Star Trek Needs More Episodes Like ‘Whistlespeak’
“Discovery” takes time out from season’s arc for a very classic kind of story
“Does all this mean: Are there no gods? What is there?
— High Priest Ohvahz (Alfredo Narciso), “Star Trek: Discovery” episode, ‘Whistlespeak’
I imagine that Gene Roddenberry smiling somewhere after watching the recent Star Trek: Discovery episode, “Whistlespeak.”
“Whistlespeak” seems inspired, in equal parts, by “Return of the Archons,” from the original series and “Who Watches the Watchers,” from Star Trek: The Next Generation — with its own contemplation of faith and religion, as well.
More importantly, it’s precisely the kind of thought-provoking story about the human condition for which Roddenberry created Star Trek in the first place.
“Whistlespeak” is another crucial step in the race against L’ak (Elias Toufexis) and Moll (Eve Harlow) for the next clue for the Progenitor technology, which is Discovery’s overall story arc for the season.
But it’s also unique in that it also takes us on something of a detour to a pre-warp civilization which Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Tilly (Mary Wiseman) visit in their search for the next clue.
The spirit of “Return of the Archons” manifests itself in the form of the malfunctioning weather tech once supplied by Denobulans trying to be helpful, and we feel “Who Watches the Watchers” in the form of the covert nature of Burnham and Tilly’s presence on the planet and the potential need to interfere with the pre-warp culture despite the constraints of the Prime Directive.
But what gives “Whistlespeak” its true power is its examination of devotion and religion — especially the test of High Priest Ohvahz (Alfredo Narciso) whether to sacrifice his own child in the name of his religion.
What’s especially compelling is that, in the end, Burnham makes no definitive statements to Ohvahz about his religion.
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The episode raises important issues and asks cogent questions, but in the end it’s as up to the viewers as it is Ohvahz to find their own answers.
Roddenberry created original Star Trek specifically to ask important — and often difficult — questions about the human condition.
It’s been this philosophical bent that’s set Star Trek apart from other entrants in the science fiction genre.
Unfortunately, these weighty kinds of episodes have been too few and far between in recent years.
This lack has been one of my key complaints about the franchise since Discovery first brought Star Trek back to TV seven years ago.
And the cause can be directly traced to the much shorter seasons and near-sole focus on serialized storytelling that’s marked recent series in the franchise.
With the future of Star Trek very much up in the air, finding a way to tell more of these kinds of standalone and serious stories should be a top priority for franchise chief Alex Kurtzman and whomever ends up owning it heading into the future.
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