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Posted in: Paramount+, Review, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: Anthony Rapp, Callum Keith Rennie, david ajala, Elias Toufexis, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Review, Sonequa Martin-Green, star trek: discovery, tig notaro
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 7 Review: Breen Me to Life
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 episode "Erigah" provided some old-school tension with an uncertain alien threat and two belligerent fugitives.
Article Summary
- "Erigah" captures villains Moll and L’ak, adding tension with the Breen conflict.
- Return of Commander Nhan adds a familiar dynamic to Discovery's final season.
- Character growth and mature storytelling highlighted, with standout performances.
- The episode sets the stage for a potentially deeper dive into Breen politics this season.
If there's a point that the Star Trek franchise incessantly hammers us with – especially the entirety of its episodic television series – is that nothing is ever as it seems, which is especially the case with the final season's "villains" in star-crossed lovers, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis). The latest Star Trek: Discovery episode, "Erigah," has the crew finally capturing the fugitive couple – and no, we don't get another epic chase scene to milk further excitement. The following contains minor spoilers.
Star Trek: Discovery: A Diplomatic Standoff with the Breen
When Moll and L'ak are found, we discover that L'ak's injuries are quite serious as their motivations are slowly unraveling. As a security measure, the two are transported to Sick Bay and detained via force fields under heavy security detail. We see another familiar face return as we continue the Star Trek: Discovery farewell tour in the form of security specialist Commander D. Nhan (Rachael Ancheril). There's nothing earth-shattering about her return; it's convenient for the plot. As we find out, Moll and L'ak's presence becomes a lightning rod as they're fleeing as fugitives of The Breen, as L'ak renounces his race's ways, staying not in a helmet as his green face is there for the galaxy to see. Aside from staying in persistent fight or flight mode, both reluctantly stay but always have an eye on an exit strategy. Meanwhile, the Breen's presence unsettles everyone on hand, including Ni'Var President T'Rina (Tara Rosling), Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr), and especially Discovery first officer Cmdr. Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie).
Ironically, as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the 2009 soft reboot of Star Trek, which predominantly focuses on action and the so-called cowboy diplomacy of shooting everything in sight, it would be natural for Discovery to take a similar path as they had so many times before. In the face of a hulking and lurking threat, I'm glad the series is taking its time to provide nuance to the situation at hand. All too often, Star Trek plays into the stock villain clichés and stereotypes where we're conditioned that one way seems to always be the only way. There are certainly moments throughout the episode, certainly to the credit of Rennie's Rayner where scars run a bit too deep to build those tensions up.
There's certainly magic to the tension between Sonequa Martin-Green's Burnham and Rennie's Rayner, but there's a bit of temperance and restraint that shows how far along the series has gone in its maturity we didn't see in Discovery's earlier seasons. Other characters who have developed a growth in patience are Mary Wiseman's Tilly and Anthony Rapp's Stamets. It's a testament to the actors, M. Raven Metzner's writing, and Jon Dudkowski's directing. In addition to Wiseman, Rapp, Martin-Green, and Rennie's performances, credit also goes to David Ajala, who really explores his space in this episode chewing scenes with Rapp and Harlow – and Tig Notaro, who's given a bit more to do as Reno than usual beyond her witty quips and banter. It's setting up to be an interesting final three episodes of the series as we learn more about Breen politics and how much an adversary they can be. It's a shame we're starting to get to know them now at the end. Star Trek: Discovery streams on Thursdays on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 7: "Erigah"
8/10
Several well-rounded performances from Sonequa Martin-Green, Callum Keith Rennie, Mary Wiseman, Anthony Rapp, and David Ajala - as well as spot-on writing from M. Raven Metzner - provided a layered nuance and evenly-paced unpredictability to this week's episode of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Discovery."
Credits
Director
Jon Dudkowski
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