IR TV Review: STAR TREK - DISCOVERY - EPISODE 5 (“Die Trying”) [CBS All Access-S3]

The essence of hope is always a tricky prospect, even when the endgame is not known. With Episode 5 of the 3rd season of "Star Trek: Discovery" entitled "Die Trying", the re-approach of the Federation is key in the heart of the crew. However the reality is that they are really not like anyone around: a singular technology wiped clean from the history books by intricate design but this also interrelates into the fact that their very existence or intention cannot be verified. What is interesting is how Discovery this season does take into strict canon certain aspects of "Enterprise" and interrelates even further with "Voyager". There is a specific shout out in that way here. The Admiral they meet should be an interesting ode to genre fans and actually makes a lot of sense. But the reality is that despite being ancient in terms of technology in many ways, Discovery, as a ship and crew, seems to have a sense of hope and exploration many in this time don't have. That is what gives this episode its buoyancy. One sequence shows the inherent joy both of home but also being together. For the first time in a while, the plot also keys into a mission which has consequences for a certain member of the crew, The beauty in it is that it plays as a positive and keys into the problem solving structure that was once a hark of the Original Series in terms off a morality tale without having to have some overarching mythology. It is refreshing to see this in "Discovery" and despite any ulterior motives of Burnham, the mission feels very Trek almost in a retro narrative way. The scenes always tend to border on melodrama but stop just short. Also a intrinsic interplay in the engine room in the presence of a 30th century observer really brings the dynamic into sharp focus. The organic nature of the Discovery crew is that scene is very apparent but only because we are able to see certain crew members simply being for a moment and not having to thwart life or death...just living. B

By Tim Wassberg