Star Trek: Discovery was ordered to return to its action-adventure origins

Is Star Trek: Discovery going back in time

Jonathan Frakes may not meant it as such, but it sure seemed like a threat when he said that Star Trek: Discovery was returning to its roots. Frakes, speaking with Comicbook.com, revealed that Discovery’s last season will see it return to a more action-adventure showcase. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Frakaes said that the emotion of season four was gone, and it was more fast-paced storytelling.

He also compared the fourth season of Discovery to Indiana Jones, going on to say;

"The first half of the season finale of Discovery, by the way, is Indiana Jones this year instead of the heavy emo of season four. Discovery is back on track as an action-adventure show, and I guess they got their marching orders to maintain that. Everybody has embraced it, from Michelle Paradise and Alex, down through the cast. There’s a new energy and a new mandate."

It sounds as though Frakes didn’t like the fourth season of Discovery, saying;

"It was a thrill for me to find some levity in some of those scenes. That’s why First Contact was successful, because you build and then add just a little levity to let them steam out, so you can restart. That’s why Deadpool is such a fabulous franchise, because it doesn’t hurt. Audiences can handle levity. The Indiana Jones reference is a perfect example. Nobody does that better than Spielberg."

Star Trek: Discovery continues to change course

It boggles the mind to think about how often this show undergoes drastic tonal shifts, and how there are still fans out there who don’t realize that’s not a good thing. Successful shows don’t change, not really. In seasons seven or eight, sure. In season two? In season three? No. Nearly every season? Unheard of.

Clearly, Discovery’s end wasn’t because they “told the story they wanted to tell” but instead a mandate from higher-ups who were tired of having to reboot the show constantly and fork over more money to do so.

With how poor Discovery’s reputation is, even as it was “improved” by season three, it’s a surprise that Bad Robot and Alex Kurtzman are still attached to the series. But it’s less about how good you are at your job and more about who you know.