Star Trek: Discovery review: Season 5 Episode 4, "Face the Strange"

Another Thursday, another touching episode of Star Trek: Discovery! "Face the Strange" picks up right where "Jinaal" left off: a sneaky and disguised Moll plants a weird blob-looking tiny thing on Adira's sleeve and they get ready to beam back up to the Discovery, causing us to raise an eyebrow and tap our feet waiting for an answer.

Well, search no further; let's talk about this emotionally charged episode.

SPOILER WARNING: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

"Face the Strange" opens up with Moll and L'ak killing a black market dealer, who gives them some artifact. The two of them share a kiss, but I must admit, I don't think Moll actually loves him. Something about her facial expression screams "I'm just using you because it's convenient" and I'm dying to see where this goes.

We then shift to the Discovery.

Commander Rayner, our resident rude character, is still adjusting to his new gig as the first officer on the USS Discovery, and he's about as comfortable as a tribble in a Klingon opera. Rayner's got that whole "new boss who doesn't do feelings" vibe, which clashes big time with Captain Burnham's all-about-the-feels leadership style.

We do find out what Moll planted on Adira's sleeve last episode before the Discovery left Trill, and it takes viewers for a spin. The Discovery gets hit with a time bug. (Yep, an actual bug that messes with time, because why not?) This little metallic critter traps the ship in a time loop, making the crew relive snippets from both their past and what looks like a rather gloomy future.

But the bug affects crew members differently. Burnham and Rayner, along with the always quirky Stamets, are caught in what I like to call the "in-between" moment. Burnham and Rayner were about to beam somewhere else on the ship when the bug hit, and so they were suspended in time. As for Stammets, he's stuck reliving the past. The three of them come together and realize they need to figure out how to squash this bug before it squashes them. The trio zips through time, popping up in iconic moments from the Discovery's history, from battling the sinister AI Control to the construction of the ship itself.

The highlight is definitely Burnham needing to constantly convince past versions of herself and the crew that she's actually her future self and that they should trust her to help save the day. Talk about an existential crisis. It's also really refreshing to see two completely different versions of Michael and see just how far she's come in these five seasons. Seeing Airiam alive and interacting with the crew tugged at my heartstrings a wee bit, as she sacrificed herself in season 2 to keep the rogue AI Control from taking over the Discovery and killing everyone on it. It was a really bittersweet moment where Michael has to share how she dies in order for the crew to trust her. I relaly wish Airiam hadn't been killed off so early.

In true Discovery style, this trip down memory lane is more than just a nostalgia fest. It's a crash course for Rayner on the importance of emotional bonds and trust, something he's been pretty iffy about. He decides to try Michael's way and uses personal information he knows about the crew to get them to trust him and allow the trio to do what they need to do, which is... something-something science things that destroy the bug's temporal shield so it can be destroyed and the Discovery can return to how things were. By the end of the episode, even he has to admit that sometimes, feelings can indeed make you a better leader, and I'm excited to see if this space grumpy pants has indeed learned a lesson.

While the episode might seem like it's just spinning its wheels (or time loops), it actually serves up a hearty slice of character development and a side of cheeky fun. And despite being a bit of a filler episode, it reminds us why we keep coming back to the wild, weird world of Star Trek: Discovery: for the emotional moments that are actually applicable to real life.

Beam me up for more, because this ride is far from over; make sure you tune into Paramount+ next Thursday, April 25, for another episode of Star Trek: Discovery.

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