{"id":7789,"date":"2021-04-09T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7789"},"modified":"2021-04-06T10:32:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T17:32:35","slug":"mark-watches-discovery-s01e03-context-is-for-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2021\/04\/mark-watches-discovery-s01e03-context-is-for-kings\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches &#8216;Discovery&#8217;: S01E03 &#8211; Context Is for Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the third episode of the first season of <i>Star Trek: Discovery<\/i>, I WAS INCREDIBLY STRESSED OUT BY THIS ENTIRE EPISODE. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch <i>Star Trek<\/i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b>Trigger Warning: For discussion of body horror.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start out with what I said a couple times while doing the video for this episode: I am now beginning to understand why this series opened the way it did. Beginning, that is, because I of course don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even remotely know the full context of the story that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about to unfold on <i>Discovery<\/i>. But having the knowledge of the Battle at the Binary Stars allowed me to appreciate the intensity and complication of what unfolded here. The show established Michael Burnham\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence in Starfleet, then showed us why she made a decision that started a war and destroyed her career. Here, however, because of the unknown machinations of Captain Gabriel Lorca, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brought back into Starfleet again.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And yet, almost every moment of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Context is for Kings\u00e2\u20ac\u009d acts of a reminder of what came before, without us actually reliving anything. To riff off the title, I had the <i>context<\/i> to understand why Michael Burnham\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s return was so highly charged. So there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that understands why the <i>Discovery<\/i> writers basically gave us a flashback to open the show? I imagine we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to plow forward from this point on, and rather than sprinkle in flashbacks over the course of the first season (or beyond, I suppose), we got it all in one dose.<\/p>\n<p>It also meant that I could just settle in to the story being told here. I have to initially admit to you all that while I definitely enjoyed the writing, the acting here is INCREDIBLE, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what sold this show on me more than anything. Already, we have these remarkably well-defined characters from the opening episodes in Saru and Burnham. Joining them in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Context Is for Kings\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are Captain Gabriel Lorca, Commander Landry, Cadet Tilly, and Lieutenant Stamets. (Though I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m curious if Keyla, who we glimpse here briefly with some sort of implant on her head, will become a part of the main focus of characters, since she also experienced the Battle at the Binary Stars along with Saru.) Each of these characters are played with precision and brilliance by a cast that feels like they were destined to be these people! What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so fascinating to me above all else is that like Burnham, the audience has no clue what these people will be like or why they are the way they are. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Context\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a mystery-laden story, not just in terms of the plot, but in characterization. Why is Commander Landry so cold towards others? What is the root of Tilly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nervousness? (She mentions something very early on about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153special needs,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and I thought that phrasing revealed more than was <i>actually<\/i> revealed. Was that meant to speak to solely to her allergies, or is there something more to Tilly?) Particularly when it comes to both Stamets and Lorca, <i>Discovery<\/i> subverts any expectations the audience might have for a science officer or a captain.<\/p>\n<p>And isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that interesting, too? I feel like you could watch <i>Discovery<\/i> without having seen a second of any other <i>Star Trek<\/i> property. It explains enough for a basic understanding of this fictional world. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a clear value in <i>being<\/i> a <i>Star Trek<\/i> fan, too! We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve certainly seen our fair share of captains over the four main shows, and some haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been likable. None of them really feel like one another. But for the Captain on <i>Discovery<\/i> to be described as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153warmonger\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the very first episode he appears in??? To have him be openly cunning, strategic, and manipulative to get what he wants? This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even an issue of him being <i>likable<\/i>; I was just astounded that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so morally grey right from the start, especially within an organization that has been historically portrayed as something deeply moral and ethical. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO DIFFERENT. Yet at the same time, context is key, right? And in the midst of a war with the Klingon Empire, it <i>does<\/i> feel believable that Starfleet would basically give a blank check to someone like Lorca, who could achieve things other Starfleet captains would shy away from. Assuming he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling the truth, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Lord, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trust Lorca. I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, there are SO VERY MANY little moments I want to talk about, so let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take a (chronological) trip through this episode so I can YELL.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>That scene in the shuttlebay after the cold open&#8230; whew. What a way to set a tone and expectation for the episode. Seeing Burnham on a starship was weird enough, but it was very clear from how Commander Landry spoke to Burnham that no one was going to be shy about expressing their extreme distaste for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Starfleet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first mutineer,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as Landry put it. This episode does an incredible job portraying that! In every corridor that Burnham walks down, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at least one person in the background staring at her, either in shock or disgust.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>And then the scene in the mess hall made that even MORE clear. Keyla can barely look at Burnham, and Burnham\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fellow prisoners try to kill her. Notice how <i>no one intervened to stop the fight<\/i>. It was only when Landry came to retrieve her for Lorca that the fight ended. ONLY THEN.<\/li>\n<li>I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know why, but it utterly unnerves me that Lorca eats fortune cookies.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get him. YET, I should say. But Captain Lorca fascinates me. I think that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already bold of the show NOT to make the Captain the main character; it feels clear that Burnham is the focus. And beyond that, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still something odd and sinister to Lorca. Part of that comes from him being secretive, as is revealed at the end of the episode when we discover that he brought that THING aboard. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also due to how charming he <i>can<\/i> seem at times, like when he reveals the purpose for the research that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening onboard the <i>Discovery<\/i>. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right that travel via spores (I know that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a gross simplification) would utterly change life in the galaxy, and many wonderful things would come of it. Do I believe he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling Burnham everything? Oh, absolutely not. And part of the reason why is that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that Stamets would have the opinions he does about Lorca unless there was <i>some<\/i> truth to them.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>CADET TILLY. HI. HELLO. Oh my god, do you want to know one of my first thoughts after her first scene? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Reginald Barclay, but not nearly as uncomfortable!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It helped that we got to meet Tilly as she would define herself, and that whatever she happens to be dealing with, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not tied to something like&#8230; well, a holodeck addiction. Which is why I thought of Barclay when she appeared, since he might be the only recurring character on <i>Star Trek<\/i> with social anxiety. Now, Cadet Tilly is also coping with anxiety, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not at all the same as Barclay, so I wanna make it clear that it was only a passing realization of mine in terms of comparing her to Barclay. She is very obviously a new character! Her depiction also never felt <i>cruel<\/i>, which was important to me. By the end of the episode, any of Tilly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s potentially annoying qualities\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbecause Burnham was annoyed by her a few times\u00e2\u20ac\u201dend up being part of what makes her so endearing. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s someone who has high aspirations for herself, knows that she has room to grow, and moves through the world with this refreshing sense of intent. She is always <i>trying<\/i> to do the best, even when she isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure what that is. Like when she apologizes to Burnham for lying about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153assigned seating\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in Engineering! That apology was probably one of the main things that helped Burnham warm up to her by the end of the episode.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>THE WHOLE BLACK ALERT THING WAS SO CREEPY.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>I am immensely, immensely impressed by the decision to write and portray the big confrontation scene between Burnham and Saru not as something highly charged and dramatic, but <i>quiet<\/i>. It felt so much more devastating that Saru plainly stated that he felt Burnham was someone to fear, or that line later on that Burnham was a great officer&#8230; until she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. To me, it speaks to how much time has passed. The events of the Battle at the Binary Stars are still fresh in some ways, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also moved on partially. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s processed his feelings. And so he delivers his thoughts with a muted sincerity and conviction, and it made them hit a MILLION times harder.<\/li>\n<li>OH WOW, I AM SUPER INTO THE THORNY, DISAGREEABLE SCIENCE OFFICER. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect Lt. Stamets\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attitude at all, and I think that so far, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a brilliant choice. I mentioned on video that because of learning more about behind-the-scenes stuff due to comments from the community, I know that Roddenberry didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really want inter-crew conflict to be a focus of a lot of the earlier <i>Trek<\/i> shows. Here, though, that conflict is on FULL DISPLAY. Stamets is openly critical of his captain, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made VERY clear why! The <i>Discovery<\/i> is supposed to be a scientific\/explorer vessel, and now it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been conscripted for war, led by a Captain who\u00e2\u20ac\u201dagain, I must remind you!!!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dStamets refers to as a warmonger. Later in the episode, as Lorca is ordering Stamets down to the Glenn, Stamets openly defies and argues with Lorca, which is something that was a rare occurrence in <i>Trek<\/i>, yet is displayed prominently in the very first episode with all the main characters. Because this is the first time we see Stamets and Lorca!!! So this <i>also<\/i> suggests a history, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one we get a bit of later in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Context.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n<li>HI, HELLO, THIS EPISODE THEN TURNS INTO A BODY HORROR <i>NIGHTMARE<\/i>, AND EVERYTHING ABOARD THE <i>GLENN<\/i> IS TOO MUCH. This is very much a new <i>Trek<\/i> because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think we ever saw this much gore on the original??? Oh my god, all those corpses in the corridors&#8230; hey. Bryan Fuller, I know this script was based off a story you wrote, SO I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M BLAMING YOU FOR THIS. The whole thing felt claustrophobic and terrifying, so bravo???<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Also what the fuck is happening? This show is also not falling into the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mission of the week\u00e2\u20ac\u009d format at the start, because almost nothing is solved here? We know that whatever Straal and his team was working on aboard the <i>Glenn<\/i> is related to the same myceliar stuff that the <i>Discovery<\/i> is working on, but&#8230; what happened to them? Why did their bodies look like that? And what was that creature that chased them, ate one of the crew, and which Lorca now casually has on the ship?<\/li>\n<li>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also realizing how weird it is to call the first two episodes a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pilot\u00e2\u20ac\u009d because technically&#8230; this episode is almost a pilot, too? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a set up for a larger story. By the time Lorca finally explains himself and why he brought Burnham to the <i>Discovery<\/i>, I got the sense that a whole new chapter had begun. So the previous two episodes were like an extended prologue, weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they? Regardless of how I refer to all this, I appreciate the structure. I know that <i>Discovery<\/i> appears to be about contrasts. How can a ship meant for scientific experimentation be put to use during a war? How does a ship full of mostly scientists deal with the presence of a heavily-militarized component in the officers with the black insignias? Lorca also expresses what I imagine will be another big theme of the show: If context is for kings, then in what ways will he seek to do <i>anything<\/i> to achieve the stated goals of his mission? Because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve kinda been dancing around it. Lorca manipulated events so that he would be able to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rescue\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Burnham from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wasting\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in prison. Which means that he directly or indirectly killed the pilot of the transport ship, right? That ship would not have been where it was if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d not intervened.<\/li>\n<li>AHHHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m ready for this journey, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. This is genuinely very fascinating, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m super into the characters, GIVE ME MORE.<\/p>\n<p>The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Context Is for Kings\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded <a href=\"https:\/\/markdoesstuff.com\/products\/mark-watches-star-trek-discovery\">here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/diversebooks.org\/cover-reveal-for-the-insiders-by-mark-oshiro\/\">My third novel (and middle grade debut) THE INSIDERS has been announced! Check out the cover reveal and pre-order links here.<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>&#8211; If you&#8217;d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/ey636\">sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the third episode of the first season of Star Trek: Discovery, I WAS INCREDIBLY STRESSED OUT BY THIS ENTIRE EPISODE. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[713,614],"tags":[615],"class_list":["post-7789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discovery","category-star-trek","tag-mark-watches-star-trek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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