix. Culber offers to temporarily host him, and takes them to the next clue. Burnham and Book pass the test, but as they leave Moll plants a secret tracker on Adira's uniform.
This tracker, a time bug, is a left over from the Temporal Wars, causing the Discovery to jump through loops in time, with only Burnham, Rayner and Stamets unaffected. Future Burnham manages to convince the crew from weeks after she had joined to vessel to help her break the cycle, but this gave Moll and L'ak a headstart on the location of the next clue. This clue is hidden in an unstable wormhole, and there they find it is on the ISS Enterprise. The Mirror universe version was brought into our universe to escape the Terran Empire, and they learn that one of the crew actually joined the 24th century scientist team, proving they made it out of the wormhole. They learn the motivations of the two, but also that L'ak is actually a Breen (the first time we see them unhelmeted), and they look to sell the technology to live a peacefull life together on a colony in the Gamma quadrant.
Kovich identifies the five scientists who hid the map pieces, allowing Discovery to discover that the next piece is on Halem'no, hidden in a weather tower which holds off deadly sandstorms. But in order to retrive it and save Tilly and a local girl named Ravah from being sacrificed, they are forced to break the Prime Directive (with no consequences oddly enough from Starfleet, seems the mission is more important them the ideal), as Moll and an injured L'ak are brought aboard Discovery after being caught. Culber tries to threat L'ak but is unknown with Breen physiology. It is revealed that L'ak is the direct descendant of the former Breen emperor, and a card to be played by all the factions vying to take control of the Breen empire now. He manages to help Moll escape, but dies due to an overdose as a result, Ruhn declaring war on the Federation as a result and taking Moll, who revealed the mission, with him.
The next clue is located in the Eternal Gallery and Archive, located in the Badlands. Burnham is subjected to the test, which forces her to come to terms with her own weaknesses like her fear of failure and loss. This grants her the piece, but also a valuable insight on how to access the technology. Discovery gives a copy of the map to Ruhn as negotiated to prevent destroying the archive, but as he plans to break his word, Moll stages a mutiny, killing him and taking control of his Breen faction. Arriving at the location of the Progenitors technology, a Lagrange point between two black holes, the Breen snatch it away in front of them. Inside the container is a portal, but Tahal, another Breen contender for the power, is on her way to take over Ruhn's forces. Saru volunteers to stop her if possible, as Burnham and a team from Discovery secretly board the Breen dreadnought.
As Discovery is forced to heavily damage the Breen dreadnought, Moll and Burnham enter the portal before it is pulled in space. It takes them to a higher dimension, and Burnham manages to access the technology, connecting with the consciousness of one of the Progenitors. She learns it cannot return L'ak to life, but that she is free to use the technology as she sees fit, but decides no-one should have access to this sort of power, releasing the portal into one of the black holes. Weeks later, at the wedding of Saru and T'rina, she reconfirms her love with Book, and as they accept a new mission from Kovich she learns he is actual Agent Daniels (from Enterprise), who also plans to offer Moll a job. Years later, Book and Burnham have a son, Leto, who is also a Starfleet captain. Burnham, now an admiral, takes Discovery for a last mission, restored to it's original 23rd century appearance. It will travel to a specific location where Zora will have it wait for a long time as part of a new Red Directive mission. Though how she manages to spore jump the vessel without Stamets, as there is not a single other crewmember aboard, is beyond me...
And so Discovery ends, and while I liked parts of the series as a whole, in the end it is one of the weakest in the Star Trek franchise. Luckily a new season of Strange New Worlds is on the horizon for some real fix of Star Trek... and as I said at the beginning, the captain was for me the whole weakness of the series, being to omnipotent, the only other input coming from season 3 arrival Book, who wasn't even officially part of the crew. I do admit, Rayner was a welcome addition to the season, and he actually felt more like a Starfleet captain then Burnham ever did over the 5 years of the series run.
Oh, and 32nd century ships where ugly as hell...
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