Clandestine to the Core: Section 31 Starbase; Eaglemoss Official Discovery Starships Collection

The home of the secretive Section 31, the former penal facility's origins fitted right in with its use in Discovery.

A little more squat than the spired Starbase One, this was another of the structures featured in Discovery's heralded second season and featured heavily in the conflict with Control.

Following a similar construction trend to the Starbase the lower base and the underside of the landing platforms are metal in construction adding a good bit of weight and stability to the model.

That said, it's actually a much more intricate piece than the Starbase. The lower section has an open area as a docking bay with a substantial weathering effect, rising up through a scaffold-esque structure into the main body of the station. The wear and tear effect on the model surface is even better than that on Starbase 1 hammering home that this is a really old piece of technology left out in space. The unevenness of the finish on that lower connecting stump is impressive too given how it forms around the supporting framework. You can see the rust and degradation almost as if its real.

The stand actually holds the station on the underneath of the two asymmetrical landing pads (which, as is noted in the magazine don't actually make much sense!). They do add an element of functionality to the tower and are just as weathered and battered as the pieces that lie directly beneath them.

The rib cage elements that then encase the central core seem to be slotted as a single piece down onto the body and there's a certain fragility to their form even though there's never a doubt to their sturdiness. These are again beautifully rendered with a fantastic ridged detail and markings which were almost indistinguishable onscreen but help bring this piece to life immediately. 

The central core continues the worn grid pattern that defined the lower support section rising up to another, smaller rib cage that circles the top, seeming to protect what you would assume is the command unit. There's also a piping element that sits to the rear and runs vertically almost mirroring a spine holding the ribs of the Section 31 base in place. 

It's a most unusual structure, emanating feelings of brutalism and a stark contrast to the more impressive and perhaps positive showmanship of the Starbase 1 spire. If I'm absolutely honest I'm not a huge fan of these two as starbase models and the designs leave me a little cold when compared to the classic nature of Spacedock or Regula One for example. 

However this is a striking, well presented and superbly finished replica that does just about Feverything right from the colours and subdued three tone hues that add to its ominous nature right to the way in which it is finely balanced both in terms of weight and plastic/metal ratio. 

I also love that asymmetrical nature which is almost never present in starbase design. There are lumps and bumps, structures that dominate to one side and give it a real one-off look. Its repurposed nature is something only seen here and this also marks a rare opportunity to look at what the Federation's prison system may have looked like. 

The magazine covers a very brief review of Control's actions in the season including its takeover of this very station before we embark on a good run of diagrams and drawings about its concept. This was a strangely long process but one that seems to have been very satisfying by its end even if the station would eventually be destroyed.

A completists model if ever and definitely one that will appeal to Discovery fans because of its utter uniqueness. Not one I would choose to stick out on display but one that would create a few talking points in a Star Trek conversation if nothing else.

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All About the Base - Starbase 1; Eaglemoss Official Discovery Starships Collection

An absolute behemoth of a model, Starbase One needs a tall shelf.

A stunning construction, the circular base and spire mark a truly amazing piece of design work that, even in this very small scale, is conveyed exceptionally. 

Perfectly docked in the cup-like stand, this is impressively stable and at every point the detail is just extraordinary. The whole structure is covered in white dots denoting windows and providing that essential concept of scale. In-universe this dwarfs just about everything and was featured in Discovery's superb second season before it made the 1000 year jump.

Every piece has a layered feel to it with the lower elements jutting out past the hold of the stand. There's some lovely weathered/hatched effect work on the hull detail here which only appears at this lower point. Above this, the structure widens out into the larger docking ring marked with a series of eight arms to welcome ships. Again the edges of the ring are dotted with clusters of windows and an excellent, textured upper surface that not only provides a three-dimensional feel to the ring but also has some very well created weathering. This worn effect adds to the aging on the towering station.

The docking ring and lower section add even more stability to the structure here as the large metal elements to which the plastic buttresses and tower are then attached. That choice makes the model atouch better since the ring section has that ridged effect in play.

Visually it's one of the most striking of all the starbase/station products that Eaglemoss made. That huge spire section, which dominates two thirds of the model, is just as well weathered as the upper portion of the docking ring and fortunately it's not just a simple copy and repeat pattern as you take a look around the structure.

The striking tower leads up to what can only be described as a mast marking its highest point. The pictures and images of the base from Discovery don't really allow for an indepth look at the structure although it does give an idea of the scale thanks to the array of docked starships we see there. Even then the size of this as a model is pretty overwhelming and there are only a few other pieces in the collection that come anywhere near. Those are probably the Sarcophagus Ship and the Section 31 starbase. Potentially the Jupiter Station creeps into this "supersize" category but nothing seems to do it quite so eye-catchingly as Starbase One.

Build quality is also pretty decent. There are some evident seams around the edges of the docking ring but those are fairly minor. The central core of the station appears almost one single element although on a closer inspection you can make out the odd joint line and in some places a touch of digital decal sticking.

It really is an impressive piece that might actually be too big to sit on some shelves due to its radius and height. At best this has to be about a foot from mast top to the bottom and then there's the additional height of the stand to contend with. 

In the box we also have the standard Discovery magazine which, in this case, directs readers attention to the design of Starbase One as well as its role within the second season of the show. The magazine contains a series of excellent concept work on what the exterior and interior could have looked like including the multiple environments that would have been contained given its gigantic proportions.

Last One For Now: Such Sweet Sorrow S02 E13/14

The plan is set and Section 31's fleet is on the way.

So settle in for the two part season finale as the crew decide to scuttle Discovery and make off on the Enterprise before Leland arrives.

Of course given that this is Star Trek that's never going to run smoothly and the sphere data is protecting itself first by cancelling the self-destruct and second by defending itself against an attack by the Enterprise. Damn, this stuff really wants to survive and it seems that the time crystal from Boreth may actually be the answer.

WOW. Now part one is how to set up your pieces for a big finish. Such Sweet Sorrow is all about part two. Everything here is laying the foundations for a finale that I believe will change the way the series progresses fundamentally. Of course, this being Star Trek I would then suggest that we're being fed information to deliberately put us off the real scent. The silly thing is that from the start a lot of the signals about the signal have been there in the titles - the crystals, the Red Angel suit, Section 31...and we just missed it like many of us did with Lorca in season one.

But Such Sweet Sorrow, Part One is also an incredibly poignant hour of TV. It really seems that there is no way out except for the crew to take Discovery into the future and securely out of the way of Control so much so that we have final letters being dictated by the whole of the bridge crew plus a visit by Sarek and Amanda who have sensed that something is coming. There's a genuine sense that this could well be the end, it's building to something very final from the off with lots dedicated to closing down story threads not just here but in the second part as well and we're not just talking about the Big Bad of the season.

Burnham's journey within year two has been a bit messy with the hint that she was the Red Angel being a red herring - at least for that point of the arc. I had the suspicion that it would be returned to since you'd have to be pretty dumb to get her mixed up with her mother. Now it's evident that Michael will be in the suit and that she is the one responsible for the seven signals, only five of which are revealed by the end of episode 13, the last two being held back for the reveal in episode 14 - kind of guessed they would form something to do with the close out of the season.

But let's get to the bit most of us have wanted to talk about and that's the USS Enterprise herself. We have waited, we were teased and finally we get to see the bridge of Pike's ship in all her glory and my word is it stunning. Instantly this is a leap ahead from the Ikea concept from the Kelvin Timeline - it looks functional, it's more "real" to look at and is everthing you would hope an updated Constitution Class starship would be if The Original Series was filmed today. The colour scheme - although not to Georgiou's taste - harks back to the orange and black of The Original Series with curved viewscreens, buttons crafted by the team behind New Voyages and there's even those funky gridded panels in the corridors taking you back to that inspired '60's design yet keeping it ever so modern.

Here, again though, Anson Mount is superb as Pike with a truly wondrous scene in which he says farewell to the crew of Discovery and it's almost as if the audience are joining them to offer their respects to the starship's temporary commander. Absolutely loved that part of the episode yet you know there's more to come since this is only number 13 from 14 instalments this year.

It also feels as though Discovery's misdirection that the Short Treks were just there as fillers between seasons isn't actually true. Saru's past certainly linked in and now all the hints at time travel give rise to the belief that Calypso, my personal favourite of the four, will actually play a part in the finale and is potentially the future location in which the Discovery is hidden. Saying that, even Runaway has now been entwined with the main run of episodes with the reappearance of Queen Po from Xahea. It all makes "perfect" sense when you look at the bigger picture with the queen's advanced technological assistance helping to make the time crystal work. Cue the odd flash forward for Burnham and Jett Reno which offers up the vision of the Enterprise being hit with a torpedo weapon of some kind that is lodged in its hull.

You expect a certain level of build up here and every scene is filled with sprinkles of information or action that you hope and pray will be taken hold of in the final hour of the season. 

Part Two on the flipside is likely to be remembered as the most game-changing episode of Star Trek ever written. It's an hour of action from start to finish as the Enterprise and Discovery take on the might of Control. It's an unrelenting onslaught of action scene after action sequence which leaves, oddly for Star Trek, very little room for actual character moments and at times it feels that even giving an extra episode to the season can't make up for the fact there's so much that has to be crammed in to this finale it does feel rushed.

Michelle Paradise's script is high octane with some great twists and high energy yet there is a large chunk of time devoted to flashbacks to make sure we've all successfully connected the dots of each episode, each signal although the reasons as to why each signal is created is well worth the explanation even though we all worked out four episodes ago that it had to be Michael who was causing them.

Yet Such Sweet Sorrow actually showcases Discovery at its worst and best. While being unpredictable and on a fantastically galactic scale, the episode is a visual spectacular with spinning battles, classic phaser fire, some of the best staged fights in Star Trek and truly wondrous visitations to the Enterprise and her awesome crew but it's like eating the biggest carbs meal ever - it's very bloated and at times feels far too much.

So I might spoil a few bits if you've still not seen it, but Cornwell's death seems almost pointless, the defeat of Control with a bit of martial arts and some big magnets seems incredibly simple and I can't fathom why the programme - which comes across as being damn intelligent - would not have made a backup/copy etc in case of this scenario. 

The space battle is on another level for something staged for a TV audience yet the amount of small one man craft, shuttles and the like that are borne from the Enterprise and Discovery is hella excessive - would there be enough room for the crew?

Then there's Burnham and Spock's heart to heart and the time spent working out what's happening in regards to her calculations and the signals which takes an eternity - an eternity in which Control should have stopped her. In short it's a bit of a mess and that's before you even start to think about how the signals were all observed right back in episode one but then have been appearing sporadically through the season or just why Tyler is on the bloody Klingon ship after he's supposed to be dead. Phew, it's a lot to take in and not all particularly well constructed. Could this be a change of direction mid-season thanks to the switch in leadership on the show?

Everybody in front of the camera here pulls together to try and make this work. It is great, adrenaline filled TV but from a Star Trek perspective it's not quite successful and the final payoff for the crew isn't too much of a surprise considering how much this year has drawn on the Short Treks when it was made very clear they were standalone; cough Calypso cough.

Cudos goes to Ethan Peck and Anson Mount not just for this episode but for the season as a whole. They have pulled off the impossible with grace and style making a whole new generation and an old one fall in love with their takes on Spock and Pike. The clamour for a spinoff of some form is at fever pitch on whatever platform you care to peruse so I hope CBS take note.

As for Discovery's future it's odd that the season closes on the Enterprise, not even giving us a hint of what is to come in season three. In some senses it does show that the producers have listened to fans and stepped away from canon into the safety of a 950 year time jump. It erases the show from the 23rd Century and any concerns of canon clash plus opens up a whole new set of options for a crew out of time.

Season two of Discovery has, for the most part been a light year ahead of its first season potentially placing it as the most structurally sound series to air since those classic 66-69 shows. I have been entertained, gobsmacked and occasionally blown away by the places we have been but now the greatest challenge - to imagine a future further away than we have ever seen in the franchise - is yet to come...

What were your thoughts on the two-part finale? Was it worth the build up? What are your expectations for season three?

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Joining the Dots: Through the Valley of Shadows S02 E12

When Kenneth Marshall shows up as another Klingon you know you’re in for a good story.

And back he is for only our second Klingon episode of the year taking us to the fourth signal of seven which points Discovery in the direction of the monastery on Boreth.

Quick reminder - that’s the place where Kahless (or Kahlesh depending on your pronunciation) indicates he would return to in the future and for Klingons to wait for him there. Flash forward to The Next Generation and that kind of comes to fruition but for now it’s the location of two fairly significant things; the time crystals and the son of L’Rell and Voq.

Through the Valley of Shadows starts off incredibly understated and a lot easier paced than the last few weeks. Leland has absconded with Control still running through his veins and Burnham decides to pursue him/it alone rather than risk the programme getting its claws into the sphere data which is locked into Discovery’s memory banks. Spock offers up some assistance and the pair head off to find a Section 31 ship which failed to report in on schedule. 

The emotional juggernaut and canon machine step into fourth gear with all the Boreth links plus one of the biggest Captain Pike nods you will ever see in the franchise. Seriously, it’s huge and puts a brilliant new perspective on events in the captain’s life. Mind blown, totally, Gone. 

Anson Mount is unquestionably the key to this episode, sealing his own fate to save the galaxy and all life there in. It’s the ultimate sacrifice and he plays the emotion and realisation of what he has to do in acquiring a time crystal to tee. Mount has turned the ‘one ep’ Captain into a rounded character who may well be one of the franchise’s greatest creations and starship commanders - and all in the space of just 12 episodes. Pike does all he can and carries the weight of the universe on his shoulders more than we have ever seen before - and keeps it all locked away to himself. Incredible. 

Away from Discovery, Burnham and Spock find the Section 31 ship with the whole crew spaced. There’s one survivor; xxx xxx former officer aboard the USS Shenzhou. Saving him from space, the trio board the empty ship to find out what happened only for there to be an unsettling reveal.

Control is a right devious opponent taking over the body of another Section 31 operative and trying to eliminate Burnham once more. Seems that she’s been lured there and my hypothesis is that she is the one responsible for defeating Control hence the obsession to kill her. Another rough and tumble fistfight this week and one that lacks the grace and finesse of Michelle Yeoh and Alan Van Sprang’s martial arts foray last week. It’s much more guttural and survivalist with Burnham even double phasering at one point. Now that’s a skill. 

While both the A and B plot are linked to beating Control, the Pike piece is outstanding while it feels Spock and Burnham are left to clean up the dirty work. Their encounter with Control is a reminder that it could be anyone or anything but this narrative lacks the emotional kidney punch that we get from seeing Pike as we know him from The Menagerie. Honestly, that point when we see the out of focus wheelchair roll into view just sent chills down my spine and the makeup from Mount is spectacular. Bravo to all involved.

Thirdly - yep, there’s a tertiary plot here has Jett Reno back for her third appearance to remind Doctor Culber that he has another chance to sort his relationship out with Stamets. It’s tightly packed in around the other two huge chunks of story yet it works because it feels like a natural continuation of this piece of the series’ arc. Second chances? It’s a will-they-won’t-they situation and we have to acknowledge that this Culber 2.0 May just not want to go back. It would be very Star Trek for him not to and strike out on his own but the fan feeling may well drive them back together. 

Through the Valley of Shadows is a dense episode with lots to take in from the opening seconds. The Control story is excellent and powered in no small part by the ever awesome Sonequa Martin-Green and my second favourite Spock of all time but Anson Mount is out of this world here and there’s nothing that can top it. Each week he amazes and has truly got fandom right behind him - and we didn’t think he could do it.

You have to admit that the combination of sterling script and an actor of his calibre make the time crystal story incredibly poignant. This episode quietly closes down the Son of L’Rell/Voq story for now which seemed to be going nowhere at the beginning of the season. Thinking back a lot of these later stories have shored up the weaker parts of the year and this is definitely one. Top marks all round but whether or not you regard the other segments, you’ll only ever remember The Valley of the Shadows for ONE thing...

Shaping up for a killer season finale? What's your predictions?

Trace the journey of season two with SKoST's episode reviews

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Mum's the Word: Perpetual Infinity S02 E11

It's impossible to review episode 11 without ruining it for anyone who hasn’t yet seen The Red Angel. 

If you haven't then look away right now - and shame on you for wanting to ruin the twists and turns of Discovery!   

We’ve now uncovered the real identity of the Red Angel and its not Michael but her mother who is inside the suit. We’re treated to a series of flashbacks to family life for the Burnhams culminating in the Klingon attack which - as we have been led to believe - cost her parents their lives. 

Now it seems that her mother escaped using the Red Angel suit and has been travelling through time unable to return to the ‘present’ as was and being tethered to a time 900 years in the future where Control has obliterated the Earth and humanity.   

Michael’s mother is heavily restricted due to the forcefield in place and all of the time we spend with her is on the Project Daedalus facility in pretty much one single spot. Sonjia Sohn who plays Gabrielle Burnham’s is...ok. There’s nothing spectacular here and after the big reveal of the previous episode there’s not a great deal that could top answering one of the series’ biggest conundrums. In fact it might be a bit of a letdown even though the occupant of the suit wasn't someone that anyone saw coming. That was a proper curveball into the show and all credit to the writers and producers for managing to keep it quiet until airing. Sohn manages to get through her scenes but I don't think her level of concern over Michael's near-death just to make her turn up is played to its full effect; I'd be a lot more p****d about the whole situation. 

The best bit about this story however, is how the series' B story manages to wrap itself around the A plot and, by the end of the episode replace it as the main objective of the show and the Discovery. 

The Control programme seemed to come from left field mid-season and while we were all distracted by the Red Angel it began to take hold, drawing Discovery and Section 31 into a much more devious plot in which we discover it is the dangerous element of season two and not the Angel as we might have expected from the teaser trailers. 

Lots has been posted that this might be the ‘birth of the Borg’ but it just can’t because we know they already exist in the 23rd Century and the 22nd since the escaping drones of Regeneration are heading that way. The effect of Leland being taken over by the programme is fairly graphic for a Star Trek episode with the network of greying veins across his face not unlike a well known assimilation process administered by half-cybernetic life forms. Taking over Leland is, ironically, logical since Control can't replicate humans "in the flesh" and can only get away with representing them in holo-communications - might this be a reason why The Original Series "dumbed down" in technology after this era because it became such a risk and dangerous to use? Were Starfleet forced to go backwards in development to stop the Section 31 strategy program?

Perpetual Infinity isn’t there to blow you away although it is a fine episode...again... but it’s a fulcrum of the season in which the Red Angel story is explained and probably closed with the snapping of the micro-wormhole elastic band effect and both Burnham’s mother and the suit vanishing back into time. As noted it feels like a large, missed opportunity here with the pair unable to truly come together but this 11 episode long cliffhanger reveal seems to be over far too quickly and we’re now off after the Leland/Control villain of the piece. 

Culber 2.0 returns to duty this week and immediately ends up on the away team to the test site with Stamets and Tilly. Now ladies and gents, while I love all three characters I'm in the belief that this is an away team immediately doomed to failure even without the inclusion of Nahn or an obligatory Red Shirt. Where's the sense in sending down a very inexperienced ensign plus two former lovers one of whom has some memory issues to work out since he was abandoned in the mycelial network. Burnham needs to up her insurance premiums on this one before beaming down.

There's a fantastic, climactic hand-to-hand sequence between Leland and Georgiou which has Michelle Yeoh's handiwork at choreography all over it. It's fast-paced, filled with martial arts moves and keeps the tension in play to the dying seconds - but it while the Red Angel has escaped Control's clutches (for now) I would put money on it coming back. 

But what can the final handful of episodes have in store for us? Somehow the crew will stop the destruction of the galaxy that Spock has foreseen. The readings that showed Burnham was in the suit still play on my mind and I am still mulling over the belief that she will end up using it as I wouldn't see it likely that the instruments would be that out to mistake her mother for Michael.

Could we have played out the arrival of Michael's mum just a bit more?

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Press Reveal: The Red Angel S02 E10

Episode ten of Discovery’s second season is its most linear storytelling of the year.  

Focusing purely on the Red Angel narrative (as you might have guessed from the title), the episode kicks off with Airiam’s funeral and the revelation that it seems the enigmatic being appears to have exactly the same signature readings as Michael Burnham. 

Could it be that she and the Red Angel are, shock, horror, gasp, one and the same?!   From the fact that this is pulled from nowhere fairly early into the story you can immediately guess that this is ultimately the least likely explanation and luckily by the end credits we finally have an answer to this season’s greatest conundrum.   

But that;s not all. Section 31 are back but this time Leland and Georgiou return to Discovery to deliver a lot of damn important plot information in one especially big chunk. Seems that the Klingons were dabbling in time travel which prompted the Federation to have a go which in turn led to the recruitment of Burnham’s parents (specifically her mother) to work on their version of the project.   

It's a rather emotional hour for Sonequa Martin-Green this week since she has the loss of Airiam to cope with followed by the reopening of old wounds. Section 31's Leland is also more key to their murder than we had been told and cleverly this all brings Burnham’s story full circle back to her recovery by the Vulcans following the murder of her parents by the Klingons who were bent on recovering their time crystal. She plays it well, keeping it all in check but there are visible chinks in Burnham’s shell this time and a close encounter with Tyler then allows a lot of buried emotions we’ve not seen since last year return to the surface.  There's so much mistrust and discomfort in this episode it's a screaming example of a story that would never have happened in the days of Roddenberry; the conflict of Burnham and Tyler is just one element with the Stamets/Culber relationship also taking a beating and providing Georgiou with at least a minute of entertainment.

The Red Angel isn’t one of this season’s biggest highlights for me aside from the galactic reveal in the dying seconds. Why? Because it unloads a ton of exposition around time travel and future interference all in one truckload. While absolutely necessary for the show and to move the story forward it’s dropped in one slab about 15 minutes in and if you have any sense you’ll work out the twist in a split second. It is very, very talky since we as the audience have to be led from A to B to C and perhaps we are signposted and hand-held a little too much here. Could we not have spread some of the info dump over a couple of stories? 

Oh - and Project Daedalus? Yep, it's the Red Angel; a time travelling suit created by Section 31. Didn't see that coming however when it all unravels it's not actually that unexpected; it kinda makes sense.

What the crew do come to realise is that Burnham is the link to the appearances and when there’s not been an incident to deal with, the Red Angel has arrived in time to save Michael so she volunteers as bait in a trap to ensnare the traveller.   

The Red Angel does utilise the larger cast with great effect, allowing the underused Stamets and the regenerated Culber in much stronger positions. While Cruz’s doctor has been very out of the picture until his rescue from the mycelial network, Stamets seems to have been on the backfoot for a lot of the season potentially because the spore drive and in turn the network itself have barely been utilised in favour of the Spock storyline.

Episode ten is an exposition heavy piece for the first half, but when we arrive at the Project Daedalus test site with the plan to restrict and capture the individual within the Red Angel suit it does kick into a second gear.There's a technobabble heavy explanation of how this all happens involving micro-wormholes, tethers, forcefields and the like but nothing can prepare you for the final revelation of the episode. We were all wrong (or were we?) and when the deactivated Project Daedalus suit deposits its occupant on the deck its more than we could have expected.

Discovery's strengths are played on here with the main plot well developed and every main character getting some meaty scenes. Culber and Stamets are definitely well served but I'm concerned that Tilly is now just becoming comic relief and a caricature rather than a serious crewmember - I mean, would you have her serving on this ship because she's starting to seem like a liability and she has no idea of Starfleet etiquette at all. Did she go to the academy?!

The Red Angel does go as far as to answer one of the season's biggest questions yet with four episodes still to go we have the imminent apocalypse of the universe to contend with as well as finding out just why the occupant of the suit read as Burnham. I don't want to post the answer but it's got to be something to do with time travel hasn't it....?

What are your predictions for the end of season two? Drop them below and share our article to help add to the conversation.

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Close to the Edge: Project Daedalus S02 E09

WTF

Spock's all fixed up however the attention this week turns from him - placing him almost into a B story with the main line being taken up by the little-addressed Lieutenant Commander Airiam.

Enigmatic doesn't come close since we've learnt absolutely nothing about this visually striking member of the Discovery crew since her appearance in the third episode of season one. Now in Project Daedalus we finally get some answers - she is an augmented human - plus we are hinted at just what has led to her current appearance.

Hannah Cheesman gets to play Airiam in and out of makeup this week as we explore a little of what it's like to be augmented but there's something lurking in the background waiting to awaken. When the Discovery heads to complete its rogue mission things begin to heat up.

Also returning this week is Jane Brook as Admiral Cornwell whose allegiance remains with Starfleet and not, as we might have suspected from an earlier encounter, with the dark Section 31. Looks like Starfleet itself is having issues with Control; the Section 31 computer system that has stopped relaying data from the organisation's headquarters located at a former penal colony...located in the middle of the universe's most intuitive minefield. Get in, solve the problem and speak to the admiral aboard; no problem.  

Additional bonus points for this week as Lieutenant Nhan (Rachel Ancheril) from the Enterprise returns to assist Burnham and Airiam on their away mission to the inhospitable Section 31 headquarters. Now Discovery's chief of security the Barzan gets a bit of a rough deal but manages to survive longer than her predecessor in season one...

But of course there is because the mines are being controlled and are anticipating the moves of the Crossfield Class starship. Blade mines cut the hull, blackout mines fool sensors and there are even ones attracted to shields meaning Discovery has to go in with its pants down and Detmer steering very, very carefully.

In parallel to this we have Burnham and Spock sparring as they attempt to crack the mystery of the Red Angel and why it contacted the Enterprise science officer in the first place. It leads to some incredibly charged moments between the estranged brother and sister over a hard fought - or maybe hard lost - game of three-dimensional chess. That repeated reminder that this isn't the Spock we know and love rears its head prominently here and Ethan Peck gets a lot of meat to dig into, unhindered by Spock's usually logical and stoic personality. He gets angry, riled, on the offensive almost bordering on emotional as Burnham starts to push his buttons in relation to the game and family matters.

Peck is great in the role. He really has taken it to be his own and make this iteration of the character different from the previous incumbents. He has the benefit of a more open canvas thanks to the nature of this season's story plus he is playing Spock at a time in his career that we have only seen in one episode many moons ago. This is unknown territory that he can build for the character and in an unusual move, expose his human side to the Star Trek audience. But he really does step aside from the limelight this week in favour of that other character; one that we knew would become more significant after a certain moment from a previous moment.

With Airiam you don't actually realise how much you've become attached and used to this character being around in the series. We do get to see more of what she's actually doing but this all ties in with the trip to the Section 31 HQ and also back to the lifeform we encountered earlier in the season that downloaded its lifetime of knowledge into Discovery's memory banks. Hannah Cheesman's portrayal has been incredibly minimal throughout season two since taking over the role from Sarah Mitich and while the bridge crew have been receiving a lot more screentime it's amazing to see a character plucked out and used in such a huge game changing way for the series. 

The visuals for the station as well as Discovery's journey through the minefield are spectacular but I was actually more struck with the arrival of Cornwell's shuttle at the very beginning as well as the starship gearing up for and jumping to warp speed. The upgrades to the Discovery CG model are amazing with such strong definition to the panelling and lighting that you can almost reach out and touch it on the TV. 

Project Daedalus, the namesake of the episode is itself still a secret even when we do reach the Section 31 headquarters. This looks like another thread in the Red Angel story but where does it all link in and how does Control fit with the overall arc for the season? This is a piece only recently introduced but I can't believe it's not there for a reason. In the same way it does mean I'm considering at least Calypso as a more significant segment of the Discovery story since it deals with the (far) future and time travel is without question a part of the tale and revelations yet to come from the series.

Another great episode here with one of Discovery's most shocking scenes to date. I didn't believe that it could happen but that may have been since we were lured into a similar eventuality with the Saru homeworld visit in The Sound of Thunder.  New Star Trek is taking risks and is grasping at the new form of televised storytelling; nothing is safe or sacred and Discovery is all the better for it.

Is Project Daedalus one of Discovery's most unexpected milestones?

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