I found some things to like in the first two seasons of Discovery (Saru is a really great character, for one thing), but the production design of the Klingons is a worse atrocity than the Kitimer Massacre. I cringe so hard every time a Klingon is on-screen.
And then there’s the way the first two seasons are chock-full of science, tech and massive events – like tech to teleport an entire starship anywhere in the universe, or an AI that almost takes over the entire universe – mentioned nowhere else in any Trek, all of it explained away with “all this stuff is top secret! Nobody every mention any of it, ever! Conveniently, that ship sped off 1000 years into the future, to be forgotten and never mentioned by anyone, ever!”
And why is Section 31 so thoroughly ridiculous?
Not actual sample dialogue but might as well be:
"Hello, we are from the super TOP SECRET Section 31, the Federation’s spy agency that has eyes and ears everywhere. It’s top top top secret, so forget you ever even heard about it. By the way, I work for section 31, which is top secret.
“Say, are you a human who was abducted and tortured by the Klingons, and had your very being fused with one of them? Welcome to Section 31, most trustworthy new employee! By the way, your new boss is a former Empress from the Evil Mirror Universe. Also totally trustworthy.”
I will watch S3, as long as I don’t spend too long wondering “why would I do such a thing?”
So far I’m liking Picard a whole lot better, and to me the portrayal of the Romulans is the polar opposite of Discovery’s Klingons – I love it. But I won’t declare the show great just yet. Some of the same issues as Discovery has can easily crop up. Like the Section 31 business. The agency’s head in Picard really ought to have a moustache she can twirl.
