Member-only story
Star Trek Discovery S4, Episode 4: Addition by Subtraction
Writers Alan McElroy and Eric Robbins manage to add Star Trek into a Discovery episode with the most basic of tools: an opening Captain’s log!!! How refreshing is that? It’s mind-boggling to think that a log intro isn’t standard on this show. What a joke.
Anyway, once again they push the stupid space anomaly plot to the side and focused on characters going on side quests — a typical A, B, C format that is sadly missing from most STD episodes.
Burnham and Saru are ordered to go to a diplomatic meeting between New Vulcan and the Federation. The Federation President’s instructions include explicit orders for Burnham to shut up and not say anything. Burnham frowns.
Book goes to therapy for the whole episode. It’s very boring. He’s sad.
But by far the best part of the episode is the Tilly plot. She’s leading a group of cadets on a training mission, which of course goes awry. She brings Adira along and they fly away on an Orville shuttle with a ragtag group of cadets who hate each other because they all grew up xenophobic AF. Shocking no one, it crashes on an ice planet.
During their adventure they learn to listen to each other, work together, and become a team. It’s an incredibly basic Star Trek plot. But holy shit you guys — it’s a Star Trek…
