Show Reviews

Star Trek: Discovery, S2, Ep. 9 (“Project Daedalus”) and Ep. 10 (“The Red Angel”)

Image Credit: CBS Interactive, Inc.

It’s been a busy two weeks, what with birthday celebrations galore (a few of which were for this here feller). However, I still found time to keep up with Discovery (one must always set, and adhere to, priorities, kids). And what a whirlwind of Discovery it’s been! I mean, last week felt a little like Wrath of Khan all over again (accompanying this déjà vu was a lump in my throat and a punch in my gut to match its brethren of old – hashtag “Rest In Peace Airiam”), while this week presented us loyal Trek-subjects with a multitudinous supply of revelations. To boot, the acting has been off-the-charts good. Sonequa continues to kill it in every episode. She somehow manages to tug on my heartstrings with every emotional reaction and every tear that she sheds – which isn’t easy to do, seeing as my innards are essentially a black hole, devoid of feeling and a soul……psssshhh totally joking. Yeah right! Who am I trying to kid? I’m a Hobbit-size ball of mush when it comes to great storytelling and the acting chops to bring it all together. But keep that a secret, and keep it safe, please.

Soooo, can I just say – and there is no sure-fire way for you to prove otherwise *laughs maniacally* – that I called it when the Red Angel was revealed to be Michael’s mother?

Your Honour, I’d like to submit this into the record, if it pleases the court….

No, but really, I had an inkling. The moment they said that the two “Michael’s” bio neural signatures were an identifiable match, I thought to myself, “What if it’s not Michael, but a relative – more specifically a parent?” It was an idea, since children share chromosomes from both parents, which I would presume a 23rd century computer would mistake for a person’s time-traveling doppelganger. Also, I wasn’t sure which it would be, but her mother seemed like a logical choice, being an astrophysicist and an engineer. Additionally, Discovery hasn’t made any obvious moves, thus far, this season. The idea of the Red Angel being a “Michael” from the future just seemed, to me, way too on-the-nose.

Michael’s mother is revealed to be the “Red Angel” (CBS Interactive, Inc.)

One thing still puzzles me, though. When, in fact, did the A.I. sneak into our past? I’m assuming that it infected Airiam and all of the surrounding tech and systems when the wormhole first opened up. But was it when the Red Angel first appeared, or when Discovery’s probe was modified to kill Pike and Tyler? And, like Skynet, it’s software and not hardware. This fact was confirmed when Leland took a projectile to his eyeball (what a way to go….but is he really gone?). I’m not sure there is a way to eradicate an infection if the sentient A.I. is already in the system. We’ve learned this much from Terminator (thank you, James Cameron).

Whatever the solution may be, I’m sure our current proprietors of “The Trek” will give us something grand in scope and in scale. Something worthy of entry into the annals of the franchise; but how you do that and top last season’s finale, I haven’t a slightest clue.

Don’t let me down, Kurtzman.

P.S. Knowing that Emperor Georgiou had reoccurring threesomes (of the DEFCON-level variety, according to her recount) in her universe with two pansexual men who are an unquestionably gay couple in ours, and didn’t have the slightest hesitation divulging this information to said men in the company of other crew members – well, let’s just say that I’m counting the rotations until we’re gifted with her solo series.

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