This morning CBS released 6 photos for the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery. “Context is for Kings” will be released this Sunday.
There is something gruesome going on in the abandoned Shenzhou
Mary Wiseman as Cadet Sylvia Tilly; Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham; Anthony Rapp as Lieutenant Paul Stamets
Saru really wants that chair
Doug Jones as Lieutenant Saru
Hey look, it’s the robot
Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham; Doug Jones as Lieutenant Saru
Lt. Stamets entertains the shuttle crew with some hand puppets
Pictured: Anthony Rapp as Lieutenant Paul Stamets.
Burnham shows her “what you talking about?” face
Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
Lorca has a pet tribble
Jason Isaacs as Captain Gabriel Lorca; Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusive in the US on CBS All Access with new episodes released Sundays at 8:30 pm ET. In Canada Star Trek: Discovery airs on the Space Channel at the same time. Discovery is available on Netflix outside the USA and Canada with new episodes made available Monday at 8 am BST.
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.
I like these shots!
New ship, new crew. Not bailing yet…going to give Captain Lorca and company a chance to wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
That’s pretty much where I am. Wasn’t keen on the first ep, but I thought the second was better. Still, my overall impression was that the show was fairly unpleasant, built on concepts that will limit the possibility of it developing into something more to my tastes. I’ll stick with it for now, but I’m guessing the GoT-ization of Trek means we shouldn’t get attached to any of these characters (especially Capt. Lorca). Maybe that’s a more mature form of storytelling, but it’s not the sort of Star Trek I’m interested in. Between the unfortunate premise and the tiresome focus on the Klingons, there’s little here to hold my attention, so I hope this week marks a sharp course correction.
I would suggest a second or third watch if you can spare the time. I picked up more that I missed with each viewing and left feeling a lot better after digesting some of it a bit more.
I watched both again last night and actually enjoyed them quite a bit more the second go around.
Same here. I know that, at least for me, when I watch something I’ve been anticipating for a long time that I’m a bit over-whelmed on the first watch. The second watch I feel that I pick up more things.
Same for me. Enjoyed the first viewings more or less, but enjoyed them much more the second time around. It’s like the weight of expectation had been lifted.
Yes exactly. And I think, honestly, the red carpet premiere raised expectations too high. All the talk of tons of Trek Lore and shocking twists and I didnt really see any of that.
I even had a buddy message me just last night after he watched and said “So what was everyone in a tizzy about? Did I miss something?”
On second viewing, when I knew what I was getting myself into, I could analyze it for what it is, not for what it isnt, and I really liked it.
I still think the directing, writing and pacing lacked desperation. The two main hand to hand fight scenes needed more desperation. The actual space battle needed more desperation. And Michael’s obsession with firing first needed more desperation.
Almost the George Lucas thing “Okay good, try it again, this time faster and more intense”
Yes, exactly! I was bothered by Burnham and Georgeau saving the race in the prologue a la Into Darkness because I thought it was a clear PD violation. I totally missed Burnam’s line that an accident caused by the Federation destroyed their water table. I completely reversed my opinion after I heard that line on my second viewing.
Completely agree, there were so many lines I missed the first time. Loved it the first time, watched it again to pick up the little details and easter eggs. One of the other Trek sites did a live tweet analysis of the trek lore present.
Were all lucky we can go back and watch this more then once.In the old days you had to wait for the DVD to watch again.One thing good about the internet among the many bad things.
No you didn’t. You just recorded it on your videotape and watched that. I saw the first episode of TNG about 10 times before I saw the second one.
Maybe I missed something…did they explain why a starship’s sensors couldn’t find them through cloud-cover yet somehow their delta sheild “help” signal was spotted? Also, was there anything explaining why the captain and her first officer are sent into a dangerous situation to shoot a phaser down a water well? And the first officer wasn’t able to figure out they were traveling in a “circle” until she saw the footprints? That entire sequence started me off on the wrong foot, and that was before the credits even rolled.
That whole prologue scene was bad. Im sure it was very expensive and they loved shooting on location but I would have scrapped it.
It was a poor introduction to the two main characters.
Not only was the “mission” sort of ho hum and boring (they built up this tension with the aliens watching and nothing actually happens), but the dialogue was stupid.
They needed exposition to explain to the viewer what was happening so they had the First Officer explain the mission to the Captain. Wait, the Captain didnt know?
And as you mentioned, the First Officer, the one who was initially responsible for navigating them on the planet, didnt realise they walked in a circle? lol
I think I would have made the Flashback to Michael’s assignment to the Shenzhou the prologue intro. Expand it a bit, make it a bit meatier. And maybe have some corresponding Klingon action happening “7 years ago” as well.
The desert planet mission didnt matter at all. The flashback DID matter.
If this shows makes it past the first two seasons, then I would bet that the Klingons will not be the only villains of the show. People need to chill. It is a bloody pilot, for a tv show. It aint going to be perfect. It was pretty good overall. Much better acting as well, compared to any previous Trek ‘pilot’ episode!
Encounter at Farpoint did have Patrick Stewart, who was out this world from right there, but other performances were questionable. And the episode, aside from Q appearances, was dull.
Farpoint ain’t great, but it showed potential and felt very “Star Trek”. There wasn’t a single character that survived the first two eps of Discovery that I found likable or interesting. That will be one of my big tests: Are there people here I want to spend time with? Hopefully the answer will be yes, but, even then, I’m reluctant to get too attached to any of them.
Hmm I think Emissary is the best Star Trek pilot. To each his own though. I really liked the premiere although I agreed with Anthony is his review that it works better when thought of as a prequel movie. As for episode 3 this feels more like what we think of as a pilot in the sense that she will be arriving on the Discovery and we will finally get to meet the crew that will make up the bulk of the storyline.
I guess I just aint a big Avery Brooks fan.
Emissary has a better story to tell, has great character intros (who could forget Kira’s entry!) but I just think Patrick Stewart and John DeLancie nail it out of the park together in Farpoint. They were perfect casting for TNG.
“Much better acting as well, compared to any previous Trek ‘pilot’ episode!”
I’m no fan of TNG but, but I recognize talent when I see it. No one in Discovery was even close to the acting ability of Patrick Stewart. I don’t understand all the love for the stilted, wooden un-natural forced performances. Have these folks ever watched Spencer Tracy? Or other Binge worthy series like House of Cards? Man in the High Castle? Westworld? Kevin Spacey is a good actor. Ed Harris, is a good actor. How anyone can watch what was presented on Discovery and come away with the impression that the acting was good is beyond me. It was capable acting, not much more.
I agree that Stewart is another level above most actors, all respect to others in his field. It is just so!
A silly argument. No on will argue that Stewart is a tremendous actor. But that wasnt the argument here.
That’s fair enough. I probably would have rejected it’s grittiness and pretty bleak tone out-of-hand as Star Trek even ten years ago, but after the three Abrams films I’m starved for intelligent Trek again, and I’ve seen more interesting debate sparked by those two episodes, whatever their faults, than I’ve seen on Trek forums in many years. Hopefully this will eventually settle in to something really special that more fans can embrace.
It’s too bad people feel the need to reject something as not being “Star Trek” just because it isn’t their Star Trek. Hopefully this show will allow people to see and appreciate the diversity in storytelling that is present in the 51yr history of the franchise. Although if it does happen it’s probably due to the fact that Star Trek has been off the air for so long.
Yep. I remember when there was one Star Trek, and it was that way for years. Then it got totally re-imagined with a bigger budget, and even though it had the same actors, it never really felt like the same Star Trek. Then it got re-imagined again for TNG and again for ENT, and then again for nuTrek. So Discovery’s re-imagining is nothing more than just one more re-imagining to me. I also like that this is a Star Trek for 2017, not 1997.
not a re-imaging ,it’s new and a time we have never seen.It’s Star fleet and the rules from one series to another remain the same ,what’s wrong with that?
You made the point it’s 2017 not 1997. To think they would produce a series like the ones in the past would be dumb and nobody would really watch.
“It’s too bad people feel the need to reject something as not being “Star Trek” just because it isn’t their Star Trek.”
Conversely, it’s too bad there are people are willing to accept poor writing and bad acting just because it has “Star Trek” in the title and looks slick.
I don’t get this sentiment, go back and watch any other first episodes of any series and they all have terrible hokey lines and bad acting. Nobody know how the characters feel yet because it’s the first episode. None of the series found their legs until a few episodes in at least.
…please see The Corbomite Manuever, the very first episode of TOS filmed, for a template of how to establish characterization from the very beginning with good writing and good acting. (aside from the pilots)
jonboc,
Re: the very first episode of TOS filmed
Don’t be silly. WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE was filmed before that and 90% of THE MENAGERIE episode was in the can before one frame of either of those episodes was filmed.
VERY biased towards negativity to complain about bad writing and bad acting, both are not in evidence on this series.
Its not a contest between you and everyone who enjoyed it.
“VERY biased towards negativity to complain about bad writing and bad acting, both are not in evidence on this series.”
Really? Not in evidence? You’re desire to want this to series to be amazing has clearly clouded your judgement. The opening scene was as prime an example of piss-poor writing and acting that I’ve seen in awhile. The exchange between Yeoh and Martin was painfully awkward. The attempts at humor was poorly setup and poorly executed. Then the scene itself. We send the captain and first officer down to shoot a phaser down a well. Yes, the captain. Let me repeat. To shoot a phaser blast down. a. well. sigh. And they’re lost. Because the ship can’t find them with sensors through a sandstorm. But, fortunately, there is someone on board, up on the mast, that can see the distress signal so cleverly etched into the sand. To have had all the extra time this series has enjoyed, and all the talent on board, there were way too many mis-steps. I’ve put my money where my mouth is, and I’m going to try to watch them all, for better or worse. Having not seen the Discovery yet, and no sign of Nick Meyer, I’m keeping an open mind of things to come…but they don’t get a free pass just because it has Star Trek in the title and has slick effects.
Some people actually liked the acting and writing for Discovery. If you don’t like it that’s your choice. However my point is that it’s still Star Trek. It’s just a show you don’t like. Just like TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise and all of the other movies are Star Trek. Someone hating on one or even more of the shows or the movies doesn’t remove it from the franchise.
I agree. So in fairness I suppose I can lob your own query back at you and demand that you justify how you could possibly enjoy, appreciate, or even tolerate Trek 2009–a epic paen to idiocy you once labeled as “brilliant”–outside of its attractive, likable cast. Or, you know, you could just accept the fact that different fans have differing tastes without implying they’re selling their souls for a “Trek” in the title, and leave it at that.
Oh–and, in spite of Trek 2009’s cast easily being the best thing about it, at the end of the day the acting was. . . competent. Okay. Nothing more, not even that of Leonard Nimoy (sorry), or Bruce Greenwood. There certainly isn’t anything that can remotely compare with Spencer Tracy (hambone that he could be at times), or Kevin Spacey, or even Ed Harris, since you found it necessary to drag them into this.
It’s really very simple. Open up your observational skills. There is a natural form of acting, in delivery. That skill, being the type of acting that mimics reality…full of subtle nuance..inflection..cadence…etc. It separates the engaging from the forgettable. Think Bruce Greenwood. Karl Urban. Chris Pine. Then there is poor acting…giving line recitals. Think Tyler Perry, Eric Bana. In your beloved TNG, think the natural delivery of Patrick Stewart and Levar Burton vs. the stilted delivery of Gates McFadden. In Voyager, think the natural delivery of Kate Mulgrew vs the pasty wallpaper performance of Robert Beltrane. In Discover, there is the natural delivery of Saru vs. the stilted delivery of Michelle Yeoh, Sonequa Martin and James Frain’s Sarek. Being vulcan or raised on Vulcan is no excuse…please see Leonard Nimoy or Mark Lenard. Why or how one can overlook the obvious I can’t even begin to guess. Everyone wants it to be be so good, so bad, you’re unwilling to see the forest for the trees.
How could you overlook the sheer awfulness of the writing and production design in Trek 2009, then? Or are matters of personal taste just perfectly self-evident to you? If I had a need to like and approve of something just because it had “Trek” in the title then why did I stand up in the theatre and say in a tone loud enough for everyone in my immediate vicinity to hear, “What a piece of $hit!”–something I’m glad that I’ve never done before or since, as it’s evident to me that I was being as boorish then as you are now?
I saw any number of flaws in the two hours of Discovery I watched. Including, I might add, some stilted dialogue and acting by the principals (though I thought they loosened-up considerably by the second hour). I feel no need to apologize for liking overall what I saw, regardless. Just for starters, let’s see you go to the mat for Mickey Mouse hands, tossing holograms through the air, the great lobster chase, building a massive starship in an Iowa cornfield, a supernova that threatens its stellar neighbors in real time, and Spock directly observing the destruction of his homeworld from a location that had to be at least hundreds of millions of miles away. Then we’ll talk.
I agree with this ,I mean I’m always open for new and different Star Trek.I think this show will fulfill. It ain’t TOS ,or any other Trek but that great in my world.
“Maybe that’s a more mature form of storytelling, but it’s not the sort of Star Trek I’m interested in” – um, ok?
It’s just the truth, and I’m guessing I’m not alone. I like spending time with Kirk and co., and that connection with the characters kept me a fan of the franchise. I didn’t like spending time with the Voyager crew, so I stopped watching. Connecting with the characters is important, and I want to respect them and like them as people (and to believe that we can become better in the future). TNG went too far with the silly business about not arguing, but Discovery is already trending too far in the opposite direction, at least for my tastes. I’m fine with the idea of Michael accidentally starting a war out of good intentions, but the mutiny was half-baked and having her murder the Klingon was too much. We’re a long way from Kirk trying to save Kruge in Star Trek III.
I can relate to what you are saying.
The connection that I feel with Burnahm is keeping me attached to the show.
I don’t think the state the Klingons are in Michael isn’t going to stand there and try to save a Klingon who is attacking her without a word. I don’t think that Klingon was in the mood to debate anything. Your comment is unfounded.
Again what kind of Star Trek are you interested in? Your are the 2nd person that made that comment ,but didn’t tell us what your interested in.I think that would be important to us and CBS. You can’t make a comment on anything without backing your comment up. Not to be rude but it’s useless information.
I don’t think it’s going to go full GoT, because I believe the writers are still committed to making it Star Trek, optimistic and forward-looking. I think the first two episodes were merely a prologue, a way to draw in those types of audiences. Episode 3, I believe, will give us a more accurate view of what this show will actually be.
When Code of Honor aired as TNG third episode, I would imagine most fans would have feared this show was a poor retread of TOS and would fail. Yet three years later it was THE show of its genre in its day.
Discovery will evolve, the characters will get older (and the actors), evolve, change, narrative will evolve, change. No more action without consequences like in anythings pre-Enterprise. That is a good thing, it is a new way of telling a story in Star Trek. That is exciting.
So long as CBS are willing to give it time.
And what kind of Star Trek are you interested in? I’m a long time Trek fan but I don’t get what other fans like you want. This is a time,10 years before TOS and Something we have never seen. We haven’t seen this time with Klingons ,it was hinted at in next gen and DS9 and why the Klingons became what they were, in next gen and DS9.I would like to point out also that Next Gen took 3 seasons before it really caught on as they were fighting with TOS fans who wanted Kirk and Spock,yet Paramount stood there ground and it paid off. DS9 was even worse in terms of how dark that series was. Fans at the time were not keen on that series,but again Paramount waited it out and DS9 started something we still see in TV ,the story arc. This new series has promise because as you know Star Trek does better on TV then the big screen always did. I think Capt. Lorca will hang around until the actor doesn’t want the job. For these actors being on a Star Trek series is always good for there career. I’ll let this series play out and trust the minds at CBS.
Luckily for you there is Orville with bland boring stories, an A/B plot for you to be able to follow, lots of technobabble, free energy, no real challenges and nice easy solutions. See you in the holodeck!
Grow up, drama queen.
You really are annoying with comments like that. And I like both Orville and Discovery.
But neither are perfect so far either.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for this show, and I’m sure it’s producers do as well. But they’ve gone out of their way to make a show for that’s not for everyone–I actually appreciate that about it–so a wide variety of reactions is to be expected. n the meantime, no use disparaging the tastes of others just to believe later your own.
Same.
Hey, look! Blood, guts and gore (I see dead people…)!
Is that a tribble? You know, they cause trouble.
From what we’ve heard about Lorca, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s… taken care of that problem.
Hmm wonder if the mystery of the shenzou is related to the war with the Klignons or just a random mystery? Either way I am definitely intrigued after seeing those twisted bodies.
I assumed they were going back to retrieve bodies. But Philippa’s body was on the Klingon ship. So there must be another mystery to the Shenzhou.
So want LORCA to be an ancestor of PICARD. Can’t get over the resemblance.
Nah. Lorca’s American and Picard’s French.
What’s your point? My descendants from 100 years ago were German, not Canadian.
Nothing we would exactly recognize as nation-states in the Trek timeframe anyway.
I’m in the UK and just had a look on Netflix and it says next episode coming 9th Oct? That’s 2 weeks away, is this right?
I’m seeing that too; well, we got screwed-over with all of those videos that wouldn’t play outside North America, so nothing surprises me about Discovery anymore
yeah same here UK 9th October what gives? USA get it 1st…..
At least you get to watch it on Netflix.
I saw someone elsewhere mention that Discovery is being offered in 4K HDR on Netflix in the UK. Is that true?
I believe so yea, but on Netflix Twitter for the show it does say episodes weekly so I’m just hoping the 9th is a typo
Yeah I’m sure it is a typo!
4K HDR Well it didn’t work at the weekend for STD according to a friend…. i don’t have a 4K TV so cant check!
Changed days- we used to wait 4 months before we got to see TNG, DS9 or Voyager – used to get a friend to send over VHS tapes of 4 episodes of TNG once they had aired – and get them transferred to PAL our UK video system! Same with DS9!
HDR yes, 4K no…. Bit of a wasted opportunity (unless just the pilot was filmed/broadcast at 1080?
Wait you can’t have HDR without 4K,it doesn’t work that way.You can have 4K without HDR ,maybe that’s what you mean?
@Thomas P Vinelli — nope not true. THere is 1080p HDR, but almost nothing is encoded in it.
Man, those dead crewman bodies are little too graphic for Trek…
I’m betting that creature seen running after them in the corridor in the previews has something with those twisted bodies.
Much better when the red shirts just get vaporized?!?!? lol
we had the same thing with the borg and 8472.
Remember that head exploding in TNG episode “Conspiracy”?
yup!
Yep and that was 30 freaking years ago.
Do I ever!
Welcome to Trek 2017. Why is that an issue?
Really? I may be one of the most sensitive persons when it comes to “graphic violence” ON TREK, but a couple of dead crewman bodies is certainly not “too graphic”… Once the Klingons start ripping out spines, chopping off heads or vaporizing people in 10-second agony, I’m with you, but so far, nothing on this show was “too graphic”…
The robot looks a little too much like Twiki for me…
But, young minds, new ideas…
Anyone else think Burnham is part of Red Dwarf’s Canaries? I half expect to see Lister and company show up…
I hadn’t thought of that, but yes! Given that Red Dwarf and Trek (in second tier canon) exist in the same universe – JMC office on the promenade of DS9 – why not?
Excited about the Discovery but honestly already miss the comradery of the USS Shenzhou (a good thing). The looks between the helm officers and the situational comedy of the Captain fighting with her two command officers was straight of TOS! Love how they have two ships and a developing storyline / characters to keep things fresh.
I HOPE we will have the Shenzhou years filled in heavily, via flashbacks. I’d even be keen to see a full episode here and there covering a Shenzhou adventure.
There’s already a novel set aboard the Shenzou.
Hooves. Tribble now = fan service. Still hoping the writers/directors give the actors time to breathe.
Doesn’t fan service imply it’s something fans were hoping would happen but didn’t really need to happen? Sometimes a Tribble is just a Tribble. ☺️
Well we seen them moderately throughout the years so I think its fine. The only other show besides TOS that ever did a story around them was DS9 which of course was just a retelling of Trouble with Tribbles.
I completely forgot we saw one on Enterprise until someone pointed it out here last week. And STID had its (in)famous tribble moment but outside those two its been nothing else until now.
A “What you talking about?” face. Hmm, what does she have in common with Arnold from Diff’rent Strokes, OP?
Yeah, I found that to be an unfortunate label for the image.
Agreed. Very unfortunate.
Liked the first two episodes. But, there were too many Klingon dialogue scenes. And they talk so slow it’s like wading through quicksand!
I can’t get enough Klingons. The Klingon scenes were some of my favorite parts. It always annoyed me that the Klingons in the other series usually spoke English.
I agree. Boring, cookie cutter aliens, with no individuality, sputtering out robotic dialog that sounds like bad Navajo through poorly fitted, slur-inducing prosthetic teeth. and it goes on…and on..and on. They cant find that universal translator fast enough!
Yeah I agree. It was just too much of it.
Jeez. You know you’re in trouble when you have to put an entirely false spin on what another poster just wrote in about order to make your point.
LOL. They are an alien culture spanning over thousands of years. And you want them to speak English because that’s the only language you know. How sad. I thought the dialogue scenes were fantastic, the Klingons were fantastic. For the first time in history they actually felt ALIEN. Not like humans with a bump speaking English. Comments such as these just illustrate how conservative you people are. And how little you venture outside of your comfort zone.
Second this.
It has noting to do with being ‘conservative’ it just felt boring after awhile for some of us. I lived in several non-English speaking countries, it has nothing to do with speaking English and everything to do with its execution. They talked slow and it sounded muffled. At the beginning it was fine but after 20 mins of it it felt tiring.
And I was fine they felt more alien, it still didn’t make it any more appealing.
The extended Klingon dialogue scenes complete with guttural utterances were brilliant in my view. It brought a sense of authenticity to the show that was previously missing in Trek. The Klingons felt very alien and much more mysterious and entertaining.
In the past nothing made me laugh more and not take the episode seriously than the old stupid forehead of the week trope where the alien speaks English like a Massachusetts liberal LOL preaching out a childish moral story. Thank goodness those days are over
This episode will be the true test of DSC’s mettle
Nah.
It will introduce the captain and crew of the Discovery though.
Just ’cause I want to complain too — I actually way prefer the darker Shenzou sets to what I’ve seen of Discovery so far, continuity be damned.
I like the Shenzou set as it felt more “closed in” – that you could see all the officers in the same scene (i.e. the Captain could read the monitors behind her, see the helm and nav consoles). Always dramatic when the Captain stands up and looks over the helm and nav officers due to something urgent while you can see the first officer and science officer in the background. Discovery’s bridge seems too big for that to take place.
I agree that this new show is not a story told the way that the old tv shows where but in all honesty people lost interest in these shows and times and society have changed and I believe that the format of this show has evolved for modern audiences and its designed that way to keep interest. The show felt very much like a Star Trek show for me and I am excited to see what happens next. Still a lot of people on here complaining that its not like a show from 30 years ago. Like so many people say, theres a lot of clever lines and dialogue you need to watch out for that makes more sense on hearing that. People need to give it time, rather than write it off before the show has even started.
“I agree that this new show is not a story told the way that the old tv shows where but in all honesty people lost interest in these shows and times and society have changed and I believe that the format of this show has evolved for modern audiences and its designed that way to keep interest. ”
You do realized that serialized storytelling is nothing new? Soap operas have been doing it for 50 years. I never watched them, and I don’t care for that form of storytelling, specifically in my Star Trek, because I enjoy revisiting Star Trek…however, I know, realistically, I will never ever watch this series again, any more than I will pick up a favorite novel and re-read chapter 14. And I’m not about to re-watch it in 15 hour blocks. Loved and watched every season of 24, but I’ll never revisit them. In that respect, I guess I’m kinda glad that Discovery, so far, isn’t very good!
Yeah, “All My Children”. Also THE SOPRANOS, DEADWOOD, THE WIRE, TREME, and BREAKING BAD. Not to mention the reboot of BSG. Any one of which, on its most average day, leaves Trek mostly in the dust, with rare exception . Sorry some folks want to keep it that way.
TNG, DS9, and VOY were all syndicated series. Stations preferred to be able to play episodes in any order they wanted. That’s why there was very little serialized storytelling aside from 2-parters. The Dominion War arc didn’t really start until the last few seasons of DS9, and Voyager was weakly serialized at best. First couple seasons of Enterprise were also very episodic. TV now has changed dramatically, thanks to Game of Thrones and numerous other series that are all serialized. It’s what audiences want now.
I 2nd this and i’m an old Trek fan.
I disagree, I love the serialized format. You actually have characters developing, multiple ships, consequences of their choices having ramifications down the road. These people can change the fate of the Federation and the galaxy. It makes more sense than TNG, Warp 5 = global warming must be banned, next episode, Picard orders WARP 9.999999!! That’s one of the reasons why DS9 is so much more popular these days – you get to see the development of Bajor into a Federation member (cool), Klingon war, alliance with the Klingons and the Dominion War growing exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. Voyager would have been well served to similarly do so (we are out of photon torpedoes, what do we do? We must repair the ship from the catastrophic damage brought on by the X race which is hunting us down for our tech. Our dilithium can’t reenergize, we must find power, etc). The best opportunity was Enterprise – start with cheap nuke powered and armed ships with the Vulcans seeing us as simply illogical and work up to the invention of the transporters, humans helping everyone win Romulan war, etc – instead we got peace with the Klingons and transporters in the first 10 minutes. BRING ON THE SERIALIZED TREK!!!
===SPOILERS===
For anyone who’s reading the new Discovery novel and doesn’t want to know, Robert Mack mentioned this in an interview about the explanation for the aesthetic differences. It sounds like if we ever see a TOS ship or technology, it’ll look like what you’re familiar with or the explanation will be there but we’ll never see it in Discovery. Makes it that much more interesting though to know he did this with the blessing of one of the writers of the show.
From MACK himself: The differences in technology posed a different hurdle. I posited that the use of subspace holograms had fallen out of favor by the time the Enterprise was built because the holograms were bandwidth hogs on subspace channels and prone to encryption flaws. And while the interfaces on the Shenzhou’s bridge look fancier, the characters who serve on the Enterprise feel proud that their ship is so advanced that it doesn’t need all these gadgets to get the job done. I have a moment near the end of the book when the Shenzhou lands what the crew thinks is a solid hit on the enemy — and then they watch a phaser beam from the Enterprise’s state-of-the-art weapons carve off part of the enemy’s hull. And the Shenzhou crew is just flabbergasted and in awe. In that moment we see their respect and reverence for the majesty of a Constitution-class starship.
As far as the differences in the crews’ uniforms, there is ample precedent in real life for a military service having multiple approved duty uniforms at any given time, and sometimes special uniforms for elite units, etc. So my retcon for the difference in the uniforms is that most of Starfleet is wearing the “utility blue” jumpsuits of the Shenzhou crew. But the crews of the Enterprise and other Constitution-class ships are considered elite units, so they’ve been issued special “diplomatic” uniforms to designate their status. What I like about my solution is that it explains the apparent discrepancy while showing proper reverence for the Original Series.
@PEB — All sounds great and logical. Except … if we ever do see a Constitution class ship in DISC, it had better not be identical to that used in the TOS remaster. It had better be updated to fit within this new re-styled visual language for the era. That was the problem I had with both “Trials and Tribblations” and “In A Mirror Darkly” — it was too much of a nostalgic leap. DS9 was a little more plausible due to the 100 years difference, though it required heavy suspension of disbelief nevertheless. But With ENT, it was just to visually incongruous. I hope the producers of DISC don’t bend to that level of fan pandering, whatever else they may throw in reference-wise.
I actually agree with you. It could be updated but ever so slightly to give it a touch of realism where the TOS sets felt more like you could go out in your garage and build the sets. It’s not a knock at all but it’s like you’re talking about – doesn’t age the best. This always made sense to me or something somewhat like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCPdmOuzYrM
Wow. That was quite cool. Some pretty talented fans out there. Thanks for sharing.
@PEB — yes, that clip is a step in the right direction, but that still doesn’t take it far enough. It’s still too garish. Abrams was headed in the right direction, but went way too far, and indeed I think there’s some draft artwork of KU bridge designs that looked a whole lot more like the TOS bridge if Roddenberry created Star Trek today. Heck, just redress TMP bridge and I’d be happy. Put round nacelles on that ship design and Bob’s your uncle.
@Cadet – Agreed. PEB posted the link below to exactly what I would want to see. In every way, THAT is OUR Enterprise…but with the use of modern LED technically to make it look reasonably advanced.
And thats a fan creation I assume. So you create that with today’s budgets and production people, better quality sets that effectively look the same, updated screens etc and you can easily make an Enterprise that looks right while looking right…if you know what I mean.
Enterprise actually sort of did what Mack suggested. Even though the Defiant looked older, the characters all acted like it was super advanced, so in that way, we “believe” that it is. They werent going to update the look and graphics etc but we could now and accomplish the same end result.
If Discovery wants to have fun with it, Mack’s explanation for holograms is a good one. We saw them pretty jittery already. So you could easily have them fail routinely and resort to voice only or on-screen only to the point it’s almost a gag.
And you could also introduce consoles with less cool graphics and refer to them as more automated.
And the Uniforms thing is no big deal. The Elite unis idea is fine. or simply that they are transitioning to new unis. At some point, show us another ship with the “New” Cage style unis and then the following season, the Discovery crew is wearing them.
If Discovery lasts multiple seasons I think we get more of this visual transition to TOS. And I suspect the idea for a finale has probably entered their minds, even if only as an after thought..to end Discovery with the launch of Kirk’s mission. Michael being there to see Spock off would be the obvious connection…
I still might try out that novel, but am sorry that Mack decided to go that route when he could have just left the matter alone at least for now, a bit of fan service that has (I assume) nothing to do with the novel’s actual plot. Because, no, it really doesn’t fly, logically. Discovery is a sister ship to the Shenzhou production design-wise, and in the chronology it’s newer than the Enterprise. So it just doesn’t make sense that the reason Pike’s ship lacks all those fancy modern interfaces and touchscreens and holograms is because it’s too advanced to need them.
As my mirror keeps reminding me, it’s 2017, not 1966. There’s just no way around that. Canonistas need to get over it, and concentrate on story.
Such a terrible show…
Terrible to some, not to others.
I really enjoyed the Klingon scenes, they were my favorite part of the pilot episodes. I loved how they paused and put emphasis on certain words. I had never heard Klingon spoken so eloquently.