TV Show Review

TV Review: STAR TREK: DISCOVERY: Season 1, Episode 11: The Wolf Inside [CBS]

Doug Jones Anthony Rapp Mary Wiseman Star Trek Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery The Wolf Inside Review

Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 11: The Wolf Inside. This Star Trek: Discovery The Wolf Inside review maintains that the episode offers a unique take on the logic of the Mirror universe, with its exploration going deeper than any other the franchise has attempted so far.

Within the first 40 years of Trek‘s existence, the Mirror universe has gone from a one-time thing to a small but significant part of the property. Several episodes of Deep Space Nine helped map out the geopolitical landscape of the timeline, while an entire story arc of Enterprise was set almost entirely in it. Although each iteration of the universe retained the basically rotten character of The Original Series‘s version, they managed to flesh it out further so that it was no longer just a memorable gimmick.

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It is in these footsteps that Discovery appears to be following, with the show making a mere 11 episodes into its first season what might be the most radical departure from established Mirror universe canon yet. While Trekkers with long memories might remember DS9 suggested the existence of an implicitly-noble resistance made up of normally sinister Romulans, Discovery goes further and shows a diverse alliance of unlikely freedom fighters. Leading the resistance is none other than Voq (Shazad Latif), a surprising turn that flips the franchise’s tradition of making good guys bad and thus raising questions about how the Mirror universe works.

Take the case of Sarek (James Frain) for example. Although his doppelgänger appears, he is a part of the anti-Terran resistance and thus a good guy. How is it that he somehow defied the cosmic nature of the Mirrorverse to retain his prime timeline’s noble nature? Is it a fluke, or are there others like him? Or perhaps he’s not so benevolent after all. In fact, I think that that’s just the case here, with the show set to reveal him as a villain at some point from now.

Latif also deserves mention for his dual role as Voq and Tyler. With the former’s primary timeline version increasingly asserting itself, Latif is forced to undergo the transition from the human Tyler to the Klingon within. He exhibits incredible commitment to the transformation, straining his voice as it tries to replicate the guttural language of the warlike aliens. I mentioned in my last review that this was one of the most promising elements of the season’s second half, and I think it will continue to be in future installments of Star Trek: Discovery.

Leave your thoughts on this Star Trek: Discovery The Wolf Inside review and this episode of Star Trek: Discovery in the comments section. Readers seeking more Star Trek: Discovery can visit our Star Trek: Discovery Page and our Star Trek: Discovery Facebook Page. Readers seeking more TV show reviews can visit our TV Show Review Page, our TV Show Review Twitter Page, our TV Show Review Facebook Page, and our TV Show Review Google+ Page. Want up-to-the-minute notification? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

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Reggie Peralta

**** We hired Reggie, fulfilled our obligations to him, and he quit in the middle of covering two TV series w/ no notice and no explanation. He then ignored our emails asking him to complete his coverage (we had no one else to cover those TV shows). He didn't care. We regret hiring him and we regret putting our trust in him. **** An aspiring writer, longtime film junkie, and former UCLARadio.com disc jockey (where I graduated with a BA in Political Science), I've made the jump from penning book reviews and current events editorials for HonorSociety.org to writing movie and TV news and reviews. When I'm not working towards my certificate in Radio and Television/Video Production at Fullerton College, I enjoy reading (horror, science fiction, and historical/political nonfiction are particular favorites), participating in my school's TV and theatre clubs, attending movie screenings, plays, concerts, and other events, and trying to come up with pithy things to say on social media. Believe it or not, there are occasions where I find time to write for my own leisure.
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