‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

The more time I’ve had to think about season two of Star Trek: Discovery, the more I’ve come to realize that it has been quite the complex and challenging season for the crew of this intrepid vessel. For they have faced off against impossible odds since Control made its intentions clear and that’s led to a few unique storytelling moments for this particular entry in this proud franchise. Because normally, there’s always a way out for a Starfleet crew when presented with insurmountable challenges, but here, everything has been a massive Kobayashi Maru test for the crew, and at every turn a terrible fate awaits the galaxy and those dark clouds and thoughts of uncertainty are important to make mention of, since they permeated the fabric of the season two finale, ‘Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2’.
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For this particular tale saw the crews of both Enterprise and Discovery square off against Leland and his nightmarish fleet one last time and well, this ended up being quite the unique episode for both the series and the franchise when all is said done. Because it offered up so many intriguing moments and it delivered unto us one heck of an ending and I suppose the best place to start when it comes to this powerhouse story is to praise the fact that it managed to take my breath away with its incredible action sequences. After all, the battle for the galaxy dominated a vast majority of the hour, and my goodness did they pull out all of the stops for it since these two ships gave it their all when it comes to the fight against Control and some of these sequences truly did leave my jaw upon the floor.

Yet, while the battles here were quite impressive in their own right, there is a danger that comes with them in that…sometimes characters will lose their lives as the damage mounts, and this showdown was no exception to that rule, since we were forced to bid farewell to Admiral Katrina Cornwell, who said her farewells to this show in the noblest of fashion. For a giant torpedo lodged in Enterprise’s hull, prompted her to stay behind and seal a blast door before its timed detonation could destroy the ship and her death, served as the gateway for more sacrifice. For the darkness of this tale and the worry were finally lifted when an assist from the Klingon Empire and the Kelpiens allowed for the crew of the Discovery to complete their mission to neutralize Control and keep the Sphere data safe, since Burnham was able to guide the vessel through time some 940 years into the future, prompting questions from Starfleet in the wake of this conflict, the kind that engendered silent unity from the crew of the NCC-1701 when it comes to the facts of what happened at this bloody battle, to the point where Spock demanded that Starfleet seal the vessel’s records and never have the universe speak of her again. 

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If anything, that ending is where we need to spend most of our time today, because it’s kind of a big deal. Because it means that season three of the series will be taking place in the 33rd Century, which is a place that Star Trek has never gone before, and this decision is a bold one to say the least. Because this is a series that was pitched and marketed as a prequel to The Original Series, one that was supposed to fill in all kinds of blanks for the franchise since prior to this it was basically Enterprise and then TOS and well, I don’t think any of us were expecting this story to venture this far into the future when all is said and done. But, while that’s a bold move storytelling wise, it’s also a risky gambit with the fans as well, and already I’ve seen a fairly ‘split decision’, if you will, on social media. For there are some fans praising this move and others that aren’t happy with it in the slightest and me…well, I’m honestly okay with it for several reasons.
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Because, look, while prequels are neat and it’s cool to have moments where our characters interact with the NCC-1701 or Spock and Pike, this is a franchise that has always been about the future. Star Trek is about where we are going, and how we better ourselves while getting there, so it’s wonderful to see that this series will no longer look to the past for inspiration and that it will embody the spirit of the saga by heading to a bold new future where endless possibilities exist. In fact, I kind of dig how the ship’s crew are going to be the proverbial fish out of water so to speak, since their views and way of life will not be in line with the 33rd Century in the slightest, and the personal journeys they will go on, as they deal with a new timeline and their emotions from leaving everything behind should lay the foundation for a fascinating season for certain.

But what matters most to me, is that this grand change can in fact, reinvigorate something that the franchise has been lacking since Voyager went off the air, and that’s a sense of, pardon the pun, discovery, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what the galaxy looks like nearly a thousand years from the 2250s and what has changed in a universe we know and love. But, in the meantime, at least there is this fascinating finale to celebrate and re-watch. Because man, it was cool to see Pike command the Big-E into battle, and see Spock become Spock and see Discovery make its brave sacrifice and I’ll definitely be counting down the days to season three of this series when we explore a strange new future with evolved life and civilizations with this bold and brave crew and it’s going to be so cool to finally see this franchise return to undiscovered country. Until next year.

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