Star Trek: Discovery has proven to be such a breath of fresh air every single week. I can’t say this often enough. Star Trek: Discovery 3X05 “Die Trying” is no exception. It’s rare these days to find a show that is so hopeful throughout every episode. I hope it’s a standard that other shows will follow. Here are my thoughts on this week’s episode–“Die Trying.”
Starfleet is Back
It’s not quite the warm welcome the Disco crew had hoped for, but finally reconnecting with the Federation is still a bit like coming home. Or is at least a step in the right direction. As Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) is quick to remind Michael and Saru, “You’re not home yet.” Trying to prove that they are more than just well-preserved relics of a Starfleet that no longer exists, the Disco crew shows their worth and the value of their perspective. They bring hope to a Starfleet that has gone cynical.
Also, can I say that an appearance of the eleventh generation of Voyager made me squeal with fangirlish delight? Because it did. Janeway will always be my Captain and I’d gladly follow her into the Delta Quadrant.
More Silly Banter
Discovery has done a good job of balancing the serious subject matter with moments of light and welcome humor, usually in the form of silly banter. This week’s episode did that exceptionally well. I’m quite fond of Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) and her can-do attitude, as well as her smart mouth. Frankly, I just really adore the dysfunctional, unprofessional family that is the Engineering team–Tilly, Stamets, and Reno.
It wasn’t just the engineering team that had me cracking up this episode. Dr. Culber (Wilson Cruz) certainly did a good job with that as well. And then we have Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) breaking all the holograms with her EYES. And I haven’t even mentioned that she’s being interviewed by Kovich played by the king of body horror, David Cronenberg! It’s not often that my love of horror films and Star Trek get to high five, but they did today and I am HERE FOR IT. Will he be returning? I’m very curious about his character and what he may have done to Georgiou.
The Renaissance
Fangirling aside, what really got me in this episode was the conversation about the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, and the role of art in culture. Star Trek: Discovery wrapped filming at the end of February of this year, just weeks before the US shut down. It is shocking to me that the show has proven again and again to be beyond prescient. Saru’s words to Admiral Vance floored me with their timeliness.
SARU: The period before the Renaissance was referred to as “The Dark Ages.” A frightening time. Humanity was under siege from wars, and plagues, and was well, losing its way. Giotto helped spark the Renaissance when with his art, he helped create the three-point perspective.
VANCE: He saw depth.
SARU: He saw entirety, and he gave what he saw to the world. It made a difference. For the first time in a long time, humans looked up. Discovery is the servant of the Federation, but I believe that our unique perspective from a revered time may…
VANCE: …may help us to look up.
Star Trek has always been based on the idea that humans can be better if we try to be better. It is art that has spent 50+ years challenging humans to “look up,” just as Giotto’s work did in The Renaissance. This is a reminder that we all desperately need right now.
Keep looking up.
What did you think about Star Trek: Discovery 3×05 “Die Trying”? Share with us in the comments below!
The next episode of Star Trek: Discovery will air on November 19, 2020 on CBS All Access.
As Buz Luhrmann said so adroitly there is something for everyone. It was a rollercoaster
of emotions with the return to Starfleet Headquarters; only to be dragged into the New Inquistion. Engineering has lightened up like Montgomery Scott quipping remarks always and Tig Nataro is a catalyst and a glue to the story with it was raining Starfleet Officers, OMG deadpan funny. The Doctor is beginning to sound off with the killer and I are good friends now! The crew is really beginning to gel as a group and the writing has stepped up a notch and become clearer. The last part of the Renaissance was priceless and was the whole point of the original Star Trek series of man looking up till the studios wanted it more commercial. Great episode!
the slip up is Saru says ‘3 point perspective was discovered by Giotto. 3 point is what they use in comic books to make builds taper up as you look at them. Vanishing point and 2 point perspective was what guys like Giotto and Brunellesci and Masaccio put into play. shitty research, but hey it’s set in the future, maybe they lost the truth.