Star Trek Discovery Season 3 on CBS continues to be a show full of only action, violence and drama. And in doing so, Discovery has failed to continue the excellence and complexity of the original Star Trek.

Star Trek, of course, has always had action and drama, but not to such a large degree. Star Trek has always focused on dealing with ethical dilemmas/problems. For example, in Star Trek, Next Generation, Season 5, Episode 25 “Inner Light,” a probe of an extinct species connects to captain, Jean-Luc Picard. And the probe mentally creates their entire planet of their species in Captain Picard’s mind, and he is forced to live out an entire lifetime on that planet. These people built the probe to preserve species, so they won’t be forgotten. 

It is considered one of the best Star Trek episodes ever made, and there wasn’t even a shred of violence, crying, screaming, or crazy drama, unlike Star Trek Discovery who try to shove all of that into one episode, every episode. In Season 3, there episodes about fighting slavers, fighting pirates, and fighting slavers again.  There is little for a Star Trek fan to think deeply about.

The drama in Star Trek Discovery has gone to the extremes, not compared to other shows, but the setting they are in. They are supposed to be trained professionals, but they are human, too. In this series, it’s one protocol-breaking moment after another, with plenty of angst. All this drama makes it feels as if they weren’t actually trained/conditioned to be Starfleet officers.

For Star Trek fans, it feels like the writers have thrown away what made Star Trek special and different from other shows.

There is also the issue about how the writers run their story arcs. They way Discovery currently runs their show, they have a story arc each season. Every episode builds to the climax of the story, leaving almost no room for original short stories. 

But the original Star Trek series would be run in a different manner, where 80% of the show would have stories that deal with ethical/dilemmas and problems throughout the galaxy, and only 20% of the episodes would only deal with the extended plot linking the season together. It was the main reason people loved the show, and that is also why literally every single person has a different favorite episode. 

Then there is Michael Burnham, the emotional bomb. Every action she takes is  impulsive. Though she may do great things in the show, she isn’t a great character. The show makes viewers feel that everything has to revolve around Michael Burnham, while other characters are rarely given a chance to shine on their own. And to be honest, other than the fact that she is a human raised by Vulcans, there is nothing cool about her, nothing that makes her stand out from the rest, other than her emotions.

In Star Trek Voyager, my favorite series, the entire cast came in to play.  All of the characters developed.

But even if the protagonist isn’t to everyone’s liking, Star Trek Discovery still has other good characters in the show, like Saru. Saru is the Kelpian captain, and the only other character to appear in every episode.

Star Trek Discovery may have provided entertainment, but they did so at the cost of Star Trek, being Star Trek.