Star Trek: Discovery review, Episode 303: “People of Earth”

The newest episode of Star Trek: Discovery is more filler than thriller, but it has enough twists to keep fans interested in the bold new season.

“People of Earth” continues to boldly go where Star Trek has never gone before. The new episode answers some questions but raises a lot more, leaving fans eager for the next chapter.

Not every episode is going to be an instant classic, and it’s safe to assume no one will be listing “People of Earth” among their top three Trek episodes. It’s a bit of a snoozer at times, but it does keep viewers from warping away from CBS All Access.

Pictured: Finally reunited, Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery crew journey to Earth, eager to learn what happened to the Federation in their absence on the the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“People of Earth” kicks off with the heartfelt reunion fans have been waiting for since the season started. Michael Burnham is finally back aboard the Discovery with her Starfleet family, and now that the band is back together, the mission becomes very clear: the crew must find more members of the Federation if they are out there, but more importantly, they need to uncover every bit of information they can about the Burn. Figuring out what went wrong has become a pivotal driving force for Saru, Burnham, and the rest of the Discovery. It will take the intrepid explorers to a place they haven’t visited in centuries: Earth, since Burnham found a Starfleet message that originated on the blue planet.

But before any adventures can begin, they must decide who will sit in the captain’s chair now that Burnham is back. Saru is willing to relinquish command but Michael stops him, claiming it’s always been him and revealing her doubts about whether she was ever right for the job.

After Ensign Tilly and Burnham have an emotional reconnect, Book comes aboard the Discovery and meets Georgia Phillippa, which seems like it could foreshadow some rebellious shenanigans in the near future. He’s given some Dilithium as part of his arrangement with Michael and warns the commander that someone will find out about this treasure trove of sci-fi material eventually.

When they arrive on Earth, they find the planet guarded by advanced shield technology. They are quickly hailed by United Earth, the entity in charge of the planet’s defenses. In order for the Discovery to reach the planet’s surface, they will need to allow an inspection.

While that’s going on, they learn that the Federation hasn’t been on Earth in 100 years, and the person who sent the message died two years ago. Then they’re attacked by raiders after their Dilithium. Worse, something is blocking the transporters, as the United Earth personnel are unable to beam off of Discovery. The space pirates are led by an individual named Wen who kind of looks like a tweaked version of Black Manta from the Aquaman comics.

In a bold move, Burnham and Book take the Dilithium, board Book’s ship, and try to make a deal with the raiders, all without telling Saru. Elsewhere, Tilly and Stamets figure out that the 16-year-old genius inspector from United Earth was the one who jammed the transporters, but they don’t know why.

Down on terra firma, Earth has no choice but to fire on Book’s ship as they can’t allow Wen to get the Dilithium. The Discovery takes the hit from the blast, which allows them to capture Wen and bring him aboard.

Saru and Burnham mediate negotiations between Wen and United Earth, and we learn that Wen is actually a human from Titan. His habitat is dying, and when his people first reached out to Earth for help, they were fired upon and destroyed. The Discovery brokers a deal where United Earth will send engineers and resources in exchange for research from Titan.

Elsewhere, Tamets tracks down and confronts Adira, the teen genius from United Earth. Adira knows the Admiral who sent Burnham the message that brought them here, and requests to join the Discovery crew. Not only that, but the Discovery’s successful diplomacy earns it safe passage to the planet’s surface. The Federation’s ideals, although diminished, still exist.

In one last shocker, it is revealed that Adira actually is the Admiral who sent that message, or at least has access to his memories. That will probably be fleshed out in more detail down the line. Book says what he figures will be his final goodbyes to Burnham.

Ensign Tilly and other members of the crew visit the old site of Starfleet Academy and have a nostalgic moment under a tree they all remember fondly. The final shot shows Earth thriving in this far strange future.

Pictured (L-R): Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Lt. Price; Sara Mitich as Lt. Nilsson; Mary Wiseman as Tilly; Oyin Oladejo as Operations officer Joann Owosekun; Patrick Kyok Choon as Lt. Gen Rhys and Emily Coutts as Keyla Detmer of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The slowest episode of season 3 so far, “People of Earth” is more filler than thriller and really just helps set things up for future episodes. It’s very light on the action and heavy on diplomacy, which turns out to be a bit dull at times. But a couple solid twists and some last-second surprises keep the momentum going from the first two episodes.

Star Trek: Discovery’s mission this season to be bringing back Starfleet back, setting fans up for a wild ride.

Episode Grade: B-

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