2nd May, 2024.
It’s officially official: it’s Thursday.
You’ve possibly already noticed that, haven’t you … ?
Yes: you have, haven’t you … ?
You’re possibly aware that — here in the UK — it’s local election day.
I went Green in the local Council elections.
And spoilt my vote in the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner election.
There was literally no-one I felt I could vote for.
At any rate, you don’t want to hear about my politics, do you?
No … you’re here for me to remind you it’s Thursday … and that I’m going to have dinner …
Then watch “Whistlespeak”, the sixth episode of Star Trek Discovery’s last series.
By the time you read this written review?
Or watch its video equivalent?
It’s going to be Friday.
Hopefully?
I’ll see you then …
3rd May, 2024: “Whistlespeak”.
Episode 6 — “Whistlespeak” — opens with a summary of earlier episodes.
Then shifts … to show us Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), in conference with Lieutenant-Commander Stamets and Lieutenant Tilly (Anthony Rapp and Mary Wiseman).
And finding the pair are having no luck examining the most recent clue: nothing about the vial — or the extremely pure distilled water it contains — is giving them any ideas of where the next piece of the Progenitor Puzzle.
It’s only when Captain Burnham tries to beam back to the bridge, she gets hijacked by Dr Kovich (David Cronenberg), and gets a hint from the mysterious Doctor.
A list of names: of the scientists involved with discovering the Progenitors, many centuries ago.
A list … that included a well known Denobulan scientist who specialised in rain-making technology.
And who happens to have visited just the one planet in the area …
~≈🖖≈~
Now … what DID I make of “Whistlespeak” … ?
Just out of curiosity? Have you heard the phrase ‘white saviour’?
It’s something of an old trope: where a civilised white person, a literal ‘white saviour’ helps out primitive, indigenous, and usually coloured, native peoples.
The trope is generally seen as a bad thing: whether in fiction or reality.
The Wikipedia entry on the subject details these things far better than I could: the only example I could think about was the video for Eliza Doolittle’s “Pack Up”.
You have a HELL of a lot of people of colour dancing around the (one) white person in the whole video: the singer, herself.
To me that looked if not on a par with Geldof, Bono, Madonna’s or Children in Need’s involvement with Africa … then certainly suspect.
And it’s something we (rightly) criticise.
So, for me … ?
The scene near the end of the episode — where Captain Burnham is talking to Ohvaze, the priest — looked just a touch familiar.
Granted: the ethnicities have been reversed: Captain Burnham is a civilised black woman dealing with a primitive white leader.
Granted, the Captain is coming from a place of respect for Ohvaze, his people, and his people’s ways …
And granted: it’s something that made me feel uncomfortable, seeing someone like me getting the ‘white saviour’ treatment.
Which I guess is the point: I get to see, and feel, how bad this treatment is.
But … ?
I would say this reversal is just as bad as the regular version of the idea, even as it makes a point.
~≈🖖≈~
Let’s move on!
What we have in “Whistlespeak” is an amazingly well made episode.
With cast, crew, and writers — Kenneth Lin and Brandon Schultz — putting in a solid job of work.
With a remarkably simple — and old — idea at its heart.
You know the idea: our heroes turn up somewhere, get wined, dined, romanced, and hugged …
Only to find out they’re going to going to get sacrificed to the volcano god in the morning.
In this case?
It’s Captain Burnham and Ensign Tilly for the proverbial chop: as both volunteer for the planet’s ceremonial race … only to find out the winners — Tilly, and the High Priest’s daughter — will get sacrificed.
In order to appease the rain god, and make it rain!
Yes: it’s an old idea.
But?
“Whistlespeak” a nicely done version of the idea.
One that — even given the ‘White Saviour’ angle — one that tries to treat the planet’s indigenous peoples respectfully.
~≈🖖≈~
As a last point … ?
I can’t help but confess I found “Whistlespeak” to have something of a familiar feel to it.
It got me thinking of Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea setting: when one of the episode’s character uses the term Dry Land for the arid areas her and her group are from.
The Dry Land? Is the area in Earthsea where the souls of the dead go, after death.
That one use of a term I found familiar, along side Burnham’s comments on how the planet’s people had no words that for different social classes, and had three different gender identities?
The simple fact that the planet’s people lived in isolated, fertile areas?
Combine that with a throwaway line about gender identity, one that made me think of LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness?
Given all that, I felt “Whistlespeak” was influenced by one of America’s finer writers.
It’s not the first time I feel the franchise has done this: I feel “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” was heavily influenced by LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”.
Homaging one of America’s finest writers … ?
Is no bad thing.
~≈🖖≈~
So … ?
What did I make of this episode?
Of “Whistlespeak”?
It’s got to be said that, once again, we have a fine episode.
Granted, I feel there’s an issue here: the scene with Burnham and the priest could, after all, be a left wing equivalent of the ‘White Saviour’ trope.
It’s a scene that’s going to stay in my mind for some time, I think.
But … ?
That is counter-balanced by what is a very good, well told, story: what ever flaws I feel it may have, however uncomfortable I may feel as a result, “Whistlespeak” is a well told story.
Frankly?
It means I’ll be back, next week!
I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Discovery — “Erigah” — on Thursday, 9th May: and posting my written and video reviews of it on Friday, 10th May.
Hopefully?
I’ll see you then!
“Whistlespeak”★★★☆
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