The Morality Issue

Having seen “Context is For Kings” three times now, I find myself further drawn into this new Star Trek series. Its compelling, different, and thought provoking. In three episodes, I have been forced to ask myself … is the right choice always the logical one? Always just? Always legal?

It gives me a feeling I get within other episodes throughout Star Trek. Episodes like “Equinox”, “Tuvix”, “In the Darkness and the Light”, “Necessary Evil”, “Balance of Terror”, “Remember”, “Chain of Command”, “Duet”, and so many more. The only difference is, instead of being left with vague answers or further questions we are left with a promise. A promise to continue that exploration. The answer isn’t just floating around to be grabbed for when one needs a little trouble for a character or something to play with. It’s constant. 

With “Star Trek: Discovery” being during a war, and our own modern-day conflicts, that constant exploration is needed. That need to figure out who we are, what we stand for, what different things mean to us … it’s not something we drop after an adventure only to turn too weeks later when we are bored and want a challenge. It’s daily. It’s every moment. The search for these answers never stop. And Discovery isn’t letting it. We see it. For that, I’m grateful Discovery is my first chance to watch a Trek series from start to finish as it airs. 

Outside of this joy I am having with Discovery, and what this latest episode seems to have promised us (or at least what I take from it) … I’m finding the characters and what is happening to be just as compelling. Let’s just touch on a few things (as I’m late in posting this and the new episode will air in just under a day). 

One of the things I really loved about the episode was Michael Burnham and the reception everyone, including herself, seem to be taking. No one seems at all eager to have her present. Even Tilly freezes up and gets nervous at first, landing on being optimistic and accepting as the episode passes. Lorca is the exception to all this as he deliberately brought her aboard. But no one else seems to want her there. Even she didn’t seem to want to be there at first. It’s intriguing to me, especially a Voyager fan who watched Tom go from being disliked to popular in a few short episodes, that we are getting this. Trek is, once more, exploring a Captain bringing a Federation prisoner aboard their ship as an asset. Only, this time, it seems like everyone is going to take some adjustment to it, including Michael herself.

The most interesting thing is the mutiny doesn’t seem to be the problem for anyone outside of Saru. It’s the war. Michael is being blamed for the war and its outcome and that brings many questions into play. Are people associating the mutiny with the cause of the war? Are they aware of what happened aboard the Klingon vessel and blame that as the start? What is the consensus within the Starfleet community, within the Federation society, on the start of the war. Civilians even seem to blame her, and they wouldn’t have all the information that various people on Discovery might have. So, what is it that she did that people think is the cause of the war? And, will that be touched upon or left up to the viewers to explore? Will Michael continue to blame herself or will she find forgiveness? 

I love that we aren’t seeing a Michael that is forgotten. She committed mutiny, attacked her captain, watched people die because her actions caused delays in plans and sanctioned actions, and then went along on a mission only to blunder the whole thing by killing the person they were supposed to capture. She gave the Klingons a martyr to rally around and stay united for. As a result, whatever potential early talks for peace just got demolished. She is, in ways, responsible for what is happening …. But she isn’t alone in the blame. I think that this series is going to explore that on top of what we are already seeing. What do you think?

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This ended up a lot shorter than I originally plan. I'm hoping that I can work this out as the show goes and build my posts up. Eventually I'll have other posts coming more often for Star Trek, Discovery, and other fandoms I enjoy. Thank you for reading!