Parents' Guide to

Star Trek: Discovery

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Darker, more violent Trek still has positive messages.

TV CBS Drama 2017
Star Trek: Discovery Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 34 parent reviews

belacyrf
belacyrf Adult
May 28, 2020
age 18+

Great Show - Heavily disappointed in the absolutely unnecessary trash scenes

I was never a Star Trek fan but my parents liked it, and we'd watch it every now and then as a family. I was a fan of the star trek movies though. It is very hard these days to find family-friendly entertainment and I figured Star Trek would be a great way for us to have something to watch together. So sad that CBS / Star Trek now is no different than all of the other "shock media" types throwing in completely unnecessary nudity and sexual scenes that really have ZERO pertinence to the story line. The story wouldn't lose one iota of depth without these stupid scenes. I will probably no longer watch this series since I can't watch it with my kids. Such a shame really.

This title has:

Too much sex
2 people found this helpful.
Zohland
Zohland Adult
January 27, 2020
age 18+

Can't belive the 14+ rating this show was given on this site.

In the 5th episode a man is shown being tortured and raped by his female captor, showing her naked. The review here says the "relationship is based on an uneven power dynamic and is not consensual." You can try to use larger words to express the content, but torture and rape is what happens. I'm not mashing that "too much sex" button. No it's too much violence. Rape and sex are not the same thing.

This title has:

Too much violence
2 people found this helpful.
See all 34 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, a routine mission takes a fateful turn when the Starship Shenzhou encounters a mysterious presence near a damaged Federation probe. Determined to learn more, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) persuades Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) to let her check it out. In so doing, she engages a member of the Klingon race not seen or heard from in more than a century, and inadvertently gives away Starfleet's proximity. This launches the crew into an epic battle with their longtime enemy and its formidable leader, T'Kuvma (Chris Obi).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (34):
Kids say (20):

Set 10 years before the story told in the original TV series, this sci-fi adventure gets a boost from two modern factors: absorbing special effects (including Klingon makeup) and cast diversity. The story doesn't break much ground -- save for a few surprises here and there -- but it does an excellent job linking itself through Michael to the tale of the Enterprise and its crew that's no doubt indelible memory for Trekkie fans.

Its arrival as a prequel to the classic series that boldly went where no man had gone before is fortuitous for non-Trekkies whose introduction to the events of the mid-20th century is Star Trek: Discovery. Rather than feeling like you have to backtrack to understand who's who and what's what, with a few basic facts (Sarek is Spock's dad as well as Michael's mentor, for instance), you're able to see connections between the two stories start to emerge.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the idea of right and wrong in a story like Star Trek: Discovery. Is it always easy to identify the good guys and the bad guys, or is that distinction subjective? Does this story allow the Klingons to be sympathetic characters? If so, does that change your impression of the Federation's actions?

  • What qualities make Michael a role model? Do her actions ever contradict that distinction? How does it feel when someone you look up to disappoints you by what he or she says or does?

  • If you have seen other Star Trek shows or movies, compare them to this one. Besides the modern advances in visual effects, does this story eclipse the others in another way? Does it do enough to make connections between itself and the original series, or does it work better as its own show?

  • How do characters in this series show courage? Why is this an important character strength?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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