Star Trek: Discoveryseries premiere recap: 'The Vulcan Hello'/'Battle at the Binary Stars'

Its an exciting prospect to take the new way we make television and apply it toTrek.

It will be a whole new way of looking at the series.

The opening scene provocatively flips the narrative of Starfleet as peaceful explorers on its head.

The captain and first officer of the U.S.S.

Burnham kills Rejac in self-defense before shes retrieved by the Shenzhou.

But how sure can we be that Burnhams actions were motivated solely by self-defense?

Throughout A Vulcan Hello and Battle at the Binary Stars, more of her backstory is revealed.

Emotion and personal history pull influence her in narratively promising ways.

Burnham is put to the test shortly after killing Rejac.

Sarek advises Burnham that the Vulcans have for centuries fired first when confronted with the Klingons.

In A Battle at the Binary Stars, the conflict develops further.

Binary Stars begins as TKuvma and Voq hold court with the Klingon leaders whose ships have just appeared.

There is no honor without unity, TKuvma tells them.

There is no home for any of us unless it is shared by all.

Additional Starfleet ships arrive, escalating tensions.

Georgiou beams in via hologram to TKuvmas ship promising peace and the Klingons respond with a volley of fire.

Europa, in half.

A battle ensues, leaving significant casualties on both sides.

Her plan backfires in about every way possible.

But in a bloody faceoff, both TKuvma and Georgiou die.

Saru teleports Burnham off the Klingon vessel, and she breaks down in tears.

Thats perhaps the most fascinating part ofDiscoverys first two episodes.

Major narrative capital is expended detailing the shows geopolitical landscape and guiding ideological forces.