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10 most disliked moments in Star Trek: Discovery, ranked

Let's look at ten specific moments and decisions from Discovery that left a bit of a bitter aftertaste for some viewers.

By Camila Domingues

"The Red Angel" -- Ep#210 -- Pictured (l-r): Anson Mount as Captain Pike; Jayne Brook as Admiral Cornwell; Ethan Peck as Spock; of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"The Red Angel" -- Ep#210 -- Pictured (l-r): Anson Mount as Captain Pike; Jayne Brook as Admiral Cornwell; Ethan Peck as Spock; of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /
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7. Having Control as an Antagonist

There was a bit of controversy surrounding one of Discovery's stormiest spots: Control, the AI villain with aspirations that could make a Bond villain go, "Hey, that's a bit much, don't you think?"

On paper, Control had all the makings of a classic antagonist: cold, calculating, and a knack for trouble that's as advanced as its algorithm. But in execution, it ended up feeling about as fresh as last week's replicated rations. Fans couldn't help but roll their eyes as Discovery trotted out the ol' "AI-gone-rogue" trope, which, by the 23rd century, felt as overused as a transporter pad during shore leave. It's not that Control was a total system failure; it just lacked the innovative spark that Star Trek is celebrated for, coming across more like a placeholder villain than a genuinely menacing threat to the galaxy.

What really had the communicators buzzing wasn't just that Control was as cliched as a villain can get - it's that its inclusion seemed like a missed opportunity for a series set in a universe as rich and varied as Star Trek. Instead of exploring new life and new civilizations, we got a storyline that felt more recycled than the Enterprise's air supply. Fans tuned in hoping for the kind of compelling, thought-provoking challenges that Star Trek is known for, only to find themselves watching a plot that could've been plucked from any number of sci-fi shows.

In the grand scheme of things, Control's role in Discovery didn't cause a red alert level disaster for the series, but it did leave viewers hoping for a course correction, one that would steer them back towards the uncharted territories and moral quandaries that make Star Trek the final frontier of television storytelling.

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