STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 5 Review: A Hopeful Ending That Lives Up To The Spirit Of Trek

Star Trek: Discovery, the show responsible for the new resurgence of the franchise, is coming to an end. It’s a bittersweet moment, seeing how the series finale ends on a note that feels like there are still more stories to tell. But if not, then the series finale is just a perfect ending that completely is in line with Roddenberry’s original vision for the futuristic sci-fi series, while still doing something new and different with the overall stories. Read on for my Star Trek: Discovery season 5 review.

Please note that the following Star Trek: Discovery season 5 review will be completely spoiler-free.

How Star Trek: Discovery Brought The Franchise For A New Generation

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Discovery is responsible for the onslaught of new Star Trek shows that have graced the small screen in the last few years. Strange New Worlds, Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy all exist because of the success that Discovery achieved. There are even more shows coming with the Section 31 movie led by Oscar Winner Michelle Yeoh, a Star Trek Academy series with Holly Hunter in the lead, both shows are spin-offs of Discovery as well. With this renewed interest in the franchise on the small screen, even the feature films are getting a facelift according to recent news.

But Discovery ushered in an area of badassery in the Star Trek franchise, something the 2009 movie reboot introduced to modern audiences. But more than the lens flares and brightly lit interiors, it was the story and the soul of the world that resonated with audiences. The series is led by Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) who is meant to be a righteous and just person, something ingrained within her as a human raised by Vulcans. Through her and other characters introduced as the seasons progressed, the show focused on a future that was fraught with war and chaos, but still, the themes of hope and optimism prevailed. Even more so when the show, seemingly did the impossible and completely jumped hundreds of years forward at the end of season 2. Now Discovery operates in the distant future of Star Trek, telling new stories that move the universe forward.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Review Is Spoiler-Free

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Season 5 in many ways acts as a standalone season of the franchise. Without too many connections to previous stories or threats, except for the character arcs continuing from previous seasons, season 5 is the perfect end. It doesn’t have the baggage of previous seasons’ stories or conflicts continuing so can give us a fresh new season to end on. A new conflict also allows for the characters’ journeys from seasons 1 to 5 to have more time to resonate and conclude in a way that feels earned, and not rushed or hamfisted in.

The major conflict of the season is more an insulated love story, with larger repercussions to the world as a whole than some massive universe-ending conflict with beings from another plane of existence. Well, there is that here too, but it’s more of an arc for Burnham than a larger plot for the show to deal with. The main story does reconnect a thread from Star Trek: Next Generation, albeit in a sparing way.

The Love Story Is On Full Display

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Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is full of character moments. Even the main bad guys are less evil, and more tortured antagonists who have their own agenda, and it’s perfectly tragic. Season 5 introduces Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis) as couriers who are out to steal a highly dangerous technology from an alien race. With repercussions that threaten the universe, Discovery is on the case. It’s sort of a ‘one last mission’ vibe, as even Book (David Ajala) takes a break from his community service to help. Especially given his personal connection with Moll.

The larger story, while it’s set against the backdrop of all life in creation, is quieter and more of a smaller story about love and defiance. And it smoothly runs parallel to Michael and Book’s own story, as they try to see if there is still anything between them. Through these two characters, the Discovery series finale creates an aura of peace and love in the universe, as within these characters. There is a feeling of continuation then ending, by the time the credits roll on this series finale. The series definitely concludes the journey of this ship and the impact of its crew on the world around them, by actually changing the universe around them for the better. Just how Discovery impacted the larger Star Trek franchise, and is now ending with a lot more Star Trek in the world than there was before them.

Star Trek Discovery: Season 5 Review Ends On Hope

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And while it’s not exactly what purists may want from a Star Trek series finale, it’s in keeping with the tone of Discovery. The show went from a story about the bigger and larger Star Trek universe to just being a story about these specific characters, in this new, futuristic Star Trek universe. Their loves, losses, trauma, and discoveries are an integral part of how far the story of Discovery went, from the past to the future, culminating in a satisfying ending that felt truly earned.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is now streaming on Paramount+.

What did you think of the Star Trek: Discovery series finale? Let me know in the comments below. Or follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @theshahshahid for more Star Trek discussions.