A brand new era for Gene Roddenberry's brain child gets under way with a darker and more political feel to Bryan Fuller's new show which is set a decade before the original series. Its fitting that since the original 1960s show set new bounadries for Sci-Fi television in terms of racial deversity that this new series has set its store out at the start to update such themes once again. Such things are not only balanced and complex, but the idenities represented are fluid.
The plot for this opening episode is that Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) has a despute with Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) when their Star Ship The U.S.S. Shenzhou is attacked by a crew of Klingons out of retaliation for one of their own being killed by Michael (by mistake). Michael's personal history with the Klingon's race makes her determined to that they should take action and eliminate the Klingon's, while The Captain maintains that they are no immediate threat and that the ship's resources maybe a bit limited in a battle.
The set up to the episode is a smooth piece of drama. A dramatic battle speech from a Klingon ending with him claiming "We come in peace" is then cut to a shot of a desert and Georgiou telling Michael "We come in Peace" referring to the humans. This planted the seed from the word go that the lines are going to be blurred between good and evil. As the episode draws on it is actually Michael who is presented as the most sinister and flawed character. The look of the Klingons is distinct. They are decked out in bright, striking leather coats, with gold decorations - that make a statement like royal armour. The special effects make-up is very fleshy, balancing a human quality with an imposing Monster appearance. It is a great look for the Kingons and prevents them from coming off as genric Creature of the Week types. Another interesting touch was that within the Klingon group there are different and diverse races (just as if they were humans). Probably the most interesting scene during this episode when it comes to race is when Admiral Anderson (Terry Serpico) a white man warns Michael (an African American woman) that based on assumptions made about her race that she should not assume that the Klingons are a threat. Michael fires back with a very interesting line, "Don't confuse race with culture."
The pilot has an epic feel too. The sweeping camera movements and rich visual colours was another highlight. Michael beliving her and the Captain are walking around in a circle and the reveal of the ship coming down in the desert is a really iconic and cool moment. The old Star Trek theme hitting at that point gave me the chills. Star Trek fan or not that theme is unforgettable and it was a great moment. David Semel does an impressive job directing the action and space scenes. Such as when Michael is sent into space to explore an unknown object and is confronted by a Klingon. The close-up of her stunned face inside the helmet is a beautiful shot, and framed in such a powerful and rich way. There's tension througout this scene. Like the recent Star Trek movies the design of this opening episode bright, and bold, with a great depth. There are some exciting scenes that gripped me.
Martin-Green hit it out of the park as Micheal. She has that classic mannered command of a leader, but with a subtle vulnerability which slowly bubbles under the surface throughout this opening episode. The conflict between Michael and Captain Georgiou was convincing too. Michelle Yeoh as always is a commanding screen presence. She brings a grounded, sly wit and world weary nature to Georgiou. Her icy restraint gels nicely with the instinctive, firy aspects of Michael. The cast is looking solid down the line, with some unknowns throw in too. Character actor Jason Issac should make a impression as Captain Gabriel Lorca. Maulik Pancholy best known for 30 Rock and Weeds is the sort of actor born to be in Star Trek. There's an unpredictabilty heading into the second part of this two-parter with much set up, and some sub-plots. Much for Trekkies (or even non-Trekkies) young and old to get excited about.
My review of Episode Two will be up over the next 24 hours.
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