Star Trek Discovery Retrospective: Fan Criticism

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Fan Criticism


Fan reaction to the series has been mixed to say the least. Despite all the initial hype, the delayed release and radically different look and feel of the series compared to all previous Star Treks was met with curiosity, derision, and even ridicule by some fans. The phrase “not your father’s Star Trek” was bandied about by the studio execs defending the show, while many of the most ardently outspoken fans against the series railed against its “wokeness”, it’s hyper serialization, it’s not being “real Star Trek”, it’s main character Michael Burnham being a “Mary Sue”, the Klingons not looking like established Klingons from previous series and movies, and even the design of the titular ship. The fanbase became divided into the borderline toxic hate filled “never Discovery, it’s not real Star Trek, it’s woke garbage” camp, and the "it’s Star Trek love it or hate it, any trek is better than no trek” crowd. This reviewer falls somewhere in the middle. While it is definitely not by any means a favorite Trek series, it is not completely without it's good elements. Standout characters (and fan favorites) Saru, Captain Pike (who is now the lead character in spinoff Star Trek Strange New Worlds), Sylvia Tilly (who may end up starring in the upcoming Star Trek Starfleet Academy series), and David Ajala's Cleveland "Book" Booker are definitely plusses for the series. Another point of contention for many Trek fans is the shows TV-14 (and in some episodes TV-MA) content. Most prominent in season 1, Discovery contains considerably more harsh language than other Trek series before or after (including the franchise’s first ever F-bomb), as well as Treks first nipple shot (a Klingon nipple, shown via prosthetics). Another thing I think that the show suffered as a result of was expectations. The studio had exceedingly high expectations of discovery from the get-go, plus the fans had many unrealistic and often conflicting expectations for the show. The show could not possibly live up to everyone's expectations, nor was it ever intended to do so. Another criticism, voiced by many fans, is that the show is by definition “the Michael Burnham show” with Burnham being the main character and primary focus of the show – “It’s all about Michael Burnham!”. While it was always the intention for the show to primarily follow Burham’s story, this ultimately came at a price – the lack of screen time and development for many of the rest of the bridge officers. Even though other “main characters” like Saru, Stamets, Culber, Tilly, Book and Emperor Georgiou get a decent amount of screen time and character development (especially as they tie in to Burnham’s story), others like Detmer, Owosekun, Rhys, Bryce, and even Reno get very little if any character development and as little real screen time.

Next week: wrapping up this retrospective series with a look at the series legacy and this fan's reaction

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