Star Trek: Discovery - Scavengers Review

DIS "Scavengers"

"Scavengers" affords Burnham and Georgiou the opportunity for a buddy adventure, rescuing the wayward Cleveland Book from a scrap facility run by the Emerald Chain. An unsanctioned mission (with Burnham, it would be surprising if it wasn't), the operation is sandwiched by scenes of humor and heart with a light touch - that is, until the consequences of Burnham's actions come into focus.

The episode begins with more 32nd Century technology porn. Discovery detaches its nacelles like they're Bluetooth accessories, the USS Le Guin gets a shout-out, and the Disco crew get new Starfleet badges that do quadruple-duty as communicators, PADDs, tricorders, and personal transporters. (That's not how selling toys is supposed to work! Items sold separately, not all in one purchase!)

After hearing of Book's capture by the same Andorian-Orion syndicate from the season premiere, Burnham and Georgiou spirit away in Book's ship to collect him and a ship's black box from the time of the Burn. This action element of the episode is quite compact and familiar. Indentured workers with decapitating chips in the head, an off-puttingly square-jawed Orion taskmaster, a scrappy uprising. Seeds are planted for later this season, as surely the unseen Oryssa, who owns this facility, will not be happy with this turn of events.

Punctuating the mission are romantic interludes for Burnham and Book, and Georgiou's debilitating Mirror Universe flashbacks. Perhaps these are a symptom of her disconnection from her native reality? There's certainly an air of palpable familiarity to the plot device of Burnham going rogue (in the tradition of crusading cops and spy movie heroes). In the end, we understand why we're re-treading old ground: Saru disciplines Burnham by relieving her of the First Officer position on Discovery, demoting her to Science Officer while still keeping her rank at Commander. It's kind of a lateral move, but the pain of both parties is clear.

Meanwhile, Stamets and Adira find unlikely and uncanny shared life experience, Tilly corrals Grudge the cat, and Linus continues to be this season's tertiary comedy swiss army knife. These scenes strengthen the episode, but they also give it a puffy structure. There's a fitted-as-standard, chase in a sci-fi quarry feel to the episode's A-plot, but the quasi-familial odd couple of Burnham and Georgiou make it their own. 6/10.

Stray observation:

- Burnham obfuscates by saying that Georgiou is on the hunt for self-sealing stem bolts from the late 24th Century. Those being the very same knick-knacks that Jake and Nog were nonplussed to acquire a large shipment of during their inauspicious entrepreneurial career, as seen in the first season of Deep Space Nine.