Star Trek: Discovery — S2E8 “If Memory Serves” Review
Star Trek: Discovery’s eighth episode for Season 2, “If Memory Serves,” is a stellar installment that shows exactly what this show can look like when in confident stride. The balance that was missing in Season 1, and indeed for a few outings here in Season 2, was on full display in “If Memory Serves.” The characters, the plot, the story, the canon, even the cinematography is better for it.
We start out with an unusual, but lovely opening. The “Previously on Star Trek: Discovery” segment at the top of the show is actually a recap with footage straight from the original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” which summarized Captain Pike’s encounter on Talos IV, and his interactions with Vina. No other Star Trek episode has opened like this, and it worked — it really worked. It would have been even more sly if Discovery did its normal recap and just included footage from “The Cage,” as if nothing was abnormal. But, this way also serves as a love letter. We are reminded of Jeffrey Hunter’s turn as Captain Pike, too. He was the first Starfleet captain anyone imagined.
Also, connecting the events of “The Cage” with “If Memory Serves,” and Pike’s future in “The Menagerie,” integrates that original pilot more fully into Trek canon. Previously, “The Cage” existed in a bit of a grey area. It was shot and rejected. While it later was folded into the two-part episode “The Menagerie,” it wasn’t shown on television in its original form until 1988 (you can see it on Netflix, today), even though, sometimes, the franchise would reference it. Now those events on Talos IV are unquestionably included and Star Trek is better for it. Watching “The Cage” today may feel outdated, but it is a wonderful story with an interesting premise. Every Trek fan should take the time to see it.
Connecting “If Memory Serves” back to that first pilot absolutely worked in terms of the character Vina. She was a major feature in “The Cage,” and her inclusion in this episode of Discovery was handled very well. The actress, Melissa George, holds our attention the same way she holds Captain Pike’s. We hoped Vina would be included as soon as we learned Discovery would be visiting Talos IV, but the level of that inclusion exceeded our expectations.
Speaking of the Talosians — what a treat they were! Discovery’s approach to aliens this season has been exemplary. We meet them only occasionally, but when we do, they are fully realized and strange in just the right way. The Talosians continue to be voyeuristic, creepy, mysterious, reclusive, and sometimes plain-spoken, as we see them in “The Cage.” That “If Memory Serves” is a balanced approach to this part of canon is proof that the writers very much love this franchise. This episode, if it has proven anything, has proven that. Additionally, the black hole sequence was very cool — exactly what the Talosians might do.
The Dr. Hugh Culber storyline is great. Too often in Star Trek, something traumatic or miraculous happens and characters simply brush off the consequences by the next episode. Slowly, throughout The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and so on, consequences ramped up for characters. By Enterprise, we see this develop even further. This is in keeping with the maturation of modern TV. And here, we have Dr. Culber suffering from a kind of full body dysphoria resulting from a retention of all his memories and an unfamiliarity with his brand new physical body. Of course this is what could happen if you are resurrected from the dead! And, of course, this has consequences for that character’s happiness, his relationships, etc. We are seeing the price that exploration of the deepest regions of the galaxy can exact on people. Starfleet characters should be more traumatized after escaping exploding planets, beaming through time, fighting transporter copies of themselves, and coming back for the dead. One of those unintended consequences of exploration, the “break-up scene” between Stamets and Culber — if we can call it that — was heartbreaking.
And the Dr. Culber storyline champions another change we needed on Discovery. Previously, we’ve admitted to wanting to see more breathing room, both for the characters and the camera work on Star Trek: Discovery. Let the actors carry the moment. The camera work should accentuate performance, instead of forcing the emotion of a scene. The prelude to the fight in the mess hall, where Culber sees AshVoq getting on the turbolift, is exactly what we wanted in terms of letting the scenes breath. The camera movement was subtle, and the performances led strongly there. The score stood alongside the performances, rather than manipulating them. It was just a moment, but it was masterfully done and it spoke volumes. This is, likely, a testament to director T.J. Scott.
Speaking more on craft, Discovery IS cinematic in every sense of the word. The production team is thinking very strongly about picture and sound. Nothing is phoned in or done in the frugal, plain style of the television programs of yesteryear. This episode brings that attention to production detail to the forefront. The transitions between scenes, the tricks of focus that helped describe the Talosians’ abilities — all of it is a superb, cinematic experience. During the key scene in which Burnham tries to sever ties with Spock, the interplay between the adult actors and the children, all within the distorted image and focus dilution around the edges of frame, plays exquisitely. It absolutely should not have worked. Everyone feared exactly this kind of scene with the announcement of a prequel series. And yet, the production team nailed the landing. The emotions here rise above the constituent parts. This is Discovery’s most affecting scene thus far. The performance of Liam Hughes, as young Spock, is particularly superb.
Regarding this crucial moment between Burnham and Spock as children, you can see clearly now why Spock, half-Human and half-Vulcan, leans so hard on the teachings of Vulcan culture and almost none on that of Human culture. Michael is, as Spock says, “the catalyst.” The Spock of TOS was born right there on the evening when Michael Burnham tried to run away. As with everything else in this episode, the balance of canon and character, in this crucial portion of the Spock-Burnham relationship, was finely tuned. Spock can see the logic of Michael’s actions, but he still cannot emotionally reckon with it. He doesn’t trust his human half and he will not for some time to come.
Consequences seem to be a theme running through this episode. We see that Captain Lelend of Section 31 is suffering the consequences of underestimating former Emperor Georgiou. Even though we see that Georgiou might still retain some feelings for Prime Universe Michael Burnham (probably the closest thing Georgiou has to family, at this point), her meddling with Section 31’s power structure will have consequences for the season and probably for the new Section 31 spinoff series. Section 31’s artificially intelligent Control might be the villain of the season — more on that in a moment.
Commander Saru’s unusual call to let AshVoq and Dr. Culber fight it out in the mess hall also indicates a consequence of Saru’s maturation process. His decision not to stop the fight surprises the audience and the captain. Pike is right to point out that pre-Vahar’ai Saru would not have done that. What other behavioral changes can we expect out of this Kelpien? Not even Saru can say — his character is in uncharted space. Only time will tell. Consequently, his path to a captaincy will not be so straightforward.
With “If Memory Serves,” we’ve gained a little bit more knowledge about the Red Angel and her intentions. Yes, Spock indicates that it is a “she,” that she is human, and that she brings knowledge of the downfall of the Federation and the destruction of sentient life throughout the galaxy. And, maybe, just maybe, she brings a connection, possibly, to the Short Trek, “Calypso”, too.
We can see that the Red Angel is trying to adjust the timeline so that this war on sentient life does not happen. But who is the Red Angel fighting against? Who is responsible for all that future death? Quite possibly, it is Control, the AI component of Section 31.
We are theorizing, but it is possible that, for some misguided computer reason, Control is wiping out the Federation in the future. Perhaps a command as simple as “reduce risk to the Federation” gets taken too far. Wipe out the Federation and it will no longer be in any danger. It is logical, after all. Regardless of Control’s aims, the Red Angel may be altering the past in order to prevent Control’s genocide against all sentient life.
Looking back across some of Season 2’s moments, with this new knowledge, only reinforces the idea that Control might be the villain.
For example, why does Section 31 want to find Spock and wipe his memory? Because Spock, thanks to the Red Angel, has knowledge of these future events, knowledge that could thwart Control’s plans.
Why was the Spore Drive sabotaged and secret messages sent under Tyler’s command code? It wasn’t Tyler who did that, it was Ariam, the quasi-robot-android-augmented-human character on the bridge of Discovery. And Ariam appears to be acting under the influence of some corrupting virus uploaded by the Squid Probe in “Light And Shadows.” That program seems to be interfacing with Control in the 23rd century, too.
The biggest question now is why Michael Burnham and Spock are at the center of this timeline change? Their involvement is key. A Burnham-less timeline is clearly a timeline that ends badly for everyone. Perhaps the time frame we saw in “Calypso” represents a Burnham-less timeline? And a timeline where Burnham survives is one we know; it is the Prime Universe timeline from TOS onward. But, that doesn’t explain whyBurnham and Spock are important in this “fight for the future.”
In other possibilities, this Red Angel business could be the opening shots of the Temporal Cold War, a confusing storyline from Enterprise. Or, the Red Angel could be an associate of Jean-Luc Picard, attempting to prevent Control from using the Tox Uthat, a destructive weapon hailing from the 27th century, the same time frame the Squid Probe comes from (TNG “Captain’s Holiday”). This could be an attempt to launch the upcoming Picard series.
There is so much to chew on, so much guesswork stemming from the subtle clues being dropped this season. We will continue to brainstorm here in this space, so join us after the next episode, “Project Daedalus.” In the meantime, we will leave you with our favorite quote from this episode, which Michael Burnham tells to Spock as she tries to swat away his affections: “You are a Vulcan. You will always be cold and distant. Like a moon somewhere.”
Written by Kyle Sullivan
www.trekspertise.com
