Discovery is getting very close to its finale, so we have another week of posting our thoughts on an episode.
Burnham and Discovery meet up with a ship carrying Moll and L’ak who have been arrested from intercepting an SOS. On board Discovery, L’ak is in critical condition. They all proceed back to Starfleet HQ where the Admiral tells Burnham to get Moll and L’ak as far away as possible. It’s because a Breen ship is approaching and could start a war in order to get L’ak back. Burnham starts to come up with some different plans, and Starfleet gets involved too. It’s just in time as the Breen come in. But, Burnham has figured out that L’ak is royalty, and the family needs L’ak in order to gain power to take over the Breen government. While negotiations are taking place, L’ak gives himself a high dose of medication in order for Moll to escape and transport him out. However, it is too heavy for his condition and it’s killing him. The Breen agree to leave the Federation alone and even let L’ak go, but they want to be assured of his survival. Burnham must get a Breen medic to look at L’ak. And there is nothing anyone can do and L’ak dies. The Breen hold the Federation accountable, but Moll shows that they were married and has the Breen take her with them in exchange for Starfleet….and that she will tell them of the Progenitors tech. The Breen and Moll leave, and Discovery has also figured out that the next clue is in a traveling archive.
Here is our thoughts on “Erigah”:
Music
Mr. Daps: “This score was a little bit better than others. I won’t say it was great there. I just noticed they used the main Discovery theme, which was good. I just wish this show’s score could stand on its own a bit more rather than just be mostly mood music.”
Murray: “This was another episode that didn’t have anything that really stuck out as far as score or themes. It is probably just as well, but it was a missed opportunity for a theme for the Breen.”
Design
Mr. Daps: “I thought the design this week really was interesting and fun to see. I did wonder about the size of the Breen ship. While it is awesome, and almost reminded me of Romulan ships a little bit, I wondered if it was TOO big. It made me question things a little bit. It also made me realize why the Federation is worried about the Breen. I do like the ships we are getting to seen this season in the Federation. It’s fun to see them, even if we haven’t seen ships that are more commonly known in the Star Trek universe (will we see Enterprise before the end of the season?). I am still bothered/confused by the decision to detach the warp nacelles from the ships. I don’t think I like it.”
Murray: “The designs for the Breen costume and tech is a great feature. It is a different race than most we see in Trek. The ship to station ratio painted how powerful the Breen are. Yet, they still keep things mysterious, and that makes for such a great set of characters in Star Trek. There is a bit of a complaint with this season, and even this episode’s designs. It has to do with the Starfleet ships. Mr. Daps and I were even briefly messaging each other after the episode saying we’re confused by the ships designs. For a franchise that has such iconic ships and amazing looks for them, the future Starfleet ships are a bit bland.”
Story
Mr. Daps: “I thought the story for this week’s episode was finally one that I found really enjoyable. I liked the two stories that were being told. I liked that they didn’t try to put too much into the episodes. They were very clear, they moved forward, and they were poignant. I also liked how they upped the ante for the season. Now, instead of being up against a duo of trouble makers, the Federation is up against the Breen. After Burnham seeing what could happen in the future, this could be catastrophic depending on how things turning out.”
Murray: “This actually had a pretty strong story to it, with two plots that did connect. The B-Story of figuring out the next clue gave more personality to Booker because he is so passionate about family. He could not be bothered to help figure out the next clue if it meant not letting him try to talk to Moll. That is such a great way to connect the two conflicts together. And it did help to have a group figuring out the clue while there is a potential Breen attack happening. The Breen conflict really brought out the workings of Starfleet and made it a very good Star Trek episode involving diplomacy with other races. It felt like a regular Star Trek episode, despite the overall serial points of the plot. It really tried to utilize Discovery’s assets in solving problems while also showcasing the Federation’s diplomatic officers too.”
Hit or Miss?
Mr. Daps: “This episode is an easy hit for me. I really enjoyed how it moved things forward. I liked how it built the bigger story of the Federation in the galaxy. I liked how it showed how the Federation is working at different levels. I did find it odd that there are only a handful of ships that could protect its headquarters, though. However, this felt much more like Star Trek than some episodes have. Most importantly, I really enjoyed watching it. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story continues and what happens in the next episode!
Murray: “This is the first episode in a few that I can easily say was a hit for me. It advanced a lot in terms of season plot. It also felt like a Trek episode. It had its flaws, and I’d say with Moll and L’ak’s story arc in this. But, it still had a great feel and pace for me. Also the ending with the Starfleet roundtable was something out of a Trek movie. I could have seen it in a classic movie, and maybe even a Next Gen one. As boring as it might sound, it was such a classic Star Trek moment of having to make a quick decision out of a bad situation.”
