Summary

• Star Trek: Discovery isn't your typical ensemble show - it's the story of Michael Burnham's redemption, by design.
• The dark tone of Discovery stems from Lorca's Mirror Universe origin, impacting the crew's dynamic.
• Discovery evolves from darkness to hope, with its characters navigating trauma and love in a changing galaxy.

There's a lot to love about Star Trek: Discovery that's only noticeable on a rewatch. In 2017, Discovery was Star Trek's return to television after a 12-year drought, and an experiment to figure out what Star Trek would be like, moving forward. The episodic, ensemble-driven optimism that Star Trek embraced didn't fit the changing television landscape, when gritty, violent shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead drew consistent audiences with character-focused, highly serialized drama. Star Trek would have to shift gears if it wanted to compete with buzzworthy prestige shows, and Star Trek: Discovery was an attempt to elevate the franchise for a new generation.

The result was a Star Trek that didn't look like Star Trek: The Next Generation or even Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which had previously been the most realistic and serialized iteration of Star Trek. Discovery was grim compared to earlier entries, with an oppressive atmosphere on its eponymous USS Discovery, a controversial Klingon redesign, and a singular focus on one person in the cast of Star Trek: Discovery: Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham, Star Trek's first Black female lead. And yet, for all that Star Trek: Discovery was unfamiliar the first time around, a rewatch only proves that Discovery was exactly what the franchise needed.

10 Star Trek: Discovery Isn't Supposed To Be An Ensemble Show

Discovery's focus on Michael Burnham isn't an accident.

Star Trek shows prior to Star Trek: Discovery featured an ensemble of characters that filled familiar roles and took turns in the spotlight, so the focus on Michael Burnham seems unusual when watching Discovery for the first time. On rewatch, however, we already know that Discovery isn't supposed to be an ensemble Star Trek show. Instead, Star Trek: Discovery is the story of Michael Burnham's redemption, as she journeys out of the darkest chapter of her life. It's not so strange that the audience is only exposed to information as Burnham is, and only knows the characters Michael becomes close to, at first. It's by design.

9 Star Trek: Discovery's Dark Tone Comes From Lorca's Mirror Universe Origin

There's a reason everyone's kind of a jerk in Discovery season 1.

On a rewatch, we know Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) is from the Mirror Universe, and the USS Discovery's crew is capable of working together harmoniously, instead of being selfish and secretive. When Lorca is captured by Klingons, the tone on board starts to shift. Cadet Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Lt. Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) show genuine joy in their scientific work. Commander Saru (Doug Jones) seems conflicted over giving the orders that Lorca would. Because the captain sets the tone for the crew, it's clear that Lorca is at fault for Discovery seeming so antithetical to Star Trek's usual ethos, with his Terran propensity for distrust.

"When we were in the Terran universe, I was reminded how much a person is shaped by their environment. And I think the only way that we can stop ourselves from becoming them is to understand the darkness within us, and fight it." - Sylvia Tilly

8 Strange New Worlds Exists Because Of Discovery Season 2.

Discovery season 2 is basically Strange New Worlds season 0.

The fan-favorite Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, touted as a return to form with its episodic storytelling and dynamic ensemble cast, never would have happened if Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) hadn't been the charismatic, likable leader that turned Discovery around. Discovery season 2 incorporated a little more classic Star Trek, with a re-imagined USS Enterprise, Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), Number One (Rebecca Romjin), and a brand-new Captain in Pike. Pike's awareness of his future comes from Discovery season 2, episode 12 "Through the Valley of Shadows", and the space battle at the end of Discovery season 2 is a direct lead-in to Strange New Worlds' premiere episode.

7 The Red Angel's Plan Is Clear

The mystery in Discovery season 2 is satisfying on a rewatch.

The Red Angel story in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 has great rewatch value as a well-crafted mystery. The USS Discovery is led to each of the Angel's seven signals for a specific reason, and in a specific order, and the Red Angel's plan makes clear sense when you already know what the full picture looks like. From the first hazy glimpses of the Angel, to knowing she's biological, the Angel's relevance to Spock, and up to her eventual appearance, each clue leading up to the Red Angels' identities reveals a little more of the overall story, and it's fun to watch Discovery's crew piece together the answers.

Make sure to include Star Trek: Short Treks season 1, episode 1, "Runaway" as part of your Star Trek: Discovery rewatch, since it includes an essential piece of the Red Angel puzzle.

6 "An Obol for Charon" Is Discovery's Turning Point

Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 4 changes everything.

On a rewatch, Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 4, "An Obol for Charon", stands out as the episode when Star Trek: Discovery begins to chart its course for an optimistic future, with twin storylines emphasizing things aren't always what they seem. The 10,000-year-old data Sphere isn't an ally of Control, and the Sphere's perceived attacks are actually requests for help, so Discovery absorbs the Sphere data to preserve it, eventually becoming Zora (Annabelle Wallis). Commander Saru's Vahara'i isn't deadly, but a normal biological process that sheds Kelpiens' threat ganglia. Like Saru, Discovery sheds its fear to become stronger, and like the Sphere itself, Discovery turns from violence to hope.

5 Georgiou's Return To The Mirror Universe In Discovery Season 3 Matters

"Terra Firma" affirms Discovery season 3's main theme.

On the first watch through, Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episodes 9 & 10, "Terra Firma, Parts 1 & 2", feel like a detour detracting from solving the mystery of the Burn, but a rewatch proves these Mirror Universe episodes have an important point. Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh)'s test returning to a loveless world reinforces the importance of love and connection to one another in creating the bright, unified world that Star Trek is known for. Lack of love for Su'Kal (Bill Irwin) causes The Burn in the first place, after all, and the presence of Prime Michael's love inspires Georgiou to change Philippa's own past for the better.

4 The Cause Of The Burn Doesn't Matter As Much As Its Aftermath

The question isn't "what happened?"; it's "what do we do about it?"

There's a dearth of clues pointing to Su'Kal's grief as causing the Burn, making the mystery of Discovery season 3 less important than in Discovery season 2. When you're not speculating on the answer to the mystery, it's easier to see that the emphasis is on how characters in Discovery deal with trauma. The whole galaxy is traumatized by the Burn, with each planet finding a different way to cope with isolation. The USS Discovery crew is saddled with their own trauma from jumping forward in time, but still works to reconnect the broken Federation, despite gaps in their knowledge and pressure from the Emerald Chain making it harder.

3 Discovery Season 4's DMA Is A Better Mystery Than The Burn

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 solves its mystery with empathy.

The Dark Matter Anomaly presents a more satisfying mystery than the Burn, since Discovery season 4 drops hints about the DMA's origin throughout the season. With Michael Burnham now in command, we learn more about the USS Discovery's crew as they work together to reveal what we already know about the DMA. It's easier to see individual episodes reinforcing the themes of understanding cultural context and motivations, and using understanding to either manipulate others or reach out in empathy. Those stories lay the framework for the reveal of the totally alien Species 10C, which the Federation can either destroy or befriend to save themselves.

2 You Know Everyone's Motives In Star Trek: Discovery

Knowing who to trust changes the experience of watching Discovery.

Star Trek: Discovery doesn't immediately indicate that new characters are trustworthy or traitorous, but on a rewatch, it's easier to spot the hints that reveal the characters' motivations. When you already know Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) is really Voq, you know why he fights like a Klingon. When you know Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) is just trying to survive, you know why he's initially dismissive of Michael. Dr. Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) doesn't care about Book; he's manipulative. President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) isn't Burnham's enemy; she's navigating a delicate political situation. These are just a few examples proving that Discovery's characters are incredibly well-crafted all along.

1 Star Trek: Discovery Is A Bait-and-Switch

Surprise, this prestige TV show really is Star Trek!

Everything that Star Trek: Discovery pretends to be early on hides what it actually is. On a rewatch, it's clear that there are glimmers of hope shining beneath the gritty facade designed to draw in new viewers on the promise of a realistic, less hokey version of Star Trek. Discovery is supposed to be dark, but only so it can show the light of optimism in starker relief. Even believing she's a prisoner, Michael Burnham changes the world around her by driving out darkness and cynicism with idealism and curiosity. Burnham and Discovery's crew are the torchbearers for Starfleet, and the light of that torch catches on everything they touch.

There's no denying that Star Trek: Discovery is a different form of Star Trek, but it's also an amazing ride full of love, light, and ion.

Star Trek: Discovery took time to find itself, like most Star Trek shows do. In Discovery season 4, Michael Burnham is finally Discovery's Captain and the crew of the USS Discovery have well-defined personalities, making Discovery look a lot more like the Star Trek shows that preceded it. In a way, Discovery's first 4 seasons are the story of a crew coming together, in addition to Burnham's journey out of her lowest lows. There's no denying that Star Trek: Discovery is a different form of Star Trek, but it's also an amazing ride full of love, light, and ion, and it's made all the better by a full rewatch.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's two-episode premiere streams April 4 on Paramount+.