Season 1, Episode 3: ‘Context Is for Kings’

One of my early complaints about “Star Trek: Discovery” is that we don’t know much about character motivations. This week’s episode three is titled, aptly, “Context Is for Kings,” and offers more information about where the show is headed.

Yet, in addition to being a convoluted hour, it’s also gloomy and uncomfortable. This is, essentially, a second pilot for “Discovery.” A pair of central characters (T’Kuvma and Georgiou) were killed off in the first two episodes. Now, we’re on a different ship with a different crew and Michael Burnham is in a powerless position. Very rarely does a series hit the reboot button so soon, but here we are.

We finally meet the show’s main vessel, the Discovery, after a transport ship moving prisoners, including Burnham, is diverted. By the end of the episode, Burnham, known to all of Starfleet as a mutineer, is a member of Captain Gabriel Lorca’s (played by the always charismatic Jason Isaacs) crew.

Burnham’s introduction to Captain Lorca’s crew was far from seamless, with other crew members hurling insults (she’s called garbage, mutineer, dangerous, among others), making it clear she isn’t welcome. Her own roommate won’t share a station in engineering with her. She gets attacked by fellow prisoners. Burnham doesn’t want to be there. Given Burnham’s mutiny, why should we as viewers want to be along for this ride?