If you’ve just finished watching the first season of Star Trek: Discovery and are wondering whether the second season is worth your while, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will give an overview of Star Trek: Discovery season 2 to help you decide whether it’s something that you’d like to invest your time in.
What is Star Trek: Discovery season 2 about?
Set a decade before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, the second season of Star Trek: Discovery begins with the crew of the USS Discovery meeting the crew of the USS Enterprise. Together, they investigate seven signals that were sent by a time traveler to prevent a rogue artificial intelligence from destroying all sentient life.
Who are in Star Trek: Discovery season 2?
Original main cast members Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), and Shazad Latif (Voq / Ash Tyler) all return for Star Trek: Discovery season 2 in the same capacity. They are joined by former recurring guest star Wilson Cruz (Hugh Caliber), who is promoted to series regular. Newcomer Anson Mount completes the season’s main cast billing, appearing in the role of Christopher Pike.
Recurring guest stars for the season include Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson, Tig Notaro as Jett Reno, Bahia Watson as May Ahearn, Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, and Alan van Sprang as Leland. Also included in the list are Rachael Ancheril as Nhan, Jayne Brook as Katrina Cornwell, Ethan Peck as Spock, and Sonja Sohn as Gabrielle Burnham / Red Angel.
The season features a lot of guest stars throughout its run. Some of them are James Frain as Sarek, Mary Chieffo as L’Rell, Kenneth Mitchell as Kol-Sha and Tenavik, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One. Other notable guest stars in the season are Hannah Spear as Siranna, Melissa George as Vina, Rob Brownstein as the Keeper, Kenric Green as Mike Burnham, and Yadira Guevara-Prip as Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po, among many others.
How many episodes does Star Trek: Discovery season 2 have?
Star Trek: Discovery season 2 ran for 14 episodes from January 17th, 2019 to April 18th, 2019. You can check out the title and synopsis of each episode from iMDB below:
Brother (Season 2, Episode 1)
The crew of the USS Discovery joins forces with Captain Pike to unravel the mystery of seven mysterious red signals that have appeared across the universe.
New Eden (Season 2, Episode 2)
A new signal brings the Discovery to a distant planet, Terralysium, that is inhabited by the descendants of human survivors of World War III, which was fought on Earth 200 years earlier.
Point of Light (Season 2, Episode 3)
A surprise visitor to the U.S.S. Discovery brings shocking news about Spock and dredges up past regrets for Burnham. Following the asteroid incident, Tilly struggles to keep a grip on her reality. L’Rell’s authority on Qo’noS is threatened.
An Obol for Charon (Season 2, Episode 4)
A mysterious sphere threatens the U.S.S. Discovery even as May, in her original form, implements a plan that puts Tilly’s life in danger. Saru and Burnham’s bond grows when Saru is forced to acknowledge a deeply unsettling Kelpien truth. Pike receives new intel on Spock from a loyal friend.
Saints of Imperfection (Season 2, Episode 5)
Burnham and the crew navigate a dangerous alien landscape in a race against time to save Tilly’s life, but Stamets is not at all prepared for what they find in the process. Section 31 is assigned to help track down Spock, much to Pike’s dismay.
The Sound of Thunder (Season 2, Episode 6)
When a new signal appears over Saru’s home planet, Burnham, Saru and the crew embark on a perilous mission that puts Saru in danger and raises questions about the Red Angel’s intentions. Hugh struggles to come to terms with his new reality.
Light and Shadows (Season 2, Episode 7)
Burnham goes to Vulcan in search of Spock, where she unearths surprising family secrets. In researching what is left of the Red Angel’s signal over Kaminar, Pike and Tyler end up in battle with time itself. Georgiou has a few tricks up her sleeve for Leland and Section 31.
If Memory Serves (Season 2, Episode 8)
Spock and Burnham head to Talos IV, where the process of healing Spock forces the siblings to confront their troubled past. Stamets desperately tries to reconnect with an increasingly disconnected Hugh, while Tyler struggles to shed the crew’s suspicions of him due to his past as Voq.
Project Daedalus (Season 2, Episode 9)
The Discovery crew infiltrates Section 31’s headquarters and suspicions arise that the crew may have a traitor in their midst. Meanwhile, Burnham tries to help Spock, but her efforts don’t go as planned.
The Red Angel (Season 2, Episode 10)
Burnham is stunned when she learns her ties to Section 31 run deeper than she ever fathomed. Armed with the identity of the Red Angel, the U.S.S. Discovery goes to work on its most critical mission to date.
Perpetual Infinity (Season 2, Episode 11)
Burnham receives the reunion she’s been longing for, but it doesn’t go quite as she imagined. Georgiou and Tyler sense a disturbing change in Leland.
Through the Valley of Shadows (Season 2, Episode 12)
A fourth signal leads the U.S.S. Discovery to an insular world, where Pike is forced to make a life-changing choice. Burnham and Spock investigate a Section 31 ship gone rogue, leading to a discovery with catastrophic consequences.
Such Sweet Sorrow (Season 2, Episode 13)
When the U.S.S. Discovery’s crucial mission does not go according to plan, Burnham realizes what must ultimately be done. The crew prepares for the battle of a lifetime as Leland’s Control ships get closer.
Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 (Season 2, Episode 14)
The U.S.S. Discovery battles against Control in a fight not only for their lives but for the future, with a little help from some unexpected friends. Spock and Burnham discern vital new connections between the red signals while Burnham faces one of life’s harshest truths: the right decisions are often the hardest to make.
Is Star Trek: Discovery season 2 worth watching?
As of May 31st, 2023, Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, boasting a critic rating score of 7.35/10 based on 209 reviews. A lot of critics found it to be an improvement on the show’s first season, praising its lighter tone and impressive cast performances, especially from Anson Mount and Tig Notaro.
Stunning visuals
The overall visuals of the show’s sophomore run were also commended by critics and fans alike. That’s partly due to the decision of series co-creator Alex Kurtzman to use anamorphic lenses in filming the season. These lenses enabled a more cinematic feel in comparison to the first season and contributed to a more immersive atmosphere that the show was trying to achieve.
The use of anamorphic lenses used in Star Trek: Discover allowed for wider shots and more focused imagery, elevating the visual aspects of the show. This technique is frequently used in mainstream movies but is unusual for television series. Nevertheless, it helped increase the program’s production quality, as seen in all facets of photography from lighting to depth of field.
Although this wasn’t the first time that anamorphic lenses were used in a TV show, it significantly influenced how futuristic technology could be visually conveyed on screen.
Intricate practical props and realistic prosthetics
In addition to the use of anamorphic lenses, the employment of practical props instead of relying heavily on CGI post-production effects also contributed to the top-notch production value of the show’s second season.
The season’s elaborate and detailed prosthetics that brought various alien species to life were also favorably received. In fact, the show won
original Star Trek continuity by bringing in the characters of Christopher Pike, Spock, Number One, and the rest of the USS Enterprise to the show. While some fans appreciated the effort to remain faithful to previously established storylines and characters, others felt that the show deviated too much from what had been established in the first season, commenting that the incorporation of the characters from Star Trek: The Original Series was unnecessary.
Is Star Trek: Discovery season 2 a success?
Despite the criticisms, the sophomore run of Star Trek: Discovery is still considered a successful season, as the show had been renewed for a third season in February 2019.
Also, because of the success of the show’s season 2, a new Star Trek spinoff series was ordered in May 2020. This spinoff is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which follows the adventures of Christopher Pike, Spock, Number One, and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew. This is considered a spinoff because Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn, who all made their Star Trek debut in Discovery, are the stars of the show. Strange New Worlds premiered in May 2022 and is set to return for its second season on June 15th, 2023.
Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery season 2?
The second season of Star Trek: Discovery, along with the other previously released season of the show, is available for streaming on Paramount+ and on Paramount+ Channel via Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Roku.
Fans can also purchase digital copies of any Discovery episodes on Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, and Microsoft Store.
You can watch the trailer for Discovery season 2 below:
