Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) needs somebody on his side in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) orders him to “connect” with the crew. Written by Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Wilkinson, and directed by Andi Armaganian, Discovery season 5, episode 3 depicts Rayner’s first day as Burnham’s first officer. Paired with Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Rayner conducts one-on-one meetings with the USS Discovery’s bridge crew, which doesn’t go in the way that Burnham or Tilly wanted.

Formerly Captain Rayner of the USS Antares, the Kellerun officer was advised to take early retirement after the incident on Q’Mau. Burnham saved him from this ignominious end by assigning him to the USS Discovery as her Number One. Despite Burnham’s assertion that she didn’t want a “yes-man“, she is very insistent that Rayner fits into the family atmosphere on-board. Rayner’s approach to command is more detached and efficient than Burnham’s holistic and nurturing style, but that’s surely a good thing, despite what Rayner’s fellow Star Trek: Discovery characters may think.

Discovery’s Commander Rayner Is A Berman Era Throwback

His strict professionalism and efficiency wouldn’t be out of place in 90s Star Trek.

Star Trek: Discovery‘s crew are very emotive and tactile when compared to the strict professionalism of Starfleet during the Rick Berman era. There’s a lot more crying and hugging on Discovery, and characters seem far more comfortable about voicing their feelings than anyone on 90s Star Trek. It’s no wonder that Commander Rayner feels awkward stepping into this close-knit family unit in Discovery season 5, something made even worse by the disparity with his own command style. By forcing Rayner to immediately try and “connect” with the Discovery crew, it feels like Burnham is setting up her Number One to fail.

Rayner is more like Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: The Next Generation than Captains Burnham or Saru (Doug Jones). Picard was often a stern presence aboard the USS Enterprise, awkwardly trying to bond with Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), or maintaining a professional distance from the bridge crew’s poker game. Watching Rayner maintain a similar distance in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 feels like he’s Berman-era character who is a fish out of water in the more sensitive modern era. This will likely create some moments of conflict, which will be great, but Discovery has to acknowledge that Rayner has things to teach Burnham, too.

Tilly Is Too Hard On Rayner In “Jinaal”

Rayner reveals far more information about Discovery’s crew than in the past four seasons.

Callum Keith Rennie and Mary Wiseman have great chemistry in Star Trek: Discovery, which aids the comedy in the one-on-one scenes. However, Tilly is incredibly hard on Rayner for his brutally efficient approach to getting to know the crew of the Discovery. Requesting that each crew member tell him something about themselves in “twenty words or less“, Rayner teases out information about Discovery‘s secondary characters that was hitherto unknown. By trying to unearth information that’s not on their files, Rayner is fulfilling the brief of “connecting” with his crew in a way that feels comfortable to him.

There’s a real irony about Tilly’s criticism of Rayner at the end of “Jinaal”. When Rayner rattles off the backstory of his crew, revealing how much he knows about them, Tilly dismisses this by saying “Analyzing them is not the same as connecting with them.” However, Rayner has revealed far more information about Star Trek: Discovery‘s secondary characters than has been disclosed in the previous four seasons. Thanks to Rayner, audiences finally have a handle on “ship head” Lt. Commander Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon) and the fearless Dr. Tracy Pollard (Raven Dauda), so it’s hard to deny that Rayner’s brutally efficient approach has merit.

Discovery Shouldn’t Force Its Family Atmosphere, TNG And DS9 Never Did

There’s an uncomfortable sense that Burnham and Tilly are trying to force Rayner to conform to the USS Discovery’s family atmosphere. Both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine have already proved that these things take time.Picard played poker in TNG after seven years, a beautiful ending for the show that gave Jean-Luc the family that he’d always denied himself. Rayner should be afforded the same breathing space in Discovery, as it’s way more satisfying in the long run.

Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was more open than Picard, but he still took his time to soften. In fact, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s pilot, Sisko is a bit like Rayner, identifying key figures who can help DS9 work as a space station and multicultural hub. Sisko isn’t “connecting” with characters like Quark (Armin Shimerman) but he’s assembling a team that will eventually become a family. Episodes like “Take Me Out To The Holosuite” or “Badda Bing Badda Bang” are perfect examples of how playing the long game pays off when it comes to cultivating a Star Trek family.

Rayner Will Fit Into Discovery With Time

Captain Rayner is the new Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) in the sense that, like Shaw in Star Trek: Picard, he’s initially set up in opposition to the regular cast. As more information about Rayner’s backstory is revealed during Star Trek: Discovery season 5, audiences will grow to understand what lies behind his abrasive front. Rayner obviously has darkness in his past, which may be connected to Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), which is why he’s so driven to beat them to the Progenitors’ treasure.

Also, it’s worth pointing out that the USS Discovery is still on a Red Directive mission, which surely reduces the available time for getting to know you sessions. Captain Shaw became a beloved Star Trek character through his actions, not because someone sat him down and forced him to “connect” with Admiral Picard or Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Commander Rayner should be given the breathing space to do the same, proving himself to his crew, and to the viewers as Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues.