{"id":7848,"date":"2021-06-25T08:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7848"},"modified":"2021-06-14T08:24:23","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T15:24:23","slug":"mark-watches-short-treks-s02e05-the-girl-who-made-the-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2021\/06\/mark-watches-short-treks-s02e05-the-girl-who-made-the-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Short Treks’: S02E05 – The Girl Who Made the Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifth episode of the second season of Short Treks<\/i>, Michael is told a story. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

OH MY GOD, THIS WAS SO WONDERFUL!!!! I certainly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect a second animated episode, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect a story about Michael Burnham AS A CHILD, and I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect a framing device for a second story about the origin of stars on Earth. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter this was such a short episode because it ended up being layered with meaning. We hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen Mike Burnham since \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Perpetual Infinity,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and knowing his fate, this episode had an air of wistfulness to it. That whole line in the beginning where Michael said she was afraid of being out in the middle of nowhere? YEAH, HOW DARE YOU, SHORT TREKS<\/i>. Drive that knife in deeper, won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this episode is all joy. Framed as the story that Mike tells his daughter to help her conquer her fear of the dark, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl Who Made the Stars\u00e2\u20ac\u009d unfolds like a fairy tale in a lush, fluid animation style. I remarked on video that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bit of the Princess Bride<\/i> in the way that Michael interrupts her father to make commentary on the story, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most likely unintentional and more just me relating this format to something I recognize. The story itself is all Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s imagination, since she pictures herself in the role of the unnamed child who risked her life to seek out a new place to farm for her village. So, while Mike Burnham shares this story, it helps Michael to be able to visualize bravery. Which doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no fear! Bravery is about what happens after<\/i> fear strikes, and like the case in this story, the young girl pushed past her fear of the Night Beast and made an incredible discovery.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl Who Made the Stars\u00e2\u20ac\u009d isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about bravery, though. It was a portrait of intimacy, too, a chance for us to get another glimpse of Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life with her father before he would later be murdered. I loved this subtle character building because it helped me get a better sense of what Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past was like. She was always an inquisitive, imaginative child, and this episode is just an extension of that. It makes her actions in the present feel grounded. Yes, Spock is right that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a propensity for hoisting the weight of the world onto her shoulders, but this episode of Short Treks<\/i> reminded us that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s long been a brave person, willing to do absurd things to better the lives of those around her.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get enough of it! Again, the animation was fantastic, the whole episode was surprising and unexpected, and each new episode of Short Treks<\/i> proves why it needed to exist. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad this specific story got to be told all on its own, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really why these tales have worked so well. The writers were granted space to explore things that might never have made it to the screen.<\/p>\n

Okay, up next: I start season 3 of Discovery<\/i>! Oh, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait for this. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand how it even exists!!!<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl Who Made the Stars\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My third novel (and middle grade debut) THE INSIDERS has been announced! Check out the cover reveal and pre-order links here.<\/a>
\n<\/strong>– If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"