In the second season of Star Trek Discovery is becoming more and more of a strain to watch with each passing episode. I could write page after page discussing each canonical issue, with the most glaring being the "Klingons" and "Section 31", but there's more to this than a lack of adherence to canon (which as always been somewhat dubious). The issue is that the show is feeling more like high budget Fan Fiction than an actual true continuation of the franchise.
One item I would like to point out is that one can criticize a piece of media without out right hating it. I don't hate Discovery, however it's flaws are far more glaring than pervious incarnations of the franchise. Liking a show, game, movie, ect.. simply for it being part of a series you like, is not a good way of thinking, nor is attacking those who criticize said media.
While the second season started out stronger than the opening to the first, slowly this series has turned into a disjointed mess. The focus of the season was be on an entity called "The Red Angel" and it's connection to Spock, and some possible doom the galaxy is facing. However, this plot thread has been usurped a half an episode "Klingon" arch, a "Section 31" arch, a story about a giant sphere with a lot of knowledge, a haphazardly quick arch about Saru's species, and a bizarre arch involving Tilly, the fungal network, and the resurrection of Dr. Hugh Culber.
I'm not going to in to massive levels detail, but when I say "disjointed" and "haphazard" it feels like the writers are chopping semi-fleshed out stories and ramming them into an episode. The one arch involving Tilly, the Network, and Dr. Culber, is the worst culprit, it barely even makes sense, a series of disconnected events, each triggering the next, without any more of explanation. It also makes the Fungal Network a mcguffin that can resurrect any character, regardless if their death isn't connected to it.
These are reasons why I said earlier that this season feels like high budget fan fiction, instead of drama there is conviencence. There are no rules, and while I might be a bit hypocritical for saying that, the previous series skirted the rules at times when the writers needed ways to resolve the plot, this show just doesn't care. This feeling of fan fiction isn't helped by the over dramatics every time "Starfleet" principles are mentioned and the dramatic music plays, people stand, and the scene goes into slow motion.
Again, I don't hate Discovery, but is it a disappointment; indeed it is. This not a show for the fans of the Rondenberry & Berman eras, this is a Star Trek for the masses, this is a Star Trek for the sake of Star Trek. The themes and ideas of Star Trek are there, but without the depth that gave them meaning and purpose. The series Rodenberry envisioned was not a perfect picture of the future, but one that was hopeful, we'll stumble and make mistakes, and humanity will face it's own demons and overcome them. In conclusion, take my opinions here as see fit, go watch the show and decide for self and decide if it's worthy of the name "Star Trek".
