Star Trek: Discovery – Season 5 [2024] on Paramount Plus

Star Trek Discovery, the show that re-ignited the franchise back to our screens, gets a very disappointing final season. We deserve better.

When Discovery was announced, it kickstarted a renaissance of some sort for the Star Trek franchise. We got Lower Decks, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and more. I was hopeful.

However, with each new season, Discovery became increasingly disappointing, while the other shows flourished. Everyone has opinions these days, hence the existence of this website. Which takes me to the final season.

From the beginning, Discovery was created to be a seasonal arc, and a prequel to TOS. It was meant to break the mold of what we knew as trek. This formula was fine in the first two seasons, even in the first half of the third one. But it got extremely tiring halfway through the show where every season was “end of the universe” kind of problem mixed with “are we playing gods”.

Yes, Rodenberry’s whole thing in the original series and movies was questioning our existence and the existence of a god, but 60 years later, that doesn’t work. Instead of recycling old tropes, Discovery should have focused on moving the franchise forward. Heck, they did a gigantic time jump to avoid the restrictions of being a prequel. So, what went wrong?

Easy answer: Corporate interference. Lower Decks & SNW are great, Picard had its issues, and Discovery is a mess when it comes to storytelling.

The final seasons solidifies my impression of Discovery: Fit more as a Star Wars sequel than a Trek show. And this is sad. I love Trek. Every single one. However, it’s obvious that Paramount+ wanted a Star Wars like show. Even the final moments of this season, they look more like a Star Wars movie drama than a Trek series finale.

Should You Watch It?

If you’re a Discovery fan, It’s another pre-packaged season with the same arc, just a different label. If you’re a Trek fan, who already invested in this show, it’s an okay closure.

Where Can I Watch It?

You can stream all seasons of  Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount+.