User Reviews

A wonderfully written piece of TV fiction that showcases the absolute best of what a series like Trek, with one-off episodic storytelling, can be. In the best tradition of the series, it presents a fascinating premise that serves as a kind of ethical prism, through which various reflections of the theme can be explored, without being too directly allegorical to any one specific thing. It can be read as a civil rights metaphor, a don't-ask-don't-tell-metaphor, an apartheid metaphor, you name it.

The result is a beautiful hour of television that's able to pirouette like any good courtroom drama across a variety of heady subject, including race and rights in a stratified society, the letter of the law vs the spirit of the law, the realistic day-to-day of any advanced bureaucracy vs its idealized self-image, etc. (Though oddly, for a story that hinges on genetic modification, it doesn't touch on the actual bio-ethics of that much at all.)

It also helps that, like a lot of classic 80's and 90's TV, it's anchored by an outstanding actress in a walk-on role just knocking it out of the park.

I loved it.

If any single episode of Discovery had been this well written, my low opinion of that show would be way higher. As it, after an uneven first season and a poor first episode, this is the first truly great episode of any of the new Treks. Some may dismiss it as a rip on TOS "Court Martial", but that is doing this show a disservice. This episode, centering on the trial of Number One, Una Chin-Riley, defended by a fellow Illyrian, Nessa, brilliantly portrayed by Yetide Badaki (last seen by this reviewer in the sadly cancelled "American Gods") starts a little slow (But does highlight how much Pike thinks of Una) and then hits stride as Nessa takes the Federation (phonies as usual since they tout freedom and equality, but step on it when it displeases them) and Starfleet to task. Yetide is simply brilliant in her role as defense attorney and yes, she does bring echoes of Kirk's defender from "Court Martial" and she uses Starfleet's own laws to get her client acquitted. She truly reveals this sham trial for what it is, a fearsome witch hunt, left over from Khan's days as a tyrant. Even with the one flaw in the story; how did Una avoid being discovered by Starfleet Medical? Doesn't effect how this viewer reacted: I jumped up and cheered when the verdict was disclosed. I also question Starfleet by applying their out of date law to an alien species. Does every race that joins Starfleet have to bend to every law? I'd like to see Yetide again. She's a great actress and I'm glad at the end, she still isn't a fan of Starfleet or the Federation. At this point in their chronology, I'm not sure I am either. They certainly have some backward thinking. And Ethan Peck has sealed himself as the best Spock since Leonard Nimoy. When he's sitting in the dining hall, simply staring at his adversary, a fellow Vulcan he admits he doesn't care for, and apologizes to M'Benga and Ortega (who I'm starting to like) for his 'outburst', as well as revealing that Una was hiding a like for Gilbert and Sullivan operas... he's sealed the deal. My one complaint? Let Uhura grow her hair out already! A fine episode.

This was a well written lesson in social studies. TOS was well known for disguising a societal lecture in the guise of science fiction. One attempt was in the Season 3 episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" with Lou Antonio and Frank Gorshin as two bi colored beings whose respective societies discriminate against the other. The discussions of racism and discrimination are a little less obvious than in the newest episode.

Ad Astra Per Aspera hits on many of our current issues, but reminds us that while at any point in time the law of land is law, the point made several times is that laws change. Slavery was abolished, segregation was abolished. This court was not going to fix it for all Illyrians today but certainly opens the door for closer evaluation of genetically engineered people. The Eugenics Wars resulted from some experiments gone awry, but it is also certain that the technology advances and not all genetically modified beings are evil.

This one replaces my "Best Star Trek Episode that is a lecture on racism".

Well done.