https://www.polygon.com/22924014/star-trek-discovery-character-emotions
"“Who do we want to be?”
Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) poses that question to the
United Federation of Planets council at the climax of “… But to Connect,” the
seventh episode of
Star Trek: Discovery’s fourth season. The council has
convened to address the presence of a new species whose arrival in the galaxy
has planet-destroying consequences, perhaps intentionally. Some council members
consider an aggressive response, but Burnham urges diplomacy, recognizing a
unique first contact opportunity.
Disagreements such as these are hardly new to Star Trek. In fact, the
paradigmatic Star Trek scene involves a group of people peacefully debating
possible complicated issues. But
Discovery takes a decidedly unique approach
to this trope. The camera glides around Burnham as she speaks, capturing every
creased brow and pleading smile, underscoring her feelings even more than her
words. Martin-Green pours herself into the moment, lowering her voice to a
whisper when being sincere and raising it an octave when marshaling hope. She
finishes the speech a near wreck, barely fighting back tears.
For its detractors, scenes like this are everything wrong with the series. Over
its 3½ seasons,
Discovery has established itself as the most openly emotional
Star Trek series, in which characters talk about their trauma, give each other
meaningful hugs, and shed tears in nearly every episode.
Discovery explores
pathos more thoroughly than any other series in the franchise. In doing so, it
underscores an important aspect of humanity, one too often downplayed by the
franchise."
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
