REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Episode 8 — “Labyrinths”

As Star Trek: Discovery approaches its series finale, the mounting frustrations with its fifth season continue unabated. Despite high expectations, the show repeatedly falls short, offering a mix of recycled plot points and superficial character development. Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8, in particular, encapsulates the ongoing issues that have plagued the season: a reliance on familiar tropes, underutilized characters, and a narrative that struggles to justify its own stakes. The promised tension and excitement remain elusive, leaving me yearning for the innovative storytelling that once defined the series.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8 opens with Moll (Eve Harlow) attending the funeral of L’ak. While captured yet again, Moll is still determined to find the Progenitor technology. She plans to manipulate the Breen into helping her locate it, hoping to use it to bring L’ak, the love of her life, back to life. While Moll and L’ak’s relationship still feels like a teenage love story unfit for the final season of a series, the implications of the Breen joining the search for the Progenitor technology may spell doom for the Federation.

The Breen want L’ak revived because they see him as the next successor to their empire, which is currently embroiled in an internal power struggle. Although L’ak never wanted the title, his return is seen as crucial for uniting the Breen. Their dedication to tradition means they would risk a war with the Federation if it meant their own political conflict ended.  With the Breen now a major player in the race for Progenitor technology, the Federation faces increased urgency to reach it first.

Meanwhile, Discovery is on the search for the final piece of the Progenitor puzzle. Their quest leads them to the Archive, located in the Badlands. Known for having one of the largest plasma storms in the galaxy, the Badlands are notoriously difficult to navigate, even for a Federation starship. This challenge is understandable given that the Eternal Gallery and Archive house the largest collection of history and artifacts in both the Alpha and Beta quadrants. Unfortunately for the crew, getting through the storm isn’t the actual challenge for the last clue to find the Progenitor technology.

After a season with minimal involvement, Booker finally gets some screen time in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8. As one of the last remaining Kwejian, he is invited to the Archive to see one of the Kwejian items in its collection. This brings Booker and Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to investigate the clue hidden in the Archive. While Booker’s rediscovery of his culture is emotionally charged, it ultimately falls flat. This is largely due to his limited presence this season, which has mostly consisted of flashbacks and disagreements with Burnham. The new revelation feels like a forced attempt to reintegrate Booker into the story.

In her latest challenge, Burnham is thrust into her own mind, navigating a vast library in search of the clue. She is accompanied by a program taking the form of Booker. Like in “Jinaal,” Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8 has long-standing cast members portraying different characters. Talented actors like David Ajala and Wilson Cruz are relegated to brief appearances rather than exploring their characters in a meaningful way in the final season.

During her search, Burnham must confront the tension in her relationship with Booker. It feels off to watch her have this conversation with a program that looks like Booker but lacks his essence. The discussion is disappointingly superficial, considering the depth of their relationship throughout the series. The final test, which should have been a significant moment of growth, ends up being a conversation that Burnham and Booker should have had just much earlier in the season.

Throughout this season, the series has tried to reaffirm why Burnham deserving of this responsibility. But who is asking for that? Burnham’s place among Star Trek captains was solidified seasons ago. The narrative seems to insist that she is uniquely suited to find the Progenitor technology, but it hasn’t shown her doing anything to distinguish herself from previous captains like Picard, Janeway, or Sisko. Instead of showcasing new growth, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8 recycles lessons Burnham has already learned, making her character feel less prepared as the series nears its conclusion.

To make matters worse, the inclusion of the Breen as another warring species fails to bring anything fresh or exciting. The 32nd-century setting could have provided a unique storyline, especially with L’ak and Moll’s interspecies relationship. Instead, the Breen remains the same enigmatic species hinted at in The Next Generation and during the Dominion War in Deep Space Nine. Their culture is merely a tool for Moll’s goals, calling into question their credibility as a threat if they are so easily manipulated.

In a series that has aimed to set itself apart from other Treks, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8 continues the final season’s trend of spoon-feeding moral lessons to its viewers. With the final piece of the Progenitor puzzle found, one would expect the tension and excitement to peak. But it doesn’t. Between Burnham revisiting old lessons and main characters like Booker being reduced to plot devices, the series seems to be sleepwalking its way to its conclusion.

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