Paramount+ Star Trek: Discovery - Official Thread (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

And knowing that something happens to burn the Federation down to a small shell of its former self is kind of a bummer.

I agree. I don’t like this plot choice.

 

[jayembee]

Prequel as you use it is, IMHO, wrong. Predecessor would work, because one precedes the other.

You are correct. "Prequel" is (or was) a neologism created from "sequel" -- "comes/made after" -- and "pre-" before. So it's something that is made after but comes (chronologically) before. The Hobbit movies are prequels to the Lord of the Rings movies because the former were made after, but set before, the latter. The Hobbit novel is not, however, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings novels, because it was written before they were.

 

[jayembee]

Loved it.

But I think my favorite moment was when Burnham commissioned the Federation officer. One of the most touching scenes I can recall in all of Star Trek.

For me, that saved the episode. Up to that point, it seemed too frantic and disjointed. Now, I recognize that that was reasonable given Burnham's situation, but it still didn't work for me. I did like the "this is your Burnham; this is your Burnham on drugs" moment, though.

But the scenes at the end of the episode were very affecting. Looking forward to the next episode.

(But I'm really looking forward to more Tig Notaro.)

 

[jayembee]

Also: Morn.

That guy just never shuts up.

 

[jayembee]

I agree. I thought the point was that all great societies can fall, and it requires good people to keep them together and/or build them back.

What was it that Black Widow said to Loki in The Avengers?

"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian."

 

[Robert Crawford]

Gee, what a useful and constructive post! I'm sure you are totally open to discussion (you know, the purpose of this forum)! It's certainly not like you stroll from thread to thread posting about how much you hate a show or how you bailed on a show.

Just in case you got lost, this is the Home Theater Forum: not reddit.

This isn't "Reddit" which makes your post uncalled for in our member friendly posting environment.

 

[TonyD]

Well two things I liked about this episode.
The sentinal waiting for someone to come over generations and being commissioned.
The other thing I liked was the camera effects after Michael was spritzed.

The camera viewpoint following her exact head movements was very good.

I didn’t like anything else.
There are only 10 shows in a season I think and they used one of them to have the main characters help a guy save a whale.
I feel like this has been done before.

 

[Bryan^H]

I really loved the the first episode of season three. It is so refreshing to see the show finally break the shackles of the original series timeline, and go into the unknown. Honestly it would have been great if the series started this way.
I certainly would have been way more receptive if it had, like I said I loved this opener. Production value is still second to none.



The character 'Book' is fantastic, and I could watch an entire series based on him alone. Burnham continues to be sweet, vulnerable, strong, and extremely sexy. Great mix if you ask me!
The Andorian/Orion interrogation of Burnham was goofy but fun.
I loved the sweet message, and payoff in the end of the episode.

I still have some reservations about the rest of the DSC crew, but maybe I will learn to like them much more as time goes on (it is all in the writing).

I'm keeping my CBS subscription for this show. for $6 a month it is quite a bargain.

 

[Sam Favate]

I am hoping there is more to Book that meets the eye. Right now, based on one episode, he seems sort of typical for David Ajala, and similar to the character he played on Supergirl. Basically, a tough guy.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think there will be. In his Ready Room interview, Ajala said he originally turned the part down because the character description was too close to things he had already done. In response, the showrunners told him more about the character’s story and that persuaded him to sign on.

 

[Bryan^H]

I liked the first episode of season two. We're exploring, and IMO that's what Star Trek is about. Also, I appreciated what was finally revealed about Spock. That makes me think of TMP, when V'ger called to him. I did like that part a lot. And the implicit promise the writers made that Burnham and Spock are on paths to connect.

The action set piece was motivated more believably than season one ever did, and I appreciated that, though the same frenetic style of action (rocks swarming, and so on) makes it hard to swallow that ANYONE could survive some of these sequences. But that's the state of the art, so I am going with it.

Overall, I am much more excited after tonight's episode about the prospect of season two. I'm not going to say it feels like Star Trek, but I think it feels more like Star Trek than season one, and maybe as much as it can for this show supposedly set in Prime. My wife loves ST but doesn't read the trades or fan sites, and when I told her this was the allegedly set in the Prime Universe, she laughed. "Silly boy," she said. Despite what the show runners claim, I enjoy the show more when I picture it in the Kelvin universe. It's the only way I can reconcile it since not enough of an attempt was made visually to make me believe otherwise. That said, I appreciated some of the touches in Spock's quarters.

Tilly is as lovable as ever. Glad for that. And glad Star Trek is back on my TV every week for a while. That is something I probably took for granted during the 90s but never will take for granted again.

Here's to gaining strength from our diversity as we relentlessly explore the unknown in season two.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the premiere episode of season three Alan.

 

[joshEH]

I think there will be. In his Ready Room interview, Ajala said he originally turned the part down because the character description was too close to things he had already done. In response, the showrunners told him more about the character’s story and that persuaded him to sign on.

From what I remember from that Ready Room interview-clip, I think he said that he’d been offered a role on a different show (which he then turned down on the basis that you mention), but then shortly afterwards the Discovery-role arrived, he talked it over with the producers, got the part, etc.

But I could be misremembering that, too — it’s been about a week since I watched it.

 

[jayembee]

There are only 10 shows in a season I think and they used one of them to have the main characters help a guy save a whale.
I feel like this has been done before.

There are 13 episodes this season. Down from 14 in S2, down from 15 in S1. At this rate, they'll be down to 10 episodes by S6.

As for Book, I'd like him better if he had a different name. David Ajala is not Book. Ron Glass is Book.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

From what I remember from that Ready Room interview-clip, I think he said that he’d been offered a role on a different show (which he then turned down on the basis that you mention), but then shortly afterwards the Discovery-role arrived, he talked it over with the producers, got the part, etc.

That was my understanding as well.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I watched it a week ago well after midnight - I’m sure you guys are right.

 

[Bryan^H]

liberated into feeling like very generic sci fi that borrows from so many sources with Andromeda being the most noticble

I noticed a similarity to 'Andromeda' as well. The episode had light, fun dialogue with a comedic tone in much of it. Lots of action in a bleak landscape. However that is where the similarity ends for me. One of the best 'new' episodes of TV I have seen in years. I liked it much better than the season 2 opener.

I don't know if there are any Andromeda fans on this thread, but the production value for that series and Star Trek Discovery are so far apart it might as well be a different galaxy.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm really glad that they didn't drag out the reunion between Burnham and Discovery. Two episodes was about right; allow each group to come to terms with this new time period in different ways.

The state of the universe in the late 32nd century feels much closer to the Firefly universe than Star Trek traditionally; even though much of the technology is far more advanced than even the "Picard" era, there is a scarcity of resources that lends itself to the Western tropes in a much more obvious way than the original series. I understand now why the writers sent Mirror Georgiou to the future with Discovery; this is a dangerous and often hostile place, and it's useful to have a character who can do the dirty work that the rest of the crew is too moral to do.

It'll be interesting to see if Saru becomes the full-time captain, as he appears poised to do. Doug Jones has really done a good job of showing Saru rising to the occasion, while feeling different than the other captains on this show and the other shows.

Even though the Federation is gone, it continues to cast a long shadow. Its reputation, and the reputation of Starfleet, probably kept Saru and Tilly alive.

Rachael Ancheril is credited as a series regular this episode. It's interesting that she got the upgrade while other actors like Oyin Oladejo (Lt. "Owo" Owosekun) and Emily Coutts (Lt. Detmer) have appeared in far more episodes and had more significant storylines.

Speaking of Detmer: What's going on with her? I don't think we're supposed to believe that she was just concussed. Did Control download itself into her cybernetic implants?

They did a good job of making the planet they crash landed on feel suitably alien.

It will be exciting to see what Burnham has been up to in the year she's been waiting for Discovery's arrival.

 

[TJPC]

My fear indeed was that the missed meeting between Michael and the ship would drag on and on through many episodes. I want them off the planet and exploring their new time period ASAP. Otherwise we have an episode of “Lost In Space”!

 

[Museum Pieces]

From the start I have chosen to believe this series takes place in the Kelvin timeline. First the implausible ten years before Kirk, then Spock with a convenient sister, now the Federation burned to a cinder. I know the creators said it's Prime. It's just never felt that way to me. It's all a mind trick anyway. Kind of like canon. If believing this is Kelvin let's me enjoy it more, what's wrong with that? In my opinion it has the same energy and atmosphere as the first two JJ movies. It's a perfect fit for the JJverse. I'll always believe Abrams and crew did a good thing creating the Kelvin timeline, an alternate playground that allowed me to enjoy those three movies and now this series.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Speaking of Detmer: What's going on with her? I don't think we're supposed to believe that she was just concussed. Did Control download itself into her cybernetic implants?

Her odd behavior began right after the crash. I have always hated the situations where the viewer can see obvious behavior but the other characters can’t.