(TV) Star Trek: Discovery

[Frontenac]

Are you ready to prove it?...... tell me what make Discovery a Star Trek show without using names....

Without using names... I don't know what you mean by that, but let's go.

The themes of Star Trek can be found in Discovery. They have dicovered new forms of life (the tardigrade, the gormagander, the Pahvans), and new civilizations (the Pahvans). More often then not, these discoveries have some ethical implications. You have also new technologies that raise the same kind of questions. Now, people have said that Discovery doesn't have the same optimistic view of the future that TOS and other series had. I disagree. Yes, the tone is darker. It is war afterall. But Starfleet is still Starfleet, with the same ideals. Saru, Stammets, Tilly, the doctor, Georgiou, even Tyler, would have fit in all Star Trek series. The way they handled the tardigrade is typical Star Trek.

The style is different, yes. The cinematography is different, I agree. But this is to be expected. It's not Berman's show anymore, and they have more ressources. The fact that it is serialized makes it very different. We are used to closed episodes, where the crew encounters a problem and resolves it in the course of one or two episodes. In Discovery, a problem may not be resolved in one episode. Exemple: Lorca is very disturbed, which is not typical of the captains we have known yet. But we are learning why he is like that, and we will see during the rest of the season how he will cope with his problems.

One thing that is not very Star Trek is the crew, and this is one thing I like less about Discovery. We don't know them much yet. We are used to know each and every important members of the senior staff, and each crew member had a role to play, with plots of their own. Well, it is true for TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT, but not of TOS. In TOS, the main characters were Kirk, Spock and McCoy. The others have much more limited roles. We know a little more about Scotty, who has a more important role, but really, Sulu is the asian with some skill in fencing, Chekov is that russian Beatle with a chauvinistic streak, Uhura... spoke Swahili... and who in Hell cares about Janice Rand, nurse Chapell or De Salle?

[Darsithis]

Most amazing episode so far. Just...wow. I am absolutely confident they're in the mirror universe after that failed jump at the end

[Mormolyce]

Okay so I've only seen the first three episodes, and without going into great detail my opinion is that they actually have a really good cast, the writing is a problem though. Some of it works fine, but there are some real boners in there. The worst was probably the decision to send the captain and first officer alone to board a Klingon ship to capture a high priority target... I get why that was necessary from a plot point of view but Jesus it was silly. They couldn't throw in a line like "oh this is a science ship we have no security staff", or have the captain say something like "I won't let anyone else take this risk"? I mean, still silly but at least it'd be an attempt to explain it.

The pilot was jarring, even knowing about things like the aesthetic, the new Klingon look etc going in. But I did start to like it a lot more after the third episode.

Regarding the Abramsverse look and feel - to be honest I don't know why they set this series in the old universe. They might as well have just put it in the Kelvin timeline. But I guess they didn't want to worry about continuity issues with the movies? Almost worth creating a third alternate universe really...

Also, why title it "Discovery" if it's going to be so war and action oriented anyway? It really seems misleading, to me "Discovery" sounds like you're going to revisit a classic Trek type series.

Which if anything means it is needed all the more. Just think about classic trek during times of rampant racism and mcartheism they had s black woman AND a russian as bridge crew members.

It spoke if a better future a better tomorrow abd THAT is what we need more of..Hope

I tend to agree actually. I feel like a really good director could come up with a smart way to deliver a vision of a new utopian-future sci fi conception like Star Trek and make it relevant in 2017. But it would take a fair bit of vision and a willingness to take a risk on a direction that is obviously not favoured by the present mindset of TV and film.

[Sorrior]

Okay so I've only seen the first three episodes, and without going into great detail my opinion is that they actually have a really good cast, the writing is a problem though. Some of it works fine, but there are some real boners in there. The worst was probably the decision to send the captain and first officer alone to board a Klingon ship to capture a high priority target... I get why that was necessary from a plot point of view but Jesus it was silly. They couldn't throw in a line like "oh this is a science ship we have no security staff", or have the captain say something like "I won't let anyone else take this risk"? I mean, still silly but at least it'd be an attempt to explain it.

The pilot was jarring, even knowing about things like the aesthetic, the new Klingon look etc going in. But I did start to like it a lot more after the third episode.

Regarding the Abramsverse look and feel - to be honest I don't know why they set this series in the old universe. They might as well have just put it in the Kelvin timeline. But I guess they didn't want to worry about continuity issues with the movies? Almost worth creating a third alternate universe really...

Also, why title it "Discovery" if it's going to be so war and action oriented anyway? It really seems misleading, to me "Discovery" sounds like you're going to revisit a classic Trek type series.



I tend to agree actually. I feel like a really good director could come up with a smart way to deliver a vision of a new utopian-future sci fi conception like Star Trek and make it relevant in 2017. But it would take a fair bit of vision and a willingness to take a risk on a direction that is obviously not favoured by the present mindset of TV and film.

Frankly i feel like they should have just gone mirrorverse instead

[Mormolyce]

I would've hated it if the tech looked like TOS tech. I'm impartial on Kllingons. Because to me they are just bald versions, which is better in my opinion.

You know I was thinking that myself, like maybe it's something this group of priests did. But then the clan leaders all turned up and looked the same.

Maybe shaved heads were in fashion for a while?

Honestly I don't really get it, the long hair / facial hair is a pretty strong part of the Klingon look. If they'd given them that they'd get a lot less shit about the way they look.

[Skroe]

Okay so I've only seen the first three episodes, and without going into great detail my opinion is that they actually have a really good cast, the writing is a problem though. Some of it works fine, but there are some real boners in there. The worst was probably the decision to send the captain and first officer alone to board a Klingon ship to capture a high priority target... I get why that was necessary from a plot point of view but Jesus it was silly. They couldn't throw in a line like "oh this is a science ship we have no security staff", or have the captain say something like "I won't let anyone else take this risk"? I mean, still silly but at least it'd be an attempt to explain it.

The pilot was jarring, even knowing about things like the aesthetic, the new Klingon look etc going in. But I did start to like it a lot more after the third episode.

Regarding the Abramsverse look and feel - to be honest I don't know why they set this series in the old universe. They might as well have just put it in the Kelvin timeline. But I guess they didn't want to worry about continuity issues with the movies? Almost worth creating a third alternate universe really...

Also, why title it "Discovery" if it's going to be so war and action oriented anyway? It really seems misleading, to me "Discovery" sounds like you're going to revisit a classic Trek type series.



I tend to agree actually. I feel like a really good director could come up with a smart way to deliver a vision of a new utopian-future sci fi conception like Star Trek and make it relevant in 2017. But it would take a fair bit of vision and a willingness to take a risk on a direction that is obviously not favoured by the present mindset of TV and film.

Nearly everything about the show I think would have worked in the Prime Universe if it was set 30-50 years after the Dominion War. The visual style, the anarchonisms. Everything. The only thing they would have had to get rid of is the entirely pointless and egregious Sarek connection that they easily could have replaced with somebody else from the Next Generation as a cameo.

The reason I say this is because in Star Trek's fictional history, while Khitomer saw peace with the Klingons in 2293, the Federation-Klingon Alliance happened sometime between 2344 and 2357, which meant that when the Dominion War rolled around, the alliance was at most about 30 years old. That's not a lot of time. And that is accelerated by perhaps my favorite series of lines from the end of DS9 from Bashir I think it was, that looked ahead to the end of the war: the Cardassians would be occupied for decades, the Federation and Romulans would be the strongest powers remaining, and the Klingon Empire, which took enormous losses due to how they fight and during the period in which the Breen energy weapon disabled Federation and Romulan ships, would spend decades recovering, despite winning.

What if those decades had then return to a kind of Klingon traditionalism. They felt weak, and wanted to feel strong again, and 50 years down the line, became an aggressive, expansionist power again? What if the Federation-Alliance got blamed for the losses the Klingon Empire took, and the Klingons resolved to politically and culturually move in the opposite direction over the next 50 years?

Discovery would have worked in that context with almost no changes... certainly without some weird war in the 2250s that didn't exist before this series. We could even have ascribed the New Look Klingons to some kind of post-war eugenics program.

It's all just a tremendous missed opportunity, but Discovery, while pretty good, keeps doing really weird, almost pointless things that make it worse than it otherwise could be. The pre-ToS/Sarek shit is one of those things. The weird, random swearing is another (come on, not on a star trek show). In the latest episode, despite being otherwise really good, it was Klingon Rape and topless nudity.

[Deleted]

Dear God almighty let this end.

I think I just saw Klingon human shagging gay snogging and I swear space jump Scotty is the pilot from firefly

The cgi is pretty good but often senseless

Oh yeah and what's with the white leather uniform new bones seems to be wearing?

[IIamaKing]

If you had taken the time, you would have seen that Discovery has numerous nods, easter eggs and links to the other series, especially TOS. I suggest you watch the reviews Trekspertise is doing on YouTube. They did their research. You need to look beyond the Klingons' appearance.

Fan service does not a proper ST make.

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Well, I have watched Star Trek pretty much as much as you did. The tone of Discovery is darker (like DS9 during the Dominion War story arc), but the show is still real Star Trek. TNG was quite different from TOS too. But since you don't want to listen to my opinion about it, I won't bother telling you more.

Utopian Optimism is a KEY theme of Trek, a theme woefully absent in this dark, ethics bending show.

- - - Updated - - -

Just like Discovery, we just caught them at the conflict part which they couldn't resolve peacefully, but tried, several times.

STD has made it clear that the Federation is NOT Utopian at this time, yet it was pretty damn good Back in Archers day. So they regressed. Like I have been saying show should have been post Dom war, then they can do w/e they want w/o bashing into previously established cannon.

[Darsithis]

I think I just saw Klingon human shagging gay snogging and I swear space jump Scotty is the pilot from firefly

What are you talking about? Sounds like you're just complaining to complain about nothing that was in the show.

Oh yeah and what's with the white leather uniform new bones seems to be wearing?

He's a doctor. Medical. White is a fairly traditional delineator. We shouldn't try to be too literal with matching up with the earlier shows because they often had aesthetics that were products of their time. TOS had beeping, constantly blinking computers and pastel color schemes, but that doesn't fly today.

[Deleted]

whats this shenanigans theory that Ash Tyler is a Klingon (voq?) that has been altered to look human.

[Netherspark]

I have been holding off on the show as initial reactions weren’t stellar. Is it worth the watch at this point?

No one can decide that for you.

I personally don't mind it, seems more realistic and modern. It's star trek minus the cheese, but plus a load of violence.

[Independent voter]

Discovery is winning converts over at /r/startrek

Sure you have the guys who hate anything that isn't TOS but nearly everybody at least watches DSC and you see more and more posts saying "you know I think Discovery has finally won me over."

L'Rell got her meet puppet Ash having some wild Klingon sex, Klingon boobs too.

I thought the whole PTSD thing was a bit over the top but that's my only complaint.

[Elim Garak]

STD has made it clear that the Federation is NOT Utopian at this time, yet it was pretty damn good Back in Archers day. So they regressed. Like I have been saying show should have been post Dom war, then they can do w/e they want w/o bashing into previously established cannon.

So you didn't watch ENT. Ok.

[Deleted]

What are you talking about? Sounds like you're just complaining to complain about nothing that was in the show.



He's a doctor. Medical. White is a fairly traditional delineator. We shouldn't try to be too literal with matching up with the earlier shows because they often had aesthetics that were products of their time. TOS had beeping, constantly blinking computers and pastel color schemes, but that doesn't fly today.

Everything i mentioned i saw in ep 9.

And bones' uniform was made from leather like he was a Michael Jackson fan.

It's so bad enterprise was better and that was dogshit bad

[Deleted]

I have been holding off on the show as initial reactions weren’t stellar. Is it worth the watch at this point?

I think it's horrible and a waste of time. Quality wise it is about on par with Flash or Arrow or Supergirl. It's star trek minus some of the cheese, but also minus the cerebral aspects. It's just another show with some sci-fi in it, very little depth and a huge amount of cringy stuff.

[Deleted]

I think it's horrible and a waste of time. Quality wise it is about on par with Flash or Arrow or Supergirl. It's star trek minus some of the cheese, but also minus the cerebral aspects. It's just another show with some sci-fi in it, very little depth and a huge amount of cringy stuff.

More stupid people go into space and do stupid things.

Where are all the non thickoes in the future?

[Hammerfest]

STD has made it clear that the Federation is NOT Utopian at this time, yet it was pretty damn good Back in Archers day. So they regressed. Like I have been saying show should have been post Dom war, then they can do w/e they want w/o bashing into previously established cannon.

There was no Federation in Archer's day.

I don't care for STD either, but let's at least act like we know what we're talking about.

[IIamaKing]

There was no Federation in Archer's day.

I don't care for STD either, but let's at least act like we know what we're talking about.

Humanity then, yes yes, They hadn't cobbled the Federation together just yet, but humanity had moved to a more Utopian state, a state woefully missing in STD. Thanks for nitpicking and missing the point entirely. Well played.

[Frontenac]

Humanity then, yes yes, They hadn't cobbled the Federation together just yet, but humanity had moved to a more Utopian state, a state woefully missing in STD. Thanks for nitpicking and missing the point entirely. Well played.

We have not even seen what Earth is like in Discovery, and the Federation has been at war since the begining of the show. How can you say that the "utopian state" is missing? Stamets, Tilly, Saru, Culber are all typical Starfleet officers. And what do you mean by "utopian state" anyway?

[Hammerfest]

Thanks for nitpicking and missing the point entirely. Well played.

Thanks for getting something completely wrong and then acting like an effete snob when caught.