To Trek With Love: The Finale of Continues

While Discovery temporarily halts its first season you might have been forgiven for missing out on the finale of Star Trek Continues. But not for too long.

Let me be so bold as to say you would be a fool if you had because, simple fact, this is a masterpiece, a well-made and brilliant conclusion to an 11 episode run that has been as innovative and exciting as The Original Series was in when first aired.

Now you'll note I am running the two parter as a single review here so be aware that there will be SPOILERS ahead especially if you've not seen the second part (and why the hell wouldn't you have by now?!).

Let's set the scene straight away. The Federation has been up to its old tricks of doing silly experiments away from the public eye and this time it involves attempting to replicate the "god powers" that we saw back in Where No Man Has Gone Before. To some extent these have been successful however Lana (played by one-time Doctor Who companion Nicola Bryant) wants to take it to the next level and get all of her ESPer colleagues powered up by visiting the Galactic Barrier. Bryant is excellent in this story playing an initially welcoming scientist before turning to something darker and more driven as the story twists and turns on the way to the edge of the Milky Way.

Of course Kirk and co take exception to this based on their rather destructive experiences with Gary Mitchell which nearly saw the captain dead (nice nod to Gary getting the "T" wrong on the gravestone by the way).

Behind Kirk's back however, Spock contacts Romulan commander Charvanek (an inspired piece of casting with her played by the original actress Joanne Linville's daughter Amy Rydell) whom we last saw in The Enterprise Incident from season three of the original show. He plans to have her aid them in recapturing the ESPer group and so the two unlikely allies join forces.

The ESPer group escape on an Antares Class freighter (another superb nod to continuity both in The Original Series remastered and The Animated Series) and rendezvous with the USS Kongo which they take control of (cliffhanger as the Kongo faces off against the Enterprise and the Romulans) while they are chased by the Enterprise accompanied by 

While Part I created a ton of set up and could, at times get a little over talky, Part II balances it out sublimely with 45 minutes of the best fan series episode I may have ever seen.

I won;t go into too much detail here but let's say that the ESPer story is neatly concluded. The thing is that there's a much bigger picture to appreciate with this finale that covers not just the second part but the first too. It's about a solid closure and a way to successfully link the original 79 episodes to The Motion Picture and for it to make absolute perfect sense.

Indeed, spot how many references there are throughout to the dwindling number of Constitution Class starships (Kongo, Potemkin, Exeter and Enterprise) and what the future holds for the fleet. It's much more encompassing an episode than that however. The feeling of bringing the show full circle back to the second pilot is firmly in keeping with the tradition of both All Good Things... and What You Leave Behind in that they refer back to their starting blocks to round out the story. It makes the show feel more complete and Vic Mignona and the whole of the Continues team should be applauded for what is just a mezmerising piece of work in this closing two part story.

While there is that sense of closure in the story, we also have some moments of tragedy with the loss of not just one but two of the crew we have come to know through the Continues saga. Both Lieutenant Smith (Kipleigh Brown) and McKenna die and are given exceptional ways to end their tenure on the webseries. With both characters the two parter definitely rounds out their arcs and the endings for both actresses are most fitting and suit the story perfectly. Particularly with McKenna from the very first scene (you appreciate it more on a rewatch) you can see where her story is going straight away. Their passings are poignant in every way and there are a lot of characters in the franchise who have departed in less appreciative ways.

Kirk is easily the most prominent of the regular crew through this story being the man of action as the Enterprise chases the Kongo back to Earth but Vic Mignogna gets to play much more with a Kirk deeply moved by the loss of two crew members, affected by the actions of his first officer to contact the Romulans and ultimately a Kirk who comes to realise its time to pass the torch once he brings the battle scarred Enterprise back to spacedock. The final transition to the blue/white admiral’s uniform from The Motion Picture truly completes the Continues story and the way in which the show has tied up loose ends dovetails effortlessly into the first of Star Trek’s big screen adventures.

The double-team alongside the Romulan Bird of Prey is a great touch to the episode and hints towards a more unified Galaxy post-Voyager although normal of the crew share Charvanek’s ideology.

Another brilliant move in this episode is the tactic deployed by Kirk to attack the Kongo. For the first - and likely the last - time we see the Constitution Class undergo a saucer separation. It’s not as smooth and seamless a process as the Galaxy Class but to see the saucer and drive sections working independently is an absolute cannot-miss moment from the two-parter. Having it be a little more hap-hazard a process emphasises how last-gasp this would be as a manoeuvre plus it’s a cool nod to past mentions in The Original Series about jettisoning nacelles and tech manual notes indicating that the Enterprise was capable of such a feat.

Both Spock and McCoy’s actions place then ready for their reappearances in The Motion Picture and in I way feel forced or fake. One admission is that while their stories get paid some sort of lip service Sulu, Uhura, Chekov and oddly Scotty seem to be left out of any kind of Continues send off. Now for me that’s a bit bizarre since both Smith and McKenna are given significant chunks of the episode to say farewell yet the regulars don’t have that opportunity. Not a complaint as such, more an observation and on that note could we have risked Scotty with a moustache....?!

While recognising the guest cast in the fantastic - and exceptionally English Nicola Bryant, it’s also more than worthy of talking about the appearance of Cas Anvar as Lana’s superbly duplicitous Romulan-cum-Vulcan second in command. Just slimy enough to be a great baddie of sorts, I loved seeing this guy on Continues after watching is awesome work on one of my favourite shows of the moment, The Expanse. In fact his performance here was so different to that role I didn’t recognise him at first which is a clear sign of a versatile actor. 

There is one searing issue with To Boldly Go which gnaws at me every second - that it’s the last one. This webseries has had some incredible high points including the Mirror Universe sequel, Lolani and the excellent Embracing the Wind (for example) and while it does go out on a euphoric high it is still a tragedy that circumstances have led to this series being cut short earlier than planned. 

The final speech from Mignogna’s Kirk hints at lots to come both in its words and the admiral’s body language as he realises that his trek to the stars may well be over and he is handing the keys to the next generation. It’s a heartfelt speech from both character and actor it appears and after such a great episode you kind of don’t want it to end. Fans will also love the nod to Discovery with the line of models in Nakamura's office which includes both the Crossfield Class starship from the latest show and, at the very end of the line, the refit Constitution Class we will see in the six original crew movies.

On that very note, To Boldly Go has everything - and I mean even the kitchen sink levels of everything that will make any Star Trek fan proud. It's a well-crafted ending to a brilliant show that has constantly exceeded expectations and gone that step further still with each new story. For me the second half of this is their finest hour with all the cast truly stepping up and forward to produce a stunning hour of drama that would fit perfectly at the end of the original show's three seasons. Seventy-nine episodes you say? I might have to insist there are now 90...

What was your favourite episode from Star Trek Continues? Read every one of our 11 episode reviews here

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Not a Simpson in Sight: The Official Starships Collection Issues 110 and 111

The arrival of the USS Chekov marks the third model included in the Official Starship Collection to come from the infamous Wolf 359 encounter.

Another kitbash special, the effects team on The Next Generation sure knew how to fit a Galaxy Class model into numerous different configurations with this being one of the weirdest - if that’s at all possible. 

Beginning topside, the clear parallel to the Enterprise is that elliptical saucer replete with lifeboat hatches, the undersized bridge module and the oversized starship registry. Of course if we scale this against a Galaxy Class the registries would probably be the same size but on this much smaller vessel it looks clumsily large. The painted on windows mean there’s no misalignment - at least topside because underneath the square ones are totally out of sync with the recesses on the hull. Notably there is also a significant reduction in the number of lifeboat hatches again reflecting the smaller scale of the Chekov versus the Enterprise; yet the bridge module is still the same size...?! (Yes, I know, model constraints....). Right at the back of the saucer are two blacked out impulse engines. Comparing to the cover photo at least, these should have a hint of red to their rear but on the replica there's just more black.

That said, it is well detailed across the whole surface with a reduced number of hatches visible and the phaser strip standing out in the darker grey tone. The first major difference you spot is, of course, at the back of the saucer in the shape of the mission-specific pod bolted onto the top of the ship. The handlebar catches at the front suggest it’s a swing cap from something and has found its way into this kitbash. The back-end, to be fair, is moulded cleanly into the saucer and I would think this is probably a better and more polished finish than the original screen used prop.

The saucer itself is topside metal with the lower section has a plastic insert. Cleverly this topside metal also extends back to the upper "back" body section and out to the pylons giving a lot of much welcomed structural support. This leaves the secondary hull, nacelles and mission pod all made from plastic. 

On that lower saucer side that misaligned printing is annoying but at least the longer windows towards the outer edge are printed on. Again there's a distinct and crisp phaser strip arcing around the midway point and boundaries the windows and ship registry with that line marking the join between plastic and metal.

Underneath that hunking sensor pod is the instantly recognisable rear end of a Galaxy Class starship. Blended seamlessly into the saucer, the underbelly and warp pylons are glaringly obvious. They too bear the azteced grey two tone scheme that stretches over the Chekov’s hull. Eaglemoss have retained the phaser strips and paint job, as per the original model but now on top of the pylons are two repurposed marker pens. In what seems to be a running theme across the Cheyenne, New Orleans and Springfield classes these markers seem to be turning up with frightening regularity albeit heavily disguised under paint and decals.

Again, Eaglemoss’ work here is perfect with the slim nacelles looking exactly the same as the marker pen variant (!) used on the Cheyenne finished off with bronzed EM field coils and Starfleet pennants on both bearing the starship name and United Federation of Planets name. Around the edges and only slightly recessed are the painted on - no transparency here - warp engine field grilles which still have the distinct ridged line effect all the way round. It’s a small detail but adds that depth to the engines that would be lost if it had remained a flat surface. 

To the front of the nacelles we are blessed with those glorious emerald red translucent bussard collectors that add a touch of needed non-grey colouring to the starship. Around the edges too is a thin edging decal plus there’s a tiny registry label at the tips of both engines. 

Now to the underneath and this is where this mode starts to go in some real new and oddball directions. Remember the Oberth Class and it’s disconnected secondary hull? It’s back in a more streamlined form with the Springfield Class. Two almost right angle arms reminiscent of the pylons for the warp engines swoop down from the bottom of the elliptical main hull to connect to the similarly elliptical secondary hull. To the front of the unit sits a small, recessed deflector dish (didn’t have one of those on the Grissom...) which is brightly painted blue (similar to the paint-job on the issue one Enterprise-D with just a central gold detail to complete. This also seems to go against the more orange deflector pictured throughout the magazine.

Making out any form of details on the top of this small engineering hull is hard work given it sits in the shadow of the larger primary hull. Even though it's hidden by the larger primary hull, the top is still panel-lined almost identically to the bottom. The underside though does bear two phaser banks plus some greyed and raised panels, One other thing to notice is the decalling of Starship USS Chekov along the pylons in front of the dark grey grille style features. If we go by the magazine at least one of these two - there's one on each pylon - should read United Federation of Planets. However, seeing as how small this was on screen we'll never know for certain precisely what's printed there however comparing to the original Rick Sternbach model there is no legend on either secondary hull connecting pylon meaning, probably, this isn't screen accurate (the magazine makes it appear that the port side should bear the ship name underneath). On a good note though, both original and replica do have the Starfleet pennant at the centre line.

Also comparing to that original model there is some yellow panelling missing from the underside and the back of the warp pylons and Eaglemoss have added some "lined and dotted" detail at the back of the warp engines. Odd one this since it seems there's contradiction between the replica and the source material. One for the quality controllers too as my starboard nacelle has a distinct lean to the front meaning it's not parallel to its port-side counterpart. At least on a minor note they aren't two port nacelles or two starboard nacelles since each has a different rear pilot light to match the ones at the edge of the primary hull (red/green).

Finally, stand positioning here sees the plastic clip sliding over the nacelle pylons. I suspected it might have been around the edge of the saucer but no, it's a much more rearward grip around what is a very structurally sound area of the ship in those metal pylons. 

Into issue 110 and a brief overview covers the mission purpose of the Chekov and the Springfield Class in general as a frigate, crew complement and some of the class features plus of course there's mention of its appearance at Wolf 359.

Fortunately because there is so little onscreen footage of the Chekov we are treated to a lot of wonderful CG images of the ship which are all fresh and new - and contradict the model as we've already seen. Oddly if you look at it from the top it looks like an updated version of the NX-01 don't you think?

Anyway, the sparce details on the Chekov get covered in a mere three paragraphs with some further suggestion that this might well be the final ship of the class and was subsequently retired after the disaster of Wolf 359. The plan views offer up a great close up of the remastering of the class before this time's gem which covers the Little Known Ships of Star Trek. This is four pages of identifying some of the real hidden wonders of the Star Trek universe including the soon-to-be-realised Curry Class and one I really hope to see; the transport Lakul from Generations. In total there are nine and some of them are blink and miss them appearances.

Weighing in with the remaining six pages of article space is the work of illustrator Rick Sternbach. One of the true visual legends of the franchise, Sternbach is responsible for a lot of the looks of The Next Generation that set the tone for everything that came afterwards including phasers, the Borg and even, later, details for the Deep Space Nine station. It's a quality piece which covers not just the items that Sternbach created but also how his work evolved with the movement from physical models to the computer world especially where Voyager was concerned in the late 1990's. Thoroughly engrossing reading that is well illustrated with some great examples although I'm sure that's the Negh'Var (All Good Things... original version) on page 15 and not a Vor'Cha cruiser.

Now the follow on model for issue 111 is perhaps the most off the wall entry to date. While it did appear in Voyager it never actually left the holodeck so it's one of those where it might count but it also might not since it was never "real" - it's Captain Proton's Rocket Ship from Bride of Chaotica!.

First up this has to be one of the heaviest regular models in the collection and I'm of the mind that apart from a slim section on the underside and the stumpy little wings this is solid metal. It also might be the least colourful model yet produced due to its monochrome existence within the black and white Captain Proton fantasy cooked up by Tom Paris. 

Literally the whole of the ship with the exception of four recessed squares on the top and and emblem on both sides of the nose, this is a metallic, slightly sparkly silver.

But what will fans actually make of this one? It did leave me scratching my head since it is so left field. The Rocket Ship is stupidly retro in every sense from the slab of single colour through to the very design. Start at the front and there's a stubby Destructo beam weapon leading back into that missile-esque rocket nose cone that resembles the front end of a World War II bomb but then is accented with the horizontal fins and lining that hints at its 1940's and 50's inspiration. There's nothing subtle here in the recreation of this craft with very distinctive lines and points of separation from each section to the next.

What you do appreciate is how true to the intended era of origin the design is with the aeroplane style portholes and entry door positioned at the midpoint on the ship over the short wings. Now on those wings the finishing touch of the two rows of rivets is stunning and very period accurate. The embellishments here in the form of the winglets and again those parallel slats just ahead touch on that Flash Gordon ideology that evidently inspired this jaunt and the materials contained therein.

Finishing the tapered rocket look of the ship we have four pointed stabilising fins that protrude back beyond the rocket exhaust port. Very difficult to go into any more detail when that's precisely what is lacking - any detail. That is until you look on the bottom where there are two parallel darker grey markings that run from the nose right by the spark-like emblems to just behind the wings. They do break up the singular paint-job but the bottom isn't that plain. There are two, what appear to be rocket boosters, hung from the hull. These two are in plastic as there is a central insert to the  underside so they could be created separately and added in later. They are good and rigid as well so no concern over any movement from these appendages.

Overall though what’s not to love about this unique entry to the collection? No one else would have even considered doing this one because it’s not a “proper” starship from the show yet it’s a big part of the Voyager experience in its later years when they finally got a holodeck arc right (Sandrines...Fair Haven....) and this model is a representation of this success. 

I absolutely love the retro simplicity that the Rocket Ship presents. Original, heavy and lovingly recreated it’s a great issue. If I did have a grumble it would be about the very prominent join line right along the horizontal axis at the front. Bit gappy on the model I received but more than countered with the overall result. 

Given the weight of this one, the stand position is crucial and clipping around the rear tail fins utilises the most structurally stable bit of the craft - the hefty metal back end. 

Issue 111 dives firmly into the background of the Chaotica holodeck programme. The same size as the "real world" Delta Flyer, the magazine covers the usual array of craft features but more than that it discusses the creation of the Rocket Ship within the holodeck fantasy of Tom Paris.The six pages dedicated to the background covers all of the Captain Proton episodes with most notable coverage of Bride of Chaotica! This all makes it a bit different in the magazine since all of the pics are in black and white but the ship is absolutely spot on to the CG images most probably down to the simple finish of the monochrome rocket.

The Designing Captain Proton's Rocket Ship section is extremely short and a bit disappointing. The explanation is there that this was a pretty straight forward creation process and didn't take that much time since they had a very specific concept in mind. Bonus is that we do get some nice concepts but there aren't that many due to the linear creation stream.

The other six pages for articles are taken with Weapons of Captain Proton explaining the design process for the arsenal created for the Captain Proton episodes. Interestingly there are some elements of colour in the designs plus there's one that was never used - but was designed and built - for Tuvok.

Alan Sims and HMS Creative Productions were also responsible for the photonic lifeforms' scanners and Archania's reverse-grip pistol. There are some fantastic behind the scenes reference pics in here of the props designed for the show and again it provides a well-rounded story of the episode. This is a great example of when the magazine really comes into its own and wraps up a full package around a specific piece of the Star Trek franchise.

A good month that provides two unique and never before seen models from the franchise. I absolutely love them both but the Springfield Class does just win out because it's from the seminal Wolf 359 battle and adds another ship to the growing fleet collection. The Rocket Ship has classically simple lines and standing it alongside the 24th Century craft from The Next Generation you can plainly see the difference of 400 years and two very opposing design processes. This pairing is a top example of just how different and imaginative the creative team behind Star Trek could be when called for on a regular basis even after three series had been on air consecutively from 1987 to 1999 (by this point in Voyager). 

Next month we revisit the Nebula Class with the original version as depicted in The Wounded from The Next Generation with the USS Phoenix and secondly with the Lokkirim fighter from Voyager. 

Good and diverse additions to the collection this month? Was the Rocket Ship a necessity?

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Tribble Trouble: The Official Starships Collection Deep Space Station K-7

What is not to love.

Since Deep Space Nine - actually more likely since issue one of the Collection, fans have been asking/demanding that we get more starbases - Spacedock, Regula One, the Caretaker Array - and one in particular.

K-7 is as iconic as the episode in which it featured in 1967. A spinning outpost packed with quadrotriticale and the centre of attention for both the Enterprise and the IKS Groth, it’s unusual design makes it instantly recognisable. 

Now Eaglemoss have brought that beauty down onto the diecast level and by gum has this been worth the wait. Arriving in one of the biggest specials boxes to date, K-7 is, as always, styrofoam packed to ensure damage-free delivery. 

Easing her tenderly out, this is definitely one of the largest models to date with a diameter of xxcm so be sure to plan your shelf space in advance. 

Starting down at the cylindrical base, the series producers have even managed to include a shuttle bay and not just sealed doors with actual depth to the open deck disappearing back into the main structure. The panelling here and at every point is kept very simple with everything seeming to spread out from the central core of the station. There are one or two panels highlighted in a darker shade but these are few and far between on this item.

Travelling vertically the shuttlebay is connected by a slender strip of plastic which leads up towards the main central hub of the station. Here, first, there’s another larger circular section from which the trio of outer modules are attached. As with the other classic remastered vehicles from The Original Series, the detail is minor, with the shape and overall style being more in dominance of the design rather than a lot of flashy finishing touches.

That base actually sits into the claw shaped display holder. It's a good fit and with the base being a hefty metal weight it certainly keeps K-7 grounded and looks fantastic out on display. Wish Deep Space Nine had something official to stand it on like this one but hey, different times...!

Now we do like a good greeble but putting this alongside the NCC-1701 or a Klingon D7 if it was super detailed would just look plain wrong. Here minimal is optimal and from that grey mid-cylinder you are drawn up to the large mushroom head of K-7. That uniform space grey colour is in every orifice of the station yet even on the top of the central unit there are defined panel lines which do function to take a degree of over-simplification away. Eaglemoss have scored the panelling in very precisely on this circular hull and there’s no horrid blobby buildup of paint.

Topside is the most prominent of the details on the station being the United Federation of Planets banner printed around the structure and K-7 just above on the cone-shaped command unit. All the windows here and out on the KA, KB and KC trio of pods are, as you would expect from Eaglemoss, completely misaligned with the surface details moulded onto the station. In respect to the upper ones on the central structure, they almost slip onto the darker grey top aerial. My aerial did come a little bent however with some encouragement it has now gone straight.

The station, above the shuttlebay is totally plastic and it's the only way that the three outer units would feasibly work. scored with vertical panelling lines, the arms reach out to the three small structures, two of which are "lit" red and the third, "green". Aside from the lettering and colours, the three are identical and there's not even a glimmer of difference in quality between them. Very nice and to some degree they are scaled down versions of the large central piece with the cylindrical unit replaced with the connecting point of the arms.

I love the 1960's basic design here. The lines are so clean and the lack of detail makes this even more enticing as a piece. Even when you turn her over the underside is equally simple; just the grey and that splayed panel design which has everything emanating from the middle of each unit whether outlying or the large core.

This feels like a no-brainer for any collector and while it is more expensive this is such a lovely model and one of the few that seems to have retained its distinct appeal and look from The Original Series. I've appreciated the ships from the remastered episodes but this has something more exciting to it. It represents not only a classic moment from the first series but also from the revisit in Trials and Tribble-ations. Apart from the horrid window alignment which now seems to be an Eaglemoss hallmark of "quality", it is a stunner and does make me kind of forget about the blandness of the previous Swarm Ship special. 

As for display purposes this has something that Deep Space Nine lacks - a stand! However, hang on from singing its praises because the stand is more of a cradle and the station isn't totally secure. It can spin and lift out very easily so just bear that in mind when you're lifting it onto that top shelf. Also has anyone else noticed that the plastic "grip" pieces are not fitting as well into the black bases on a lot of models recently?

In the magazine there's a skant overview of the station and it's role within The Trouble with Tribbles (shame it missed getting in the nod made in Choose Your Pain from Discovery). Second in is a section narrated by David Gerrold, writer of The Trouble with Tribbles covering the development of the episode and then we have a further piece on the creation of Trials and Tribbleations and the technology involved to bring it to life. 

The magazine is lacking some plan views of the station for print reference however in the bigger picture the episodic info is far more useful and a better utilisation of the space available. The content is wonderful but I would have loved more background on the model especially as it's only the second space station that has graced the collection in four years.

Absolutely love this one and now just need to make a big enough gap for it to take a good spot on display!

What's the next space station we should get from the collection?

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Keep on Jumping: S1 E9: Into the Forest I Go

Ted Sullivan's prediction that the mid-season finale of Discovery was going to be "Balance of Terror good" was perhaps a little over-stated but still the fledgling Star Trek show managed to pull off a damn fine bit of drama to bring this first chapter to a close (or at least a suitable stopping point).

Kicking off virtually from the end of Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, Into the Forest I Go is a neat way of bringing a lot of these first half season elements to a tidy conclusion but, as you would expect, also kicking off some right crackers at the same time.

Where to start - well, Lorca is ordered to take the Discovery back to Starbase 46 but being the dedicated warmonger he is, leaving a potential fight at Pahvo is out of the question and miraculously, he's up for saving a peaceful planet (which, on a side note we barely see at all in this installment). I think that's just an excuse so he can load the torpedoes one more time and instead of using the spore drive to zip them home in an instant he chooses to take a leisurely three hour warp five journey back to give the crew time to work up some form of solution to combating the Klingon invisibility shield.

The solution is just mad enough that it might work - install sensors at the front and back of the Klingon Sarcophagus Ship and then map the ship to create an algorithm that will allow Starfleet to see their cloaked enemies. Oh - and to speed up the process and get the Klingon flagship mapped more quickly he asks Stamets to perform 133 consecutive micro-jumps with the spore drive around the Klingons.

All well and good but Stamets is suffering from the overuse of the drive but Lorca wants to push on especially when he reveals he's been tracking all of the jumps the Discovery has made and that there could be the potential for crossing into alternative universes using it (no spoilers there then...!). 

Burnham and Tyler take on the task of placing the sensors once they had spore-jumped back to Pahvo and enticed the Klingons into a firefight. The first one is a breeze but before placing the second on the Klingon bridge, the pair locate Cornwell...and L'Rell. Both are worse for wear but seeing L'Rell again spins Tyler into PTSD and he's left a wreck with an immobile Cornwell as his defender for the time being.

Burnham manages to place the second transmitter but has to engage Kol in direct combat to bide time for the Discovery to complete its 133 jumps and match the algorithm to defeat the Klingons. 

Of course it's success seeing Kol and the Sarcophagus Ship vanquished and Cornwell back home for treatment. However, the Discovery takes one final jump to get home - and ends up...somewhere....

What a damn fine piece of work that Erika Lippoldt and Bo Yeon Kim have created here to round off the first nine episodes of Star Trek's return to its rightful home on the small screen. Everyone has their moment here but for me this is Burnham's hour as she is left to single-handedly deal with the transmitters to assist Discovery but then faces off against Kol. The link back to Georgiou in that Kol has kept her delta badge as a toothpick/momento is interesting since he was never there at the moment of her death and has swept into T'Kuvma's position with the greatest of ease. He sees himself as the new Klingon saviour and his abrupt fall from grace here is deserved. 

Burnham's journey has certainly been expansive giving Sonequa Martin-Green more than enough material to get her teeth into and prove she's more than a zombie-killer. From being a reluctant passenger on the Discovery back in Context is for Kings she now places herself in danger to ensure the completion of the mission and help to make right her errors on the Shenzhou which started the war. Martin-Green is brilliant here getting to play through some genuinely fraught emotional moments with Tyler (more on all that very soon) to full on hand to hand combat with an in-form Klingon warrior on his own ground. I think her work in this show has been phenomenal from the get go.

Lorca is very much our man of action here getting to take command of a battle situation once again as well as having some key scenes here with Stamets around the effects of the spore drive and his choice to transfer the award from Starfleet to the mycologist because of his strength to complete the arduous number of jumps. Stamets is pushed to the edge in Into the Forest I Go as the continuous and heavy use of the spore drive nearly claims his life. Anthony Rapp is even closer to the precipice here than he was in Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad time-looping around for an age but it's in a different way as the drive is pushing his mind to its very limits and - as we see at the end - beyond perhaps even that.

The main story with the USS Discovery jumping around the Klingons to match and defeat them is wonderful to watch and the more I see the ship the more I fall in love with the sleek retro design and the amazing work that we are seeing from the CG in every episode. 

While the A story is thoroughly gripping, Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt have also dropped some seismic stuff into this story. Aside from the first ever male/male kiss which should be applauded (and it didn't feel forced) and the emotion behind Culber watching his partner go through spore drive hell, the confrontation between L'Rell and her one-time prisoner/plaything Ash Tyler is Trek-breaking.

We all remember Picard's torture at the hands of Gul Madred in Chain of Command but the flashbacks here take pain to a whole new level with blades, screams and blood dripping from tables all intimating the excruciating treatment that Tyler suffered for seven months. It's burned so deeply he totally shits down and hats off to Shazad Latif for playing this trauma for the darkness it descends upon the lieutenant. Graphically the production team have gone all out on these sequences and it's hard not to include them extensively in any review of the episode. As we discover through his heart to heart with Burnham and by fairly explicit flashbacks torture wasn't the only thing she was getting out of him. 

As the episode closes Tyler visits L'Rell begging to know what she has done to him but all she reveals is that it will become apparent "Soon.". I think we all know what our money is on for that reveal.  The L'Rell and Tyler sequences were not hard to watch but for Star Trek they were a first. We were warned there would be more violence and possible sex scenes but this was much more brutal than I expected. Again, applause to the writers for pushing the story and what Star Trek could do this far. Brave and that's what this show should be about just as The Original Series was. We should be talking about it and what it has done that is different.

In fact I might go as far as to say that this is the most original Star Trek episode since Living Witness or Blink of an Eye in Voyager's later years. Enterprise just didn't cut it when it came to really "making a difference" but it feels here with the ninth episode of Discovery that we have finally recaptured that brilliance and uniqueness that made Star Trek such an exciting and innovative prospect. More importantly I came out of this episode realising that I really have started to invest in these characters and their stories. 

The majority of the character background with our cast comes from the depth of the arc - Stamets and the spore drive, Burnham and the Shenzhou, Tyler and the Klingons, Lorca and Cornwell with seemingly Tilly dropping into each of these characters arcs at some point almost as the audience perspective character dipping into each storyline and opening up each person to the viewer.

If a screenshot from the episode is to be believed then Lorca really is the darkest of Starfleet captains because it seems he might be responsible for that final, fateful jump rather than it being a quirk of fate. However, wouldn't it have been jump 134 into the "unknown" or jump one of a new cycle? Was this all part of his plan and if they do get back to the Prime Universe then what of the spore drive? I mean, this guy is the perfect salesman and properly sells Stamets down the river with the "one last time" promise. Will it continue to be used or is this the end of the (first) Great Experiment?

A mid-season finale is an odd one for a Star Trek series which didn't even attempt such a thing when it used to take the Christmas break on network TV. To plant a cliffhanger - and a damn good one - right there is credit to the new writing team and the fresh outlook on the show that has been brought aboard in the Harberts era. There are still haters and there will be fans who won't be happy with this but damn, this has been a mighty strong and consistent first season - is Discovery possibly THE best planned and plotted Star Trek series of all time? Is this the best opening year since the 1966/67 season?

I will be harsh and say that the serialised nature of the show has meant that a few points have melded together and I really can't say that there's anything in this batch that would break into my Top 50 but it's transparently heading in the right direction and I would be shocked if, by the time this show closes out, there aren't a batch of stories which have become Star Trek classics in their own right.

Well you have two months of theory spinning and conspiracy building to abide before Discovery returns with its final six season one episodes which, we know for definite, will see the end of the Klingon war.

A worthy cliffhanger? What are your expectations from Chapter Two?

Read all our season one reviews for Discovery right now HERE

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