QuaranTV Check-In is a series where the television staff of ThePopBreak.com recommends shows for you to binge during this time of quarantine, social distancing, and shelter at home. Enjoy. Stay Healthy. Stay Safe.
In the era of Peak TV, shows that seem interesting but not exactly your thing can pass you by. You blink and three seasons have piled up before you’ve had the chance to check in, and by then the backlog of episodes is just too daunting to even try to catch up. Star Trek: Discovery, which began as a CBS All Access original series back in 2017 starring Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), was very much one of those shows for me.
I’ve always been a fan of sci-fi and enjoyed the Star Trek reboot films, which began with Star Trek (2009), but I had never watched an actual Star Trek TV series. The thought of jumping into the decades of continuity Star Trek brings seemed daunting. With the extra free time living under quarantine has afforded me, I’ve decided to finally dive in, and I’m so grateful I did.
Star Trek: Discovery is the perfect series to watch under these conditions. As the world outside my window rapidly slides into a chaotic future only previously imagined in dystopian screeds, watching a morally upright future filled with people embracing empathy and science and ethical principles steeped in altruism has been a balm to my soul. The series is far from perfect. Behind the scenes changes during season one resulted in a show that was seemingly rebooting itself every three or four episodes, and season two embarks on a perilous journey of walking right up to previously established continuity without actually disrupting it.
However, all of this leads to a series that feels unpredictable, anchored by a stellar central performance by Martin-Green as a human raised by Vulcans attempting to balance that which is logical and that which her emotions guide her to do. She is supported by a wonderful and diverse supporting cast and a writing team that isn’t afraid to disrupt the status quo or challenge your expectations for a Star Trek series, while still holding true to its optimistic, humanist version of the future. Season 1 & 2 are both currently available on CBS All Access in the US and the third season is rumored to debut sometime this spring.
Editor’s Note: Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 is now airing Thursday nights on CBS.
