I do think some of the steam might have been let out of the show once they were forced to return to the Prime Universe...because then they were forced to wrap up the less interesting story that launched the show. They had t wrap up that Klingon war stuff. And you know...they did their best, instead of the darker, grittier, and more cynical tone the War stuff had in the first half under Lorca, the last few episodes used Starfleet's idealism to end the war. And while it didn't totally work in execution...I do LIKE that mentality. It's a note to end the show on a hopeful note. And I think I kind of needed that going forward. Don't get me wrong, the mirror stuff was so well executed, that the despite the clunky Klingon war story I was totally sold on continuing with this show through Season 2. But if it had ended feeling dark and gritty and dreary...I might not be as optimistic about the show's future.
I would be remiss if I didn't express some of my issues with the show on the whole. The Klingons look pretty bad. Not always, but a lot of the time. Mostly when not seen from the front. It's the Conehead look in the back. Bugs me. Up front I think they can look pretty awesome actually, and I like the costumes for the most part, but it is just the goofy coneheads and the fact that they are all practically indistinguishable from each other. They had to change their skin tones drastically or give them war paint just so they look different from each other. I miss the hair and beards it must be said. And bald Klingons isn't really a problem, but the fact that they are all bald is the problem. It's the same problem I had with Vulcans and Romulans in the TNG era. Would two species, and even a few subspecies met along the way REALLY all get the same haircut? Hair and beards have been a defining characteristic for most Klingons for decades, so the fact that this show doesn't feature a single Klingon with wild hair or even a hint of facial hair (or any hair, they are completely hairless), just makes them look so off to me. Behind the scenes I think some producer or make-up designer said that not all Klingons in the Empire were raised on the same planet or environment...and that is fair enough, I could totally take that excuse and go with it, if when they showed Klingons from different houses in the pilot, they didn't show that they all pretty much looked the same, or at least none of them looked remotely like TNG or even TOS era. That pretty much deflated that argument for me. So while it hasn't ruined the show for me, and changing looks of Klingons is certainly nothing new...I just don't think the design is all that great. The hair and beards gave them a distinctive and memorable look, this new look is a tad too generic alien to me. Generic aliens are always hairless, maybe because wigs are hard or something. These Klingons look almost the same as Krall from "Beyond," he had a pretty generic alien face too.
I also think these may be the ugliest Starfleet uniforms yet. They have the boring blue jumpsuit look of Enterprise, mixed with the slightly too tight spandex look of the first two TNG seasons, and a bit of the dumb mini-Deltas from the 2009 movie, and the little design on the shoulders looks too much like Zapp Brannigan's uniform on Futurama. They are simultaneously boring for the lack of color, and too busy with the little flairs. I just think it's overall an ugly looking costume, and it seems ill fitting on too many in the cast in my view. In general it looks too Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica...and just not enough like Trek. Say what you will about the JJ movies, at least they had color and flair and that classic Trek uniform look. Maybe they wanted this show to differentiate from those movies, but (much like the Klingon design) I think they went to generic sci-fi with it...and lost some of that Trek charm in the process.
But beyond those two critiques...design wise I think they mostly did a great job, the Shenzhou wasn't the most exciting ship design, but luckily the Discovery is a beautiful ship. I love the interesting Saucer Section with gaps in the middle, and the fact that that all spins when the Spore Drive is activated. And the sets a sharp. And while the Klingons weren't totally to my liking, the Vulcans, Andorians, and Orions all looked great and classic...the Tellarite was only okay. Then there is Saru who looks pretty cool and has weird hoof feet or something...and there were other alien designs scattered in the background too. Well designed show for the most part.
Enough about the new look of the show, my final thoughts on the show is that it is pretty good. When the show was announced and Bryan Fuller was tapped to run things, I couldn't have been more pleased. His track record of solid interesting shows, the fact that with something like "Pushing Daisies" he wasn't afraid to make it light, fun, and colorful...it just all made me think that this is gonna be fun classic Star Trek for the modern world. Unfortunately things didn't go according to plan, and he clashed with someone important (clearly) and he left. His basic premise is supposedly still there, but I think they changed the tone...darkened it and then went their own way with it. It may be a long time before we know how many of his ideas survived into the final product. From what I've read, I would've possibly preferred the kind of stories and color palette he wanted. But ultimately I ended up really liking this show. At first I felt that while it had some good ideas floating around, it was lacking a bit in fun, but the Mirror stuff was just so well executed that some fun surfaced through. And the way things unfolded gave me some real faith in the Production Team behind this. I think they finally figured out where THEY wanted to take the show, and they are moving out from some of Fuller's plans and some of their early missteps. They say as the show continues we may get some more visual flairs that hint towards TOS...and I am down for that. Hope it happens, at least I hope the uniforms get better.
And one exciting thing is I really don't know where this show will head now. It could really go in any number of directions, and that is pretty exciting for a show that is in such a storied franchise, and taking place 10 years or so before the original. The last half of this season showed the true potential for this show...and I am ready for the ride.
NEXT TIME: A Journey to Complete the Five Year Mission