Star Trek Discovery. [SPOILERS WITHIN]

I just got around to finishing it last night, and almost all of the stuff that people were outraged about is barely noticeable if you're watching it months after the controversy has blown over.

-Adira's pronoun scene was less drawn out that Data confronting Pulaski over how to pronounce his name, or Ro explaining that Bajoran surnames come first so people shouldn't call her ensign Laren.

-Michael and Saru screaming together was fun and a nice way to show how far to two of them have come.

-I don't remember anyone mentioning it at the time, but it was sad how many people seemed genuinely fond of Tarka even after everything he'd done, but he dies thinking he only ever had two friends, still blinded by grief.

-The Stacey Abrams cameo was fine. There's plenty of old white male politicians that have played bit roles in Hollywood productions because they've got that "old white guy in a suit" look perfected, I don't see why anyone should begrudge Abrams for doing something similar. And it's probably better to have a real politician playing a politician than some random nobody, unless they were going to go the Anton Chekhov route and get another former Trek cast member to play their descendant.

-Oh yeah, Gray bonding with Zora was nice. Shades of Kes bonding with the Doctor, another outsider coming in with a different perspective and treating an emerging sentience like a real person.

Well, this thread quickly went to shit shortly after the beginning of the third season.

I said then - and maintain now that I've seen on screen the sort of character I was thinking of - that the best opportunity for dramatic tension was to give them an XO from the 32nd century (which is the obvious logical thing to do since you need someone who can advise based on knowledge of the current "law of the land) who starts off as a bit of an unlikeable (to the other characters) prick that grew out of that.

Like a variation on what Captain Shaw ended up being.

I'm contemplating going back and watching Discovery from the beginning. I've seen every episode of pre-streaming non ENT Trek at least twice, and I'd say on average for TOS/TNG 3-4 times, with some individual episodes probably 10+ times. But I've only seen the streaming Trek episodes for the most part just the once. Some may hold up better on a rewatch, some worse. If I do, maybe I'll do quick commentary on each as I go along.

I was absolutely expecting Starfleet to insist on a 32nd-century XO. More storytelling possibilities, but also would have made a lot of sense in-universe.

Tilly as acting XO, not so much. It would have made more sense to make Owosekun the XO and promote Tilly to ops. (I'd say Owo or Detmer, but at the time, Detmer seemed to be having a harder time dealing with the whole "everybody I knew is dead" thing, so Owo probably could have handled the pressure better.)

I had fully expected Adira to be assigned that role considering they had access to centuries worth of knowledge and recent experience as a Starfleet Admiral through the symbiont. Either as XO or as a defacto babysitter.

Nah ... Adira is basically Ezri, but even more so.

Ezri was an adult, albeit a young one, and a Trill, albeit one who never expected or prepared to be joined ... and while she had access to the memories of the Dax symbiont, it was clear that she wasn't able to fill the roles that Jadzia had. Try to imagine Ezri taking the Defiant into battle as its captain ... it just doesn't work.

Adira is a teenager, and not even a Trill. They may have access to Senna Tal's memories, but that's about it.

Long ass clip from the season 5 premiere.

Seems more...light?

In a good way, action scenes of course but not "oh my god the fate of the galaxy" heavy burdens. I like it (also Kovach being there is cool)

That looks like it would be fun on a holodeck!

Frakes says season 5 has a more Indiana Jones/First Contact tone with more levity, and admits season 3-4 got a bit emo-y.

https://trekmovie.com/2023/09/19/jo...s-back-on-track-likens-tone-to-first-contact/

When you look at his credits, Frakes has been behind some of the best trek of the last 30 years or so.

He was also in a cool little animated science fantasy show called Gargoyles. I thought he directed most of the episodes, but alas, no, not according to wikipedia.

definitely some of the best animation to come out of the 90s

And at least one or two Trek actors did voices on it.

Especially "The Sanctuary".

Everbody fumbles once in awhile. I'm sure your parents can relate.

I'm years late to responding to this, but six years later, it's definitely been rewarding to see younger fans coming into the franchise and embracing the progressive ideals that Discovery more than any other modern Trek show has embraced.

I'm most surprised by people who unironically enjoy the ENT theme song, I'm not THAT open minded to say that song is anywhere in the category of good, but hey, if ppl wanna enjoy that show and VOY, more power to them

20 year nostalgia factor for the song.

not entirely out of nowhere... the bee girl turned 40 this year.

I don’t care what anyone says - not now, not then. I like the song.

Season 5 clip.

God, why is is so damn dark FFS?!

It's giving Game of Thrones season 8 and I don't like that

Have to say I've never been a fan of the personal transporter and it's worse when it's integral to the action instead of the character you no longer need in the scene just pissing off. Basically a whole cast with what amounts to a superpower. How the fuck do you even tell the thing where you want to materialize?

Tell the tricorder part to follow your eyeline, then look where you want to go.

which doesn't explain how you can piss off from the bridge to engineering (for example) and other than these thrilling adventure, how often do you need to teleport to a spot you can literally see?

That honestly looks stupid.

I was really hoping we were done with that guy. The actor who plays him is annoying.

They say "engineering" inside the matter stream.
"Realm of fear" already set up you can move around and do stuff there.

Maybe there's a mind reading chip?

Starfleet devices have had mindreading technology since at least the 24th century. It's why the turbolift door on the Enterprise D bridge knows if you want it to open or if you're just passing in front of it, and how the communicator knows you're done with the conversation even if you don't say "Riker out."

It's more reliable than a Betazoid, really.