The Atlantic

<em>Star Trek: Discovery</em> Boldly Goes Into the Age of Streaming TV

The franchise’s first new series in 12 years is a radical departure, with an emphasis on heavy serialization and heated conflict.
Source: CBS

This story contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.

For more than 50 years, Star Trek has obeyed a particular formula when introducing its new shows. The first episode is double-sized, a mini-movie designed to introduce a new vessel (be it Enterprise, Deep Space Nine, or Voyager) and its crew. Our hero is the commanding officer, a steady hand atop a pyramid of Starfleet command (Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer). And if there’s conflict, it’s mostly external, as the Star Trekcreator that Starfleet officers don’t get in fights with each other, though that’s a rule that was made to be broken.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic5 min readSocial History
The Pro-life Movement’s Not-So-Secret Plan for Trump
Sign up for The Decision, a newsletter featuring our 2024 election coverage. Donald Trump has made no secret of the fact that he regards his party’s position on reproductive rights as a political liability. He blamed the “abortion issue” for his part
The Atlantic6 min read
The Happy Way to Drop Your Grievances
Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. In 15th-century Germany, there was an expression for a chronic complainer: Greiner, Zanner, which can be translated as “whiner-grumbler.” It was no
The Atlantic5 min readAmerican Government
What Nikki Haley Is Trying to Prove
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Nikki Haley faces terrible odds in her home state of

Related Books & Audiobooks