This is a show that could be better, but continually holds itself back. Like the Enterprise series before, it tries to make Star Trek more relevant by making it edgier. However, the writers clearly did not think that Enterprise was edgy enough, so this series ups the ante in everything but quality.
On the plus side, the visual effects are stunning. This is the highest quality Star Trek series when it comes to the ships and their lighting. There are also a couple of entertaining characters and scenes that reminded me of previous Star Trek shows. There is also some interesting interconnection between the events and characters in this show and those in the original series (such as Sarek and Mudd).
Unfortunately, so much more goes wrong. Despite being a prequel, it uses a higher level of technology than the Next Generation movie timeframe. The plots are both convoluted and predictable (I called nearly every betrayal, double-cross, and "surprise"). They messed up nearly everything about the Klingons, and then forced us to read a huge amount of subtitles as we listen to excessively long speeches in Klingon. They build up complex situations only to have them resolved in unbelievable and anti-climactic ways. They toss in a needless amount of gore to make certain we know this is "edgy" Star Trek.
Probably the biggest disappointment for me was that this was the first Star Trek series to focus almost exclusively on a single character. Sure, there are some other characters who get brief moments in the spotlight, but this is Michael Burnham's story. In another odd departure, Burnham isn't even the ship's captain. She also seems to get a bit more credit (and blame) for situations than she deserves.
And yet, I will probably watch the next season when it comes out on DVD. None of the Star Treks have had great first seasons, but nearly all of them developed into something better as they continued. I see elements of potential greatness, but not enough to subscribe to another streaming service (although the new series about Picard might change my mind on that).
On the plus side, the visual effects are stunning. This is the highest quality Star Trek series when it comes to the ships and their lighting. There are also a couple of entertaining characters and scenes that reminded me of previous Star Trek shows. There is also some interesting interconnection between the events and characters in this show and those in the original series (such as Sarek and Mudd).
Unfortunately, so much more goes wrong. Despite being a prequel, it uses a higher level of technology than the Next Generation movie timeframe. The plots are both convoluted and predictable (I called nearly every betrayal, double-cross, and "surprise"). They messed up nearly everything about the Klingons, and then forced us to read a huge amount of subtitles as we listen to excessively long speeches in Klingon. They build up complex situations only to have them resolved in unbelievable and anti-climactic ways. They toss in a needless amount of gore to make certain we know this is "edgy" Star Trek.
Probably the biggest disappointment for me was that this was the first Star Trek series to focus almost exclusively on a single character. Sure, there are some other characters who get brief moments in the spotlight, but this is Michael Burnham's story. In another odd departure, Burnham isn't even the ship's captain. She also seems to get a bit more credit (and blame) for situations than she deserves.
And yet, I will probably watch the next season when it comes out on DVD. None of the Star Treks have had great first seasons, but nearly all of them developed into something better as they continued. I see elements of potential greatness, but not enough to subscribe to another streaming service (although the new series about Picard might change my mind on that).
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