Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) - Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for the link Sam. I’m missing seeing a new episode of Star Trek on this Thursday.

It’s interesting to see all this talk of the Gorn as monsters. Perhaps at this point in the timeline, that’s what they are. it wasn’t so much so in Arena. The Gorn do appear to the crew of the Enterprise as scary. They were just another species who were reacting to what appeared to be their territory being invaded. And Hegemony seemed to appear to show a similar situation where the Gorn drew a line to show the Federation where their territory is.

In my head though, I felt like the way Arena ended, Kirk proposes that humans and the Gorn can talk and work out their differences. So I feel like in Kirk’s time, any animosity is worked out. The Gorn are not monsters anymore.

There’s an episode of TAS that I’ve not seen in a very long time that I’ll have to re-watch where we see the Gorn in the background.

 

[Walter Kittel]

It’s interesting to see all this talk of the Gorn as monsters

Yeah, well using other species as hosts for parasitic egg sacs will tend to get you classified as monstrous.

- Walter.

 

[Nelson Au]

Yeah, well using other species as hosts for parasitic egg sacs will tend to get you classified as monstrous.

- Walter.

Sure, before Strange New Worlds, the lifecycle of the Gorn were never known. And so they are more like the Xenomorph now.

 

[DaveF]

Quick late comment:

The penultimate musical episode was pure joy. I loved every moment. And it had a bunnies reference!!! I'm sitting there thinking, they're going to make a bunnies reference, there's no way they're going to make a bunnies reference, and by Grabthar's Hammer they made a bunnies reference! This was not the best TV musical I've seen. But it was good and I'm so glad to see Trek boldly going!

The finale with the Gorn was better than ok but didn't knock me out. I think I've got a basic "I don't get it with the Gorn" that knocks me out of the episodes. I just don't believe in this Alien-esque alien race that is also an extraordinarily technologically advanced, space-faring species. Prior episode of SNW, I thought, really set them up like Alien(s) and instinct-driven monsters. But now they're coming in with uber space ships and have space ships. They don't make sense to me. So because of that, this otherwise somewhat rote action episode wasn't as much fun as it should have been. Maybe the S3 premiere will bring me along some more.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Prior episode of SNW, I thought, really set them up like Alien(s) and instinct-driven monsters. But now they're coming in with uber space ships and have space ships. They don't make sense to me.

It was clear from "Arena" that they were a technologically advanced species. The Gorn were able to fake a transmission from the outpost on Cestus III as a trap, used disintegration weapons, had spaceships, wore clothing, and had a spoken language.

Everything we've seen on SNW since has complicated that understand, but not quite outright contradicted it. While we never actually see the Gorn in "Memento Mori", they utilize similar tactics to "Arena", including deception to lure their prey in.

When we see the Gorn in "All Who Wander", they're all either newly hatched or the equivalent of toddlers. The hatchlings are definitely instinct-driven, but even the toddlers show evidence of strategic thinking. It does seem that higher-level consciousness comes later on in their development cycle.

In "Arena", the Gorn viewed their attack on Cestus III as a warranted response to what they viewed as Federation incursion into their territory. In the second season finale, they go further; after wiping out the colony on Parnassus Beta, they send Starfleet a map indicating the outer border of their territory. And they do not attack the Enterprise until its crew crosses that line.

But there's also discussion of their behavior being altered by solar phenomenon. So their primal instincts might be more overpowering than most Federation species.

They are very, very different than the humanoid aliens we're used to in Trek, and some of their practices and customs seem barbaric. But they do have a culture of some sort, and they do have a form of morality, even if it's a very different morality than the Federation adheres to.

But the Gorn are never mentioned as threat in the TNG era, and in "Lower Decks" they are shown as operating a food stand in the food court of Starbase 25. So presumably once communication is established after "Arena", the Federation and the Gorn are able to come to some sort of peaceful coexistence.

 

[jayembee]

But the Gorn are never mentioned as threat in the TNG era, and in "Lower Decks" they are shown as operating a food stand in the food court of Starbase 25. So presumably once communication is established after "Arena", the Federation and the Gorn are able to come to some sort of peaceful coexistence.

That's how the Federation defeats them: it introduces them to Capitalism!

 

[AcesHighStudios]

Quick late comment:

The penultimate musical episode was pure joy. I loved every moment. And it had a bunnies reference!!! I'm sitting there thinking, they're going to make a bunnies reference, there's no way they're going to make a bunnies reference, and by Grabthar's Hammer they made a bunnies reference! This was not the best TV musical I've seen. But it was good and I'm so glad to see Trek boldly going!

The finale with the Gorn was better than ok but didn't knock me out. I think I've got a basic "I don't get it with the Gorn" that knocks me out of the episodes. I just don't believe in this Alien-esque alien race that is also an extraordinarily technologically advanced, space-faring species. Prior episode of SNW, I thought, really set them up like Alien(s) and instinct-driven monsters. But now they're coming in with uber space ships and have space ships. They don't make sense to me. So because of that, this otherwise somewhat rote action episode wasn't as much fun as it should have been. Maybe the S3 premiere will bring me along some more.

So if a species is primal instinctively, it can't also be technologically advanced?

 

[Harry-N]

"Lower Decks" they are shown as operating a food stand in the food court of Starbase 25.

Gorn on the cob...

 

[Alex...]

Celebration plans announced for Star Trek Day 2023

Paramount Announces Celebration Plans for Star Trek Day 2023

Star Trek Day is September 8th.

comicbook.com

 

[jayembee]

"...special airings of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on CBS and more to honor the 57th anniversary of the debut of Star Trek in 1966..."

I'm surprised they're not running the whole of Season 1 on CBS, if for no other reason than to have another "new" program on their fall schedule (like they're doing with Yellowstone).

 

[Museum Pieces]

No specific date, but I just pre-ordered season 2 on bd at a decent price.
See on Amazon

 

[Bartman]

"...special airings of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on CBS and more to honor the 57th anniversary of the debut of Star Trek in 1966..."

I'm surprised they're not running the whole of Season 1 on CBS, if for no other reason than to have another "new" program on their fall schedule (like they're doing with Yellowstone).

Paramount ran S1 on YT. I've been waiting for S2. I bet both S1 & S2 will run on CBS when they get desperate!

 

[Jason_V]

With a lot of distance (relatively speaking), I am really warming up to "Subspace Rhapsody." After my initial watch, I put it on again...this time with full attention. The second time around, it was a much better experience: I could follow the lyrics and understand what was happening. So much so that the soundtrack to the episode has been in regular rotation for me. (Especially the heartbreaking "How Would That Feel," IMHO). A musical episode was a fun experiment and something to do, but I would really like this show to knock it off with the gimmicks.

The season finale...an interesting episode ending with the dreaded fade to black and "To Be Continued." For some reason, I have yet to have the pit in my stomach feeling with any cliffhanger/finale after DS9 ended. The Voyager 2-parters didn't scratch that itch, nothing on Enterprise did and, as much as I admire Discovery, it doesn't do it, either. I remember watching "The Best of Both Worlds" and pausing the VHS recording and advancing it frame by frame to see if there was a hint of anything after "Mr. Worf, FIRE!" (Spoiler Alert...there isn't. At that time in my life, I didn't really understand how these things were filmed.)

Nothing has gotten me really excited like that, or seeing the Defiant meet the Federation/Klingon fleet in "Call to Arms" or the gut punch of Sisko leaving the station for earth in "Tears of the Prophets." Am I just getting older and too clued in to what is happening behind the scenes? Am I becoming cynical? I dunno.

Don't get me wrong: I enjoy watching these episodes, for the most part. They're well produced and take place in a universe I enjoy. But nothing is provoking a real emotional response in me. I'm noticing that across all media...things I would have been really hung up on three years ago make me kinda shrug and move on with life.

Captain Batel is missing? Okay. Captain Batel has a Gorn living inside her? Sure, figured that out before the episode did. Chapel isn't dead? No joke...timeline wise, she can't.

I just rewatched the finale of Picard again. It's still a solid and excellently produced episode and all that...but I didn't have any fist pumping, get out of your seat, "this is the best thing I've ever seen" reaction. I just let it wash over me. I know my original reaction to the episode was pretty positive, and I'm still positive on it...it's just that nothing is getting to me down to my soul.

So now we wait a year...or 18 months...or however long...to see the continuation of this story. La'An, Ortegas and M'Benga are on the Gorn ship. The only one who we know for sure is safe is M'Benga based on the timeline. Why include him here when that removes all sense of "what is going to happen?"

Forgive the rambling...

 

[jayembee]

So now we wait a year...or 18 months...or however long...to see the continuation of this story. La'An, Ortegas and M'Benga are on the Gorn ship. The only one who we know for sure is safe is M'Benga based on the timeline. Why include him here when that removes all sense of "what is going to happen?"

Well, it doesn't remove all sense of that. We know M'Benga has to survive, but that doesn't say squat about anyone else (unless Sam Kirk is with them on the Gorn ship). In fact, it's rather a problem to include too many people among the regulars and recurring who we know survive until at least TOS.

Right now, that's pretty much restricted to Ortegas, La'an, and Pelia (and, I guess, Mitchell). One can argue that Pelia is reasonably safe, as they already killed off the previous Chief Engineer, and they might not be ready to bring Scotty in as a regular this soon.

 

[Jason_V]

But that’s my point. We know Chapel isn’t going to die before Spock gets to her. We know M’Benga appears later in the timeline. We know Spock and Pike and Uhura are all fine after this adventure. That’s the problem I’m having: there is no dread for me because of it. We also know Sam is going to be fine with the same logic…he doesn’t kick the bucket for a while.

 

[Sam Favate]

I don’t have that problem watching this show. Sure, we know, for example, that Uhura survives to be on Kirk’s ship. But we don’t know whether she gets some debilitating injury that puts her in a Starbase hospital for six months; we don’t know if M’Benga suffers from a mental breakdown that makes him give up being CMO, etc. There are plenty of stories to tell, and SNW has done a great job so far.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

SNW season 1 I actually liked had a few clunkers but overall was decent , season 2 quiet honestly was Horseshit, I mean dreck, for so many reasons. Modern trek from discovery to SNW all have ok first seasons and turn to utter trash after ward, well except for Picard which was utter trash the first two years and then got better in the third, not great, still highly derivative but at least watchable. Modern Trek tarnishes the Legacy of TOS, a show that had a model of the ship hanging in the Smithsonian, and a space shuttle names after it. Is there anything in Nutrek that would ever come close to having something like that honor it. It's a disgrace.

 

[Harry-N]

My only complaint is the short seasons. 10 episodes is way too short. Heck, we're now through TWO alleged seasons, which on TOS would get us through the twentieth episode, "Court Martial".

 

[Sam Favate]

My only complaint is the short seasons. 10 episodes is way too short. Heck, we're now through TWO alleged seasons, which on TOS would get us through the twentieth episode, "Court Martial".

It's the times we live in. In the days of the original series, a show might do 29 or 30 episodes a season. There were only three networks and they wanted new content pretty much year-round. By the time of TNG, we got 26 episodes a year, but only because the shows were syndicated, so they could be shown twice a year to fill up the calendar. Other shows contemporary to TNG only had 22 or 24 a year.

Now we're in the days of streaming, when one season of a show might have 6, 8 or 10 episodes. Anything more than that is unusual. The upside is that these shows have movie-style budgets, so they're spending more per episode of SNW than they spent on an entire season of TOS.

 

[Sam Favate]

Modern Trek tarnishes the Legacy of TOS

I disagree. I think SNW enhances TOS. It allows us to look at those episodes in a fresh light, which, after 50+ years of watching them, is something I never thought I'd see.

I recently watched The Naked Time, which was always a great episode, but with SNW’s depiction of the Spock/Chapel relationship, it takes on a whole different resonance. Spock’s breakdown, saying “it’s too late” and “I’m sorry” is very powerful if you consider his regret over Christine.

Yes, the original show was inspirational to a lot of people which is why it's honored by the Smithsonian and the Space Shuttle, but only after time. SNW is a new show. It's going to need time to seep into people's lives like TOS did. I admit I'm no fan of Voyager, but I see a lot of people these days talking about how Voyager inspired them, something I wouldn't have thought 29 years ago when it premiered.