Star Trek Discovery 4, review: somewhere out in space

Star Trek Discovery 4, review

Mind Picard is in full swing of its second season and the expectation is growing for the unpublished Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Discovery 4 concludes its run after 13 episodes that in Italy we were able to enjoy for free on Pluto TV, new TV in streaming completely free ad-supported, weekly and only 24 hours after airing in the US.

Star Trek Discovery 4, somewhere out in space

We had taken the pulse of Star Trek Discovery 4 with a preview review of the first two episodes that had inevitably served not only as a link with the previous season but also to effectively introduce the new Discovery mission of which Michael Burnham is now for all intents and purposes Captain. After having found a new source of dilithium, indispensable for interstellar travel, and having revealed the mystery behind the cataclysmic Great Fire, in this new future the goal is to reconstitute the Star Federation. Mission will take a sharp turn when a gravitational distortion wipes out Kweijan, Booker's homeworld.


The little information gathered is not encouraging indeed it is terrifying. In fact, distortion is not natural but artificial, but that's not all. In fact, its training and the ability to travel lead to the presumption that it is "controlled": but by whom and for what purpose? While Discovery is engaged in formulating theses and theories that can explain the nature of the distortion and stop it, a rift is consumed in the Federation between those who want to attempt a peaceful and diplomatic first contact and those who want to immediately resort to weapons and tear down what is immediately labeled as an enemy who has not cared about having wiped out a densely populated planet.

Even if the peaceful approach prevails, the rift is now consumed so much that the expert scientist called by the Federation to support Discovery's efforts, the mysterious Tarka finds a kindred spirit in Booker, thus initiating a plan of sabotage that effectively makes them criminals. But if Booker's motivations are self-evident enough, what are Tarka's?

When you finally understand the true nature of the distortion and the exact positioning of its "pilots", Discovery will really push where no man has ever been before seeking a complicated first contact not only by extreme conditions but also by a new looming threat that directly affects the Earth. Everything then turns into a race against time and against the plan set up by Booker and Tarka.

Star Trek Discovery 4, back there "where no man has ever been before"

It is clear that compared to the first two seasons (recovered Star Trek Discovery Season 1 in blu-ray on Amazon) the series has lost its freshness however it is impossible not to notice a more punctual writing in this Season 4 especially as regards the management of the horizontal plot. and the more distinctly drama aspects that last season were wrecked miserably in a series of bite-less and decidedly pedestrian subplots, especially in an attempt to transport topical issues into the future of Star Trek Discovery.

Precisely this aspect is reabsorbed in some passages of the episodes apparently unrelated to the horizontal plot which, recovering some stylistic features of p several television incarnations of the franchise, intelligently mediate drama, topical issues and narrative needs of the main plot. Although it was not presented in a very original way, the mystery behind the gravitational distortion and the Ten-C not only provided a good thread but were reworked during the episodes and phases of the season by the writers in a more or less effective way to present us again. some of the pivotal aspects of positive science fiction of which Star Trek has always been one of the most shining examples.

In fact, the most interesting moments of Star Trek Discovery 4 are linked to the debate between the interventionist faction and the more diplomat of the Federation becoming the de facto thematic nucleus of the season. The relationship with the other, especially when unknown, respect for living spaces, democratic confrontation, the evaluation of costs and benefits are all moments that can be easily translated into reality, especially the dramatic one of recent months. The final culmination of a narrative arc, composed of the last 3/4 episodes, which draws heavily not only from Deep Space Nine and Voyager (but in reality all of this Season 4 does it in more than one juncture) is certainly attributable to this reflection. ) but also some great examples of modern science fiction like Interstellar or Arrival.


There are some empty passages in Star Trek Discovery 4. The drama component is still present and takes over in some examples, breaking the tension a bit but also lengthening the episodes and inevitably lowering the threshold of attention of the viewer. It is precisely on the timing of the episodes that showrunners should work more intelligently because 50/60 minutes are often excessive for what is actually being told in the episode. In terms of direction, photography and technical realization, Star Trek Discovery now has a style of its own that mixes the influences of JJ Abrams (flares and slightly more daring camera movements) with the classic ones of the franchise (counter-shots on the deck of the ship, close-ups in dramatic sequences) while much of the special effects budget is evidently poured into some beautiful sequences starring the spaceships that bring to mind the legendary second film in the franchise, The Wrath of Khan.

Ultimately then, if you had abandoned the series with the previous season, in Star Trek Discovery 4 you will find part of the charm of the first two seasons of the series, and of the Star Trek franchise more generally, as long as you have to to concede something in terms of tension and punctuality due to a drama component, albeit less pressing, still present.