Star Trek: Discovery breaches the beyond in “The Galactic Barrier”
A new Dark Matter Anomaly has appeared to replace the old one. Facing a potentially devastating threat, the Discovery wastes no time in setting out and confronting Species 10-C before more lives are erased. However, it is difficult to travel through the galactic barrier, so Tarka takes Booker to his old prison cell to look for the material needed to fortify their shields. All this and more in this week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “The Galactic Barrier.”
I wish I could say this episode keeps up the momentum from the last one, but that is unfortunately not the case. Before we get into it though, let’s dissect the plot.
The main issue this week is the Galactic Barrier and how to cross it. On the Discovery, because they don’t have Tarka’s knowledge about the need for “programmable antimatter,” they cross it by piloting the ship through these pockets, or bubbles, of…well I forgot what exactly they called it; let’s just say positive energy. Anyway, they get safely into a bubble, but naturally something goes wrong and Captain Burnham asks Lieutenant Paul for some scientific Hail Mary to get them out, and sure enough, that’s what happens.
Personally, I just have no investment in this part. I’ve seen this same type of situation play out too many times this season. You can change the names and the environments, but essentially we’re getting the same problem-solution sequence over and over again. I was hoping at this point in the season we’d be past that.
The Discovery storyline is padded out by the news that the DMA has moved and now threatens Earth and … I want to say Vulcan, too? Okay, so we get some higher stakes, great. But it’s not like the Discovery can do much about it, so the news doesn’t actually affect the current mission. The Discovery crew (and the audience) already have good reason to want to meet 10-C as quickly as possible. Now they want to do it even faster?
The news doesn’t make for interesting drama, either. Michael and President Rillak debate whether or not to tell the crew, which isn’t particularly spicy. And of course, right after Michael and Rillak learn the news, all the crew members suddenly talk about missing Earth and wanting to go back in this sequence of cheap, out-of-nowhere dialog. Give me a break.
Tarka gets his time to shine
Elsewhere, Tarka and Booker go to Tarka’s old prison cell, where he was held for two years with another cellmate whom he eventually befriended and tried to escape with. I completely understand the point of this storyline. For one, Tarka has been something of a mystery so far, which the show underlines with the shot of the mark on his neck and when the Admiral mentions not knowing where he came from. For two, after Tarka’s callous actions in last week’s episode, now we get to see the emotional weakness that drove him to act like he did.
I guess my problems with this is that it’s really tough to introduce a new character and relationship so late in the story, and the episode struggles to balance it with everything else going on. The flashbacks to Tarka and his cellmate are just serviceable for me, although there are some cute moments. Also, I have a hard time seeing Tarka as an emotional character. Actor Shawn Doyle does a fine job of portraying that fortified wall of pomposity and arrogance, but when we need to see Tarka’s vulnerability, his performance fell a bit flat. I don’t know if it’s Doyle’s fault specifically; it could very well have been the direction.
That’s about all I have to say on this one. Oh, well actually, I should mention that Saru makes some progress wooing President T’Rina. He accepts her dinner proposal, but with everything going on, she understandably leaves him hanging. It’s cute and provides a certain amount of comedic relief. A part of me wishes that the show had saved this development for another episode, but I get the sense that since the season is wrapping up it had to be included now or never.
Okay, now that is really all I have to say on “The Galactic Barrier.” Definitely not the strongest showing, but I remain hopefully optimistic for the rest of season 4. I mean, with all this build up to Species 10-C, there’s no way it could end up being disappointing, right?
Right?
Grade: C
Next. Star Trek: Discovery gets tense in the excellent “Rubicon”. dark
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels