Synopsis
Finally reunited, Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery crew journey to Earth, eager to learn what happened to the Federation in their absence.
Review
Watching “People of Earth” it suddenly struck me that Star Trek: Discovery had done something incredibly familiar to its own premise. Think back to season 1 and the pilot episode. We spent a short period of time setting up the Klingon war and the season 1 storyline on the Shenzou. We then followed Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as a prison and how she came to be on the USS Discovery. Only after this did season 1 move along at a more normal pace.
Fast forward to season 3 and Discovery has recreated this storytelling device for Burnham in the year 3188. We spent the first episode completely separate from the core cast, bar Martin-Green. Then in episode two we caught up solely with the rest of the gang. Now having reunited Burnham with her ship it’s time to get down to business.
With that in mind I’m not at all surprised to say that “People of Earth” feels much more straightforward in terms of setup. Having established themselves in this new time period the crew of Discovery decide to head back to Earth to find Starfleet headquarters. It seems like a most logical thing to do.
But in 3188 Earth isn’t what it once was. It’s now protected by a planetary shield and the United Earth Defence Force. It seems Starfleet abandoned its home planet after The Burn and whilst things would appear normal on the surface, in space its a whole different ballgame.
But beyond the universe-shifting revelations “People of Earth” spends a great deal of time allowing its characters to look inwards. Burnham and Saru (Doug Jones), in particular, are prone to some long, posturing conversations throughout the episode. At times it does make the episode feel a little bloated. But in the same breath it makes sense for these characters to stop for a minute, take a breath and realise what’s happened to them.
Of all the characters to find the most succinct way to explain it, it’s Tilly (Mary Wiseman) who says it best. In a lengthy conversation with Burnham she laments that her family has all grown up and died centuries in the past, never knowing what happened to her.
Wiseman started her Trek journey as an underdog. Purposely written as the antithesis to Burnham. But in a short space of time she has grown to become not only an integral member of the cast but also a fan-favourite to many. She breaks plenty of Star Trek moulds but still feels integral to the franchise and to the story.
With all of the emotional posturing going on it’s easy to forget there’s more going on this week. The story surrounding the status of Starfleet is only gently nudged along here. Discovery instead takes this week to exhale and regroup. But by no means is that a bad thing. With the exception of Detmer, who still seems to be suffering some kind of PTSD, the show is now moving on and accepting its metaphorical and literal futures.
Verdict
“People of Earth” finds Star Trek: Discovery pondering all that it’s lost through a poignant but sometimes drawn out series of heart-to-hearts.
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