Episode Review – “Far From Home” – Discovery Season 3 Ep 2 – SEATBELTS!!!

SEATBELTS! SEATBELTS! SEATBELTS! SEATBELTS! SEATBELTS!

This emotional and character driven episode would have almost been a perfect episode if not for the abhorrent lack of proper seatbelt usage!

I humbly ask you, dear readers, to please indulge me as I rant once more about the Federation and Starfleet’s inability to take basic safety into consideration! In fact, the entire opening scene as the Discovery crew wakes up and finds themselves crashing into the planet as they come out of the wormhole is basically a demo reel for why Starfleet seriously needs to install seatbelts!! Because this is outrageous! They are doing rolls and preparing for impact, meanwhile there’s just crew members milling about walking in the background. WHY ARE THEY WALKING AROUND? Why are they not sitting down somewhere? Why are they not holding onto something? Detmer (Emily Coutts) literally flies over her console! This is supposed to be a starship bridge, not a dance studio or an Olympic gymnastics competition! I know the ship is called DISCO but this is really not what it meant!

I get that the Federation relies on its technology. Yes, they have inertial dampers. But given how often those always seem to fail whenever anyone bumps ever so slightly against a starship, surely SOMEONE has thought maybe installing those good ole seatbelts from before World War 3 would be a wonderful back up in case all of our technology fails to work, which just about happens every other day anyways?

For a Federation that’s suppose to represent the best of humanity and be a perfect utopia of the future, it certainly doesn’t look very utopic when everyone is needlessly getting head trauma all over the place for no good reason!

Seriously, if they don’t start installing seatbelts onto the Discovery in this new future, I think I’m going to scream! This new Federation needs an OSHA department ASAP!

(CBS) Commander Nhan, played by Rachael Ancheril

Speaking of safety and security, Commander Nhan, played by Rachael Ancheril, has been upgraded to a series regular status with her name in the opening credits. Her role on Disco as its Chief of Security means she and Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) are spending more time in each other’s orbits. After their partnership against Control/Leland last season, they seem to share an understanding and respect. When Georgiou asks Nhan why she chose to stay behind on Discovery when she could have gone back to the Enterprise, Nhan replies that she did it to honor Airiam (Hannah Cheesman), a science officer who paid the price of a soldier. It’s always nice to see strands of stories past presenting us with new perspective on a character’s current status, and I can’t wait to see more of Nhan this season! Though she really needs to keep an eye on Georgiou, that one sure is slippery!

Nhan is not the only one getting some attention this episode. In fact, it’s a feast for the eyes for everyone who wanted to see more of the crew as we get a whole episode centered around their journey into this new place. After last week’s adventurous jaunt into the new world, it was nice to slow down the pace and give the crew a moment to breath and shine. As they all paired off into groups, it was great to see various character relationships explored. To make a long story short, Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Saru (Doug Jones) go off to find them someone who can help them repair a broken piece of equipment while the rest of the crew work to get the ship systems back up and running. Seems a simple thing but when has anything ever been simple in Star Trek?

Detmer has been out of sorts since they crash landed. Her confidence seems shaken, she’s zoning out, and her hearing rings and echoes like she’s in shock. Dr. Pollard (Raven Dauda) says there’s nothing physically wrong with her and she has no concussion. But between her shaken state and her reaction to the dead crew member who didn’t make it, it looks like Detmer is dealing with some level of PTSD and possibly even survivor’s guilt. We know her history at the “Battle of the Binary Stars” where she was injured and later received her implant, this landing could have possibly triggered feelings of that past trauma. Also, we know that Detmer has had her pilot’s license since she was 12 years old, this crash and the death of a crew member could have shaken her confidence in her skills. Her identity is wrapped around being a pilot, if she isn’t good at that and people die, then who is she supposed to be? I’m really curious to see where this arc goes for Detmer this season as it could provide not only some great moments for her but also for Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo), Bryce (Ronnie Rowe), Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon), and Nilsson (Sara Mitich). The writers and showrunners have said before about getting to know more of the bridge crew and I’m totally ready for them to truly get their moments to shine! Culber (Wilson Cruz) could also get involved in this storyline since when Detmer exists sickbay, he was about to speak to her and stops and continues watching her leave. If anyone knows what it is like to feel disassociated and confused about their own identity, it’s Culber. So if we can get some different character pairings interacting like Detmer and Culber, it would be even more amazing!

As an aside though, there would be no injuries and no dead crew member if everyone had just worn their seatbelts. And no, I’m never going to let this go!

(CBS) Culber (Wilson Cruz) & Stamets (Anthony Rapp)

Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Culber also don’t intend to let each other go again. Their interactions this episode really put a huge smile on my face. After everything they have been through for the last two seasons, it’s just really wonderful to see them banter like a couple. Just simply enjoying the moment with each other apart from all the drama. They haven’t really had that since early Season 1 and I want more of this in Season 3 because it’s just such a joy to watch. Their love for each other is so palpable and Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp’s chemistry is undeniable. They just belong together. Even when Stamets is being stubborn and Culber might threaten to kill him, their fondness and care for each other always shine through. I love that shot of Stamets being alone on the bed in sickbay representing visually him in his comatose state but then when Culber brings him out, the scene pans back to reveal all the people busily moving around them. It’s such a brilliant visual bit of storytelling and I always love when this show tries for these kinds of things. I laughed so hard when Culber said that he would let Stamets go back to work if he could spell “my partner brought me out of a coma and all I got was this lousy T-shirt” and fighting over hyphen in T-shirt. But of course, Stamets does get himself back to work, and who’s there to give him witty repartee if not Reno? She knows that he’s full of crap, that he must be hurting so much and not ready to work. But she won’t stop him because she’s waiting for Stamets himself to admit that he can’t do the job, so she tags along for “moral support”. She may be acerbic, but she is not without care and compassion, even reminding Stamets that it’s okay to feel helpless and it sucks, but it isn’t forever and it’s okay to rest. Her practical nature and wisdom however still do not work on Stamets. And as all stubborn workaholics do, Stamets ends up finding himself in a Jefferies tube getting knocked around and bleeding again as the ice from outside threatens to crush the hull. With Reno (Tig Notaro) and Culber’s help and guidance, Stamets was able to get the repairs done and ship’s systems back online, hopefully learning that one should know when to accept help from others.

Poor Gene, though, getting no help from anyone else with scooping up gooey bits of Leland’s body. I hope he’s okay and he’s well. I love him already even if Reno has already forgotten his name. I bet Gene knows that seatbelts are important. He seems a good candidate for Starfleet’s OSHA department in this future.

Speaking of a good candidate, we have to talk about Saru. Two seasons ago, he was unsure of himself, always looking to compare himself to other great captains so he could see whether he could measure up to them. But now, this Saru is confident and self-assured. He’s not looking to anyone else to calm his nerves or tell him what to do, he knows who he is, he knows what he believes, he knows his training, and most importantly, he trusts himself. He is no longer second guessing himself, and he is also not letting others second guess him. Seeing him standing tall and giving commands, even to Georgiou whom two seasons ago he surely would have shrunk from, is just such a moment coming full circle after all this time. And this is made even better with his interactions with Tilly.

(CBS) Tilly (Mary Wiseman) & Saru (Doug Jones)

When Tilly is anxious and thinks herself useless, not knowing why Saru chose her for the mission when so many others could be capable, Saru speaks to her with such kindness and encouragement, telling Tilly that he trusts her and because she makes a good first impression. You can see the influences of Prime Georgiou and Pike’s respective leaderships have had on Saru. You can see how he’s watched how those captains interact with their crew and how to nurture young talented crew members and boost their confidence. And you can also see that Saru knows in this new world, he must step up. They are the little birdies who’ve left the nest, the safety of Pike and their past, and to survive, Saru cannot afford to give anything less than his best, and he is ready. Even with Mirror Georgiou challenging him, threatening him, and pushing him to question his own Federation values in this broken world, Saru will not yield. And it is his steadfast hold of those values that teach some others around him to do better, to let go of cruelty and have hope again, and to help each other.

Mirror Georgiou of course wants none of that. This broken world is her playground. She is having so much fun that only concern for Michael might dampen some of that elated enjoyment at a world that she can totally exploit. As she tells Nhan, she likes jumping from universe to universe and hates bureaucracy. I can’t help but wonder if this may be a sign that the Section 31 show she will eventually lead is going to be more universe hopping based? That could be possible. Meanwhile though, she is a great foil for Saru to bounce off against. After all, with everyone working so hard this season to re-establish the Federation, Mirror Georgiou is the perfect internal conflict within that crew that has now become lockstep with each other. While her loyalty will always be more to Michael than anyone else, who knows what sort of shenanigans she could still get up to? Maybe she will eventually hop into a universe where she’s not being mean to Tilly?

And Tilly, oh I was glad when Tilly was about to swear at Georgiou for those badgering and harsh comments with a WTF because I always love it when Tilly stands up for herself. She may be young and inexperienced in life and anxious, but Tilly always speaks her mind and that is one of the best qualities she has. I love her honesty. I also love how incredibly observant she always is. She was able to deduce and connect the dots that the people she and Saru end up meeting needs dilithium and offering to trade was the reason that they could all start talking to each other instead of having weapons pointed. Sure, she is nervous and fearful, and some may say that as an officer she should not be, but fear is normal, and fear in a new environment is also normal. What is more important is that Tilly overcomes her fear and still is able to perform her job under incredibly stressful circumstances. And just as Saru said before, she was the one to make a first good impression that made the Coridans they found at this mining rig space saloon believe and trust them. Tilly made friends with Kal, who ends up using programmable matter to make a new transistor so that the crew can get their communications back up.

(CBS) Zareh (Jake Webber)

It made my Western-loving heart swoon when Tilly and Saru’s adventure off the ship became a proper space western! Given Trek’s classic roots of being Wagon Train to the Stars, the fact that they went full on western is just so much fun! The saloon doors, the slow motion, the focus on the eyes and weapons, even our villain this week had spurs! Actor Jake Webber (Zareh) swoops in like a baddie in all those Old West stories, which is made even more hilarious by the fact that he played a similar sort of baddie on the western series Hell On Wheels opposite Anson Mount (Pike) and Colm Meaney (O’Brien). His Zareh is another courier, like Book, but unlike Book, Zareh has no compunctions about being nice or caring. He just takes what is his. But what I do love about this character is that he’s also smart. Once he held everyone hostage, listened to some of their comments, and saw the transtator that Tilly was hiding, he managed to piece together the truth. The crew of the Discovery are time travelers, and very valuable. He kills poor sweet Kal and wants the dilithium from the Discovery. Saru manages to barter an amount they agree on but because Zareh is still an ass, he tells Tilly to go to the ship and get it, even if she has to risk her life to run back in the dark with the parasitic ice that could kill her. But a proper Western wouldn’t be complete without a bar room brawl, which Georgiou happily supplies when finds herself in the middle of all this drama. She insults Zareh a few times, calls him out that he wants to get away before his more powerful competitors show up, and then proceeds to beat up Zareh and his goons, even killing more than a few. Even Saru joins the fight, putting his new spikes ability to use! But once again, Federation values stand, Saru refuses to let Georgiou kill Zareh, and it is through this act that Os’ir, the surviving Coridan and friend of Kal realizes that Kal was right all along. The Federation is out there, the Federation does hold to its values and those values matter. And because those values matter, Os’ir does not kill Zareh when Saru says that it is up to him to decide. He just sends Zareh out into the night like Zareh was going to do to Tilly. And I have no doubt that Zareh will be back to cause trouble for another day.

(CBS) Os’ir (Lindsay Owen Pierre)

Continuing this season’s theme of hope and trust, Tilly and Saru’s empathy, kindness, and mercy brings friends to their side. Os’ir gives them personal transporters so they can get back to their ship safely. And the crew gets ready to raise the ship out of the ice. It’s not quite working out though, the thrusters can’t seem to get them out, and an enemy vessel approach, possibly one of Zareh’s competitors. The vessel tractor beams Discovery out of the ice and hails them, revealing that it’s Michael! The symbolism of that moment is not lost on me as back in Season 1, it was the Discovery that tractor beamed Michael’s prison shuttle out of danger and thus put her on a path of redemption, and now she gets to return the favor.

The happiness on everyone’s faces speak so much to how this crew has grown close together through thick and thin. It actually brought tears to my eyes, especially having recently rewatched the last two seasons to get ready for Season 3. They’ve all come so far and I can’t wait to see where they go next, even if in Michael’s point of view, there is sadness at being apart for a year. Just like Saru said at the beginning of the episode, they are now together. And they can always find strength in their unity.

The writing, directing, cinematography, special effects, and so on, are just spot on. They know how to use the landscape, and I love the ways they play with the Western style of camera motions! Even better was Jeff Russo’s score evoking all that classic Western stand-off music. And of course, whenever Michelle Yeoh gets to fight, it’s just like watching a miracle worker, my only critique is that I wish there are less cuts so that we can really get to see the full fight that can show off even more of Michelle’s abilities.

One more thing to mention though, I would like to give a moment of silence to Captain Pike’s ready room because everything has been smashed to pieces: his pottery, his painting, his horse figurines, and his table, which was said to have had great sentimental value from his childhood. I can’t believe he didn’t actually take them back to the Enterprise when he left the Discovery! Hopefully maybe they can fix all the broken pieces, that way, they can still be used in the ready room, and it will be like a part of Pike will always be with them wherever they go.

This crew, this cast, having now reunited, can go forth into this new world together, and I am so excited for the future! They’re making the canon now!

Be sure to tune into season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery  which airs Thursdays on CBS All Access in the USA, CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada and on Fridays internationally on Netflix

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