An Evening in Ten Forward #8 (Star Trek Discovery Season 5 Episode 8)  

I wanted to babble about the difference between Burnham and Kirk. Discovery revolves around Burnham's character development. TOS revolves around ideas and Kirk's character never develops. So we never have to go back to Kirk's farm in Oklahoma, and see his parents or his ex-girlfriend. We never have to learn about his father's death. Or his mother's. We don't have to worry about his girlfriend turning into a Klingon. Or that he lied to his brother and his parents created a Red Angel suit. There's no backstory, no backstory trauma. No flashbacks. The point of a Star Trek episode should be ideas. And yes, you could have an exception to every rule and you can even write a great episode like Family in TNG. But they should be the exceptions to the rule. Because otherwise it starts to feel like a soap opera.

Good group therapy. I can’t stand Discovery and can’t wait for it to be over. But I fear we will be getting more over-emotional, unintelligent, incoherent Nu Trek. Burnham is not Kirk. Kirk used cunning and charisma. Burnham simply has the answers to the universe and is often crying.