Star Trek: Discovery - Episode 4 Review

So alas, here we are again for the fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery, and the pattern of building on the pros and rectifying the cons of each episode is maintained in an episode that continues all of our main story-threads in a satisfying mid-point episode. With the creature now in Discovery's care, Burnham manages to work out what it is - and its relation to the spores the Captain wants to use for interplanetary travel.
Quite what these spores have to do with the broader Star Trek mythology I'm not entirely sure. I vaguely remember the trail of the Enterprise looking quite similar to these spores in the JJ Abrams movies, so maybe this is where its all going, but for now I'm finding this arc surprisingly interesting. The way the creature is being used as a navigator is quite interesting, and I sense an animal rights-themed episode at some point along the line given how it appears to be weakened by the ordeal. Michael's empathy with the stranded creature is also interesting to watch unfold as she's left quite isolated on the ship, with only really the bubbly Tilly for friendly company.
Saru makes for an interesting foil to Michael, even if his character feels a little stale for my liking, while Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) is a fascinating character to watch. His interactions with the injured engineer are quite intense, and his sinister authority over the Discovery makes for an uneasy and unpredictable status quo; can Lorca really be trusted? His heart seems to be in the right place as he saves the colony from the Klingons, but he does so partly out of his war-mongering. I can imagine the series turning him into the main antagonist at some point along the line.
The series' MVP is definitely Michael Burnham though, with Sonequa Martin-Green really selling the emotional aspects of the character without over-acting. She conveys a lot through her eyes and subtle facial movements, managing to maintain the character's stoic nature without sacrificing emotion or personality in the process. Michael's arc in the series very much seems to be about opening herself up - seen through her interactions with Tilly and the creature - even if she isn't perhaps ready to do so to Saru, for example.
Meanwhile, the episode also returns us to the Klingons in the wake of their leader's demise. I'd clearly forgotten how developed the Klingons have been as characters so far, with Voq (the pale Klingon torch-bearer) desperately trying to follow T'Kuvma's legacy while the rest of his species continue to argue and divide one another. He's left very much as a sympathetic, vulnerable antagonist whom the series focuses on to help creature a balance. While such development is welcome, I was a little disappointed to see the Klingons return so quickly, and would prefer a new one-off villain next week.
Overall, four episodes in and the series is going strong. There's a sense of structure to the piece, although with the fluctuating selection of characters, the series isn't too predictable, even if I feel like we're still getting character introductions. There is a sense that this series is building and developing as it goes along though, and I hope by the time we reach episode fifteen that this series is in full-swing without the need to introduce or develop certain aspects.