Star Trek: Discovery

[thwhtGuardian]

That ship set sail long ago, so no point in even mentioning it at this point. I do think they should have started off in the future to begin with but that's hindsight.

Yeah, I just thought they might have changed it up after seeing the positive response of SNW. But as far as long form stories go this treasure hunt seems to be the most promising so far.

[ChrisIII]

Interesting note about the Promellians (Whose ruin is in the second episode, there's deleted dialogue from Booby Trap that said that some early Federation design was somehow inspired by the Promellians.

It doesn't really dwell too much into it, but since they've been extinct since the 14th century (Earth time) I guess maybe the Federation either reverse-engineered some of the tech from their non booby-trapped wrecks/ruins or one of the member worlds that had spaceflight long before Earth traded with them and passed that on when it became time for a united Federation starfleet. It's mentioned that they didn't get the tactical display equivalent to Promellian standards until the 23rd century (Maybe something like the one seen in the earlier movies?)

Not sure if it's relevant to any of the plot but kind of a fun little note. The promellians seem to kind of have that awe for at least Picard and others that the modern world has for Ancient Rome, Egypt, China etc.

[ChrisIII]

Callum Keith Renee/Ratner's look and mannerisms remind me a lot of Daniel Craig.

Especially the scowl.

[thwhtGuardian]

I was originally optimistic in seeing the plot elements introduced in the Chase get more development...but so far it just feels like they are just retreading what came before except this time instead of just unraveling the mystery in a single episode it's being stretched out over a whole season which really saps out any real feeling of intrigue. There are some decent character moments, true, but I don't think they're really worth the trade off in pacing.

[Anthony W]

What's frustrating is that they are already trying to make is feel sorry for the villains. It's too early for that. Also it is absolutely wild that the Federation is so terrified of and unable to catch two people.

I know the episode wanted us to side with Tilly over Raynor but Raynor was right and Tilly is annoying. I find it funny that the shows reasons for showing Raynor in a negative light is the reason that I actually like the character. Raynor is an adult and doesn't spend his time acting like an overly emotional teenager like everyone else on this show. When Raynor was told he had to get to know the crew I burst out laughing because it's the LAST SEASON AND DISCOVERY'S WRITERS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DEVELOP THEM.

Burnham telling Raynor that he made a bad first impression on the crew? Are you kidding me? Burnham left behind two of her crew who were paralyzed at the time on the ghost ship without even blinking and didn't even bother to alert Discovery about it until after the ship was destroyed causing them to end up in sickbay!

This entire final season just feels like so much filler. Filled with characters we either know nothing about or don't care about. Oh look, it's Tig Notaro showing up to steal another paycheck by just standing around and doing no acting whatsoever.

[nx01a]

First 3 episodes...

The Good
>The special effects remain top notch. The Antares is cool.
>Rayner is in the mold of Jellico and Shaw, and I'm here for it. Not every senior officer needs to be having heart to heart conversations with ensigns in the midst of battles.
>I absolutely love Saru/T'rina! Where's this level of writing for the other bland couples on this show?
>Grudge not having any of Burnham's toy ****.
>Admiral Vance is like the rest of us: trying to remember stuff from our school days which we haven't needed to recall in decades to help our kids/wards/etc.

The Bad
>Rayner being demoted so Burnham can ever so graciously invite him to be her Man Friday, reeducating him about the errors of his ways while he handles duty rosters for her. The incident for which he was effectively court-martialed is to ridiculously trivial compared to the apparently galaxy-ending Red Directive. If he was quietly left captain of his ship and allowed to work with Discovery to find the Ancients' Dakara superweapon... er... the Progenitors' life-shaping superweapon, how would anyone on the Federation council know unless Vance tells them? It's such a thin reasoning.
>Moll and L'ak are already insufferable, able to zip across the quadrant at ludicrous plot speed without spore or pathway drives, slipping into supposedly high security areas while they're actively being looked for, being a blatant mirror of Book/Burnham.
>Data descendant's existence is just glossed over. If it's such a primitive model, where are the 31st C AIs?
>I'm all for respecting the cultures of other races but the high level of importance put on not minorly damaging a long abandoned necropolis is laughable, especially when they blow up some of it later. Burnham wants to respect the culture, respect the nesting cloaked plasma bugs... Does the entire 31st C run on feelings?

The Ugly
>The 'instantly appear anywhere in the unive.... er... galaxy' drive is being scrapped?! It literally took two minutes to install the hand held spore drive prototype in a smuggler vessel not designed for it. How on Ni'Var can the pathway drive beat that?
>Burnham dictating terms to Kovich. He tells you what the Red Directive is or you won't tell him where the first clue is?
>Tilly openly disrespecting and lecturing her new XO. I dislike the character in general, so that's no surprise. "Since you won't give me permission to speak freely, I'm just going to take it." Really?! Confine her to quarters for insubordination.
>The perennial problem of emotional conversations at the worst times. Focus on the work, supposed professionals, and cry in your quarters when off duty. I watch the the non-Saru/T'rina emotional moments x2 speed.
>Book having a connection to Gun Moll. Is it really necessary? Can't bad guys just be evil?
>The Trill scientist's BS. The height of the Dominion War, your worlds on the literal brink of enslavement or destruction, and you choose NOT to give YOUR SIDE an ultimate weapon?! And you choose now NOT to just TELL Burnham where to go?! I'd have preferred a symbiont with geriatric memory loss who really couldn't tell them the final location, not one clinging to 800 years of flawed logic.

The Verdict
While watching these 3 episodes hasn't been a chore, all the focus on feelings and not on the fate of the bloody galaxy remains as annoying now as it had been for the entirety of the show.

Also... I'm thinking mysterious L'ak turns out to be a descendant of the Progenitors, or at least a recent creation of their life-shaping superweapon. He looks the part, and I know the producers will try to pull an Odo and the Changelings on us with L'ak and the Progenitors.

This made me laugh so hard...
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h32m06s380.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h32m12s004.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h32m45s183.jpg

[nx01a]

Other interesting shots/dialogue which I liked...
Ooooh! A Constitution hidden in a nebula for centuries? Mirrors Discovery's apparent future fate.
vlcsnap-2024-04-11-21h56m47s575.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h45m45s868.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h59m13s782.jpg

[Anthony W]

What's funny/sad is that Raynor was the fifth Captain that I would prefer to lead Discovery over Burnham.

1. Philippa Georgiou the good one.

2. Gabriel Sloane, who is an evil doppelganger from the mirror universe!

3. Pike

4. Raynor

5. Saru who was Captain at one point.

If it wasn't for the fact that Philippa Georgiou was a woman you would think that the writers hated woman by the way they write Burnham.

[ChrisIII]

Other interesting shots/dialogue which I liked...
Ooooh! A Constitution hidden in a nebula for centuries? Mirrors Discovery's apparent future fate.
vlcsnap-2024-04-11-21h56m47s575.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h45m45s868.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h59m13s782.jpg

Might be the Defiant from a few Mirror episodes and Tholian Web. Also gives them an excuse to reuse SNW sets. (Of course, reusing starship sets is sort of a Star Trek tradition)

[BeastieRunner]

Might be the Defiant from a few Mirror episodes and Tholian Web. Also gives them an excuse to reuse SNW sets. (Of course, reusing starship sets is sort of a Star Trek tradition)

That would be so cool.

[Scott Taylor]

I just rewatched the Tholian Web episode. A call out to that would be nice, if potentially morbid.

[Exciter]

First 3 episodes...

The Good
>The special effects remain top notch. The Antares is cool.
>Rayner is in the mold of Jellico and Shaw, and I'm here for it. Not every senior officer needs to be having heart to heart conversations with ensigns in the midst of battles.
>I absolutely love Saru/T'rina! Where's this level of writing for the other bland couples on this show?
>Grudge not having any of Burnham's toy ****.
>Admiral Vance is like the rest of us: trying to remember stuff from our school days which we haven't needed to recall in decades to help our kids/wards/etc.

The Bad
>Rayner being demoted so Burnham can ever so graciously invite him to be her Man Friday, reeducating him about the errors of his ways while he handles duty rosters for her. The incident for which he was effectively court-martialed is to ridiculously trivial compared to the apparently galaxy-ending Red Directive. If he was quietly left captain of his ship and allowed to work with Discovery to find the Ancients' Dakara superweapon... er... the Progenitors' life-shaping superweapon, how would anyone on the Federation council know unless Vance tells them? It's such a thin reasoning designed to
>Moll and L'ak are already insufferable, able to zip across the quadrant at ludicrous plot speed without spore or pathway drives, slipping into supposedly high security areas while they're actively being looked for, being a blatant mirror of Book/Burnham.
>Data descendant's existence is just glossed over. If it's such a primitive model, where are the 31st C AIs?
>I'm all for respecting the cultures of other races but the high level of importance put on not minorly damaging a long abandoned necropolis is laughable, especially when they blow up some of it later. Burnham wants to respect the culture, respect the nesting cloaked plasma bugs... Does the entire 31st C run on feelings?

The Ugly
>The 'instantly appear anywhere in the unive.... er... galaxy' drive is being scrapped?! It literally took two minutes to install the hand held spore drive prototype in a smuggler vessel not designed for it. How on Ni'Var can the pathway drive beat that?
>Burnham dictating terms to Kovich. He tells you what the Red Directive is or you won't tell him where the first clue is?
>Tilly openly disrespecting and lecturing her new XO. I dislike the character in general, so that's no surprise. "Since you won't give me permission to speak freely, I'm just going to take it." Really?! Confine her to quarters for insubordination.
>The perennial problem of emotional conversations at the worst times. Focus on the work, supposed professionals, and cry in your quarters when off duty. I watch the the non-Saru/T'rina emotional moments x2 speed.
>Book having a connection to Gun Moll. Is it really necessary? Can't bad guys just be evil?
>The Trill scientist's BS. The height of the Dominion War, your worlds on the literal brink of enslavement or destruction, and you choose NOT to give YOUR SIDE an ultimate weapon?! And you choose now NOT to just TELL Burnham where to go?! I'd have preferred a symbiont with geriatric memory loss who really couldn't tell them the final location, not one clinging to 800 years of flawed logic.

The Verdict
While watching these 3 episodes hasn't been a chore, all the focus on feelings and not on the fate of the bloody galaxy remains as annoying now as it had been for the entirety of the show.

Also... I'm thinking mysterious L'ak turns out to be a descendant of the Progenitors, or at least a recent creation of their life-shaping superweapon. He looks the part, and I know the producers will try to pull an Odo and the Changelings on us with L'ak and the Progenitors.

This made me laugh so hard...
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h32m06s380.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h32m12s004.jpg
vlcsnap-2024-04-14-18h32m45s183.jpg

I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but I agree. Best thing you can say is it looks beautiful visually. I like Rayner principally because he’s professional and doesn’t enjoy Burnham’s crap (like most of the audience?) - even though he’s presented as wrong when he’s not (also like most of the audience).

I can’t stand the two villains, Moll and L’ak It would have been a great position for some charismatic and cool bad guys… but that’s not what we got.

The biggest thing that hit me was that they pulled out a callback to a single episode of TNG and the big MacGuffin was… technology that can create life. I immediately thought of the Genesis Device and was like… the writers remembered “The Chase” but not Wrath of Khan? I didn’t even think the aliens in the Chase created life, just seeded it on various planets (to explain why so many aliens are humans with weird heads).

[Anthony W]

I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but I agree. Best thing you can say is it looks beautiful visually. I like Rayner principally because he’s professional and doesn’t enjoy Burnham’s crap (like most of the audience?) - even though he’s presented as wrong when he’s not (also like most of the audience)

This. Five seasons in and the writers still don't understand their audience. No Trek fan is going to side with Tilly over Raynor. People liked Riker more than Jellico but Riker still comes off as a dumbass in the episode Chain Of Command

[BeastieRunner]

I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but I agree. Best thing you can say is it looks beautiful visually. I like Rayner principally because he’s professional and doesn’t enjoy Burnham’s crap (like most of the audience?) - even though he’s presented as wrong when he’s not (also like most of the audience).

I can’t stand the two villains, Moll and L’ak It would have been a great position for some charismatic and cool bad guys… but that’s not what we got.

The biggest thing that hit me was that they pulled out a callback to a single episode of TNG and the big MacGuffin was… technology that can create life. I immediately thought of the Genesis Device and was like… the writers remembered “The Chase” but not Wrath of Khan? I didn’t even think the aliens in the Chase created life, just seeded it on various planets (to explain why so many aliens are humans with weird heads).

Project Genesis was mothballed and the data was completely destroyed IIRC.

This is data/tech/formula out in the wild.

[BeastieRunner]

Caught up.

You guys actually like Raynor??

The man is an asshat. He feels like a Jellico clone.

He's fun to hate but how is he a better Captain?