REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Episode 5 — “Mirriors”

Throughout its final season, Star Trek: Discovery embarks on a journey of self-reflection, seeking to emulate the iconic elements and themes of past Trek installments as well as its own. However, in its earnest endeavor to honor the legacy of the franchise, Discovery risks diluting its own distinct identity. As the series navigates the fine line between homage and originality Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 leaves viewers to ponder whether it’s losing sight of what truly makes Discovery stand out.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 opens with Discovery finding an unseen wormhole while trailing Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis). Inside, they stumble upon the ISS Enterprise. This Enterprise will be familiar to fans of Star Trek: The Orginal Series from the episode “Mirror, Mirror” in Season 2, Episode 10. In that episode, a transporter glitch catapults Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura into a parallel universe dominated by an evil Empire. There, Kirk reigns as a tyrant and Spock serves as his cunning right-hand man establishing the Mirror Universe. Since then, the universes have clashed in various Star Trek franchises, including Discovery.

With the Discovery unable to enter the wormhole, they opt to send a shuttle instead. Booker (David Ajala) and Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) pilot the shuttle into the wormhole, setting up a showdown between the couples as hinted earlier in the season. Their encounter aboard the ISS Enterprise continues the recurring mirror themes. Before the USS Discovery arrived in the future, Booker and Burnham were couriers together for a year. Burnham, having almost lost hope of reuniting with her crew, would have done anything for Booker. He was essentially her only family in the galaxy, much like La’k is for Moll. The question arises: would Burnham have also pursued Progenitor technology if it meant safeguarding everything she holds dear?

Moll’s connection to Booker adds another layer to the mirror theme. Booker’s mentor was Moll’s father, sparking a complex exploration for the pair throughout the episode. If Moll’s father had stayed with her, she might have lived a much different life, potentially mirroring Booker’s. The question arises: is the man Booker idolized truly as great as he believed? Additionally, Booker was willing to jeopardize the entire galaxy’s fate to prevent the tragedy that befell his homeworld from happening elsewhere. Aware of the Federation’s forgiving nature, he understands Moll’s intentions better than anyone.

Meanwhile, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) leads the Discovery crew in what’s meant to be a feel-good moment in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5. Once trapped, he “assists” them in finding a solution to rescue Burnham and Booker from the wormhole. However, it took four episodes for him to build confidence and earn the crew’s favor, even though he wasn’t the one to ultimately solve the problem.

His role this season could have been fulfilled by any existing crew member, potentially allowing more screen time for characters like Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz). Despite the season acknowledging Dr. Cubler’s struggle to find himself after his experiences, his screen time remains limited to brief moments of self-reflection. Instead, more attention is devoted to developing empathy for Commander Rayner.

To compound matters, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 finally delves into Moll and La’k’s backstory. However, it falls painfully flat. When Moll’s motivations for pursuing technology with galaxy-altering potential finally reveal themselves, they lack the depth of the profound love we’ve seen other characters develop throughout the series. It diminishes one of Discovery’s key distinctions from other Star Trek franchises: its adept handling of complex romantic relationships. Instead, the villain’s primary motivation resembles a fleeting teenage infatuation.

While the last two seasons differentiated themselves from previous Trek series, this one is inclined to pay homage. Like other episodes this season, the episode’s title is a direct homage to other Treks with “Mirrors” directly referencing The Orginal Series‘s “Mirror, Mirror.” This connection to other franchises echoes patterns seen in earlier seasons. However, it is a weak imitation of the rich history it tries to honor, losing what makes the Discovery franchise distinct. This connection to other franchises echoes patterns seen in earlier seasons. It would have been refreshing to see the series strive for something new and set itself apart one last time.

As Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 attempts to echo the Trek that came before it, the portrayal of Moll and La’k as mirrors to Burnham and Booker falls short. With familiar paths continuing to play out, revisiting the episodes that inspired this final season might be more rewarding than the episodes themselves. At the very least, you can skip Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5, where even dialogue recaps the lessons from this episode and previous episodes like an after-school special.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is streaming now, exclusively on Paramount+.