What would you say was the point of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek? I would argue that the show was meant to hold a mirror up to humanity and show how we as a species could triumph over our own failings. We have the potential to rise above our baser instincts and truly be good. And it was wrapped up in a space Western full of adventure, excitement, and sexy green ladies.

Roddenberry used his platform to address racism, sexism, drug use, labor, aging, war, technology, terrorism, and the trouble with Tribbles (of which there is much). The cultural impact of the show cannot be denied. And Star Trek: Discovery may be the most important and relevant iteration of the franchise since that first one. Everything about it is superior to previous Trek shows. And why? Well, to start, it has ...

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Real Personalities

Say what you will about Spock on a bad day, but Star Trek has been notoriously devoid of assholes in main character roles. Was Quark a little untrustworthy? Was Wil Wheaton way too smug for his onesie? Yes, obviously. But they didn't come across as genuine insofar as the limits were never really pushed. Not really. Every character arc leads toward that character finding some kind of humanity, even if they're not human.

In its quest to show how far humanity has come, most Trek characters are already given to us as better than us. Kirk had his failings, but he almost always makes the right choice in the end, with a little logical guidance from Spock and maybe some grumpy old man shit-rants from McCoy. Picard was like a bald space Jesus, doling out wisdom and goodwill across the galaxy. Janeway was, you know, a captain.

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The main character of Discovery, Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham, is introduced to us and then shortly thereafter commits mutiny and gets her captain straight-up murdered and subsequently eaten by Klingons -- an event coinciding with all-out war between the Federation and the Klingons. She's the most hated human in the Universe. She's not a cuddly Tribble rancher like the leads we're accustomed to. And that's important, because she thought she was doing the right thing. She's not a villain who killed her captain; she got her friend killed because she thought she was being logical, which is a perfect mix of Trekian flaws.