Watch Preview Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 6 + Ephraim Details, Takei Weighs In And More

We have a few bits of Star Trek: Discovery news to catch you up on, starting with a preview of next week’s episode “Lethe,” which was released online this morning by CBS.

More Disco Bits

 

Details on Ephraim the bridge officer

As reported yesterday, the original plan for the tardigrade was for him to be a bridge officer called “Ephraim.” Later yesterday afternoon screenwriter Kemp Powers confirmed on Twitter that early versions of his script for last week’s episode (“Choose Your Pain”) including Ephraim. He also revealed Ephraim was to be a Lt. Commander. At TrekMovies’s request, Powers even provided a sample bit of dialog.

Takei hearts Stamets and Culber

George Takei made waves last year for not being happy about how Sulu was given a husband in Star Trek Beyond, but he seems happy to see the a same-sex couple on Star Trek: Discovery.  

Rapp shows his Trek cred when talking about Stamets/Culber

Following last weekend’s episode Variety talked to Anthony Rapp about playing Lt. Stamets and his relationship with Dr. Culber. This exchange showed that the actors Star Trek binge watching has really sunk in.

You and Wilson Cruz have a number of scenes together this episode, including the one at the end where you’re brushing your teeth together, where you’re just interacting the way that married couples do, which isn’t something we’ve seen often in “Star Trek” …
Well, you have Keiko and O’Brien on “Deep Space Nine.”

Yes, that’s true. What was it like shooting those scenes?
It’s really satisfying to have writing made available that shows these different colors. I’m glad and I’m proud that our writers have approached our relationship in this manner.

Get to know L’Rell

CBS has released another character video, this time focusing on L’Rell with actress Mary Chieffo and EPs Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts.

Netflix beats global estimations – did Star Trek help?

Star Trek: Discovery has helped boost CBS All Access in the US and the Space Channel in Canada, but what about the rest of the world? This week Netflix announced their third quarter performance which included adding 4.5 million subscribers outside the USA, beating analyst expectations of 3.6 million. The news pushed shares of the company to record highs. Some see Star Trek: Discovery as a factor in this global growth of the streaming giant.


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.

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Boy, if those 4+ million subs were largely due to Discovery then Netflix got their money’s worth.

Next weeks episode looks good. And I like that every episode does actually tell their own stories in a bigger arc the way DS9 and Enterprise did.

Man they were dead serious about that tardigrade joining the crew lol. Even gave him a rank. Crazy.

Im glad it didnt work out though I respect their willingness to explore it. It makes sense that not all intelligent species would be humanoid. But it pushes the bounds a little bit, in my mind.

Yeah I am too. I mean I guess we would’ve got use to the idea in time but I agree it pushes it a little too much.

Wish they could’ve pulled it off. Bipedal species that act too close to humans is one of the things that bugs me the most. I want real alienness and oddities, way far out. Horta was great.

I remember in one of the Diane Duane novels of the Original Series, there was a Horta serving on the bridge. Sounds like a similar scenario here. I wish the show could have the budget to show how Humanoids and Non-humanoids would interact on the same ship. Fun stuff!!

Given this drive has to end up an epic failure I am glad he did not join the crew. Opens the door for the tardigrade to be evil and/or object to the drive and/or destroying the universe or whatever.

It would have been like having an actual Lion in a uniform on the bridge in TOS.

They were talking about having a damn 1/2 polar bear on the bridge for TWOK, so that doesn’t sound all THAT out there by comparison.

@KhabKrugeKrall — or a Horta. And whatever became of the Medusans? Imagine a crewmember in a metal box on the bridge. I think the real promise of Trek has been constrained by technology and budget and as a result limited how its audiences come to think of sentient beings. Having the Ripper as part of the bridge crew would have been very cool in terms of expanding that ideal for audiences.

A lion! Now that would be kewl

Hmmmmmm’ress…

Yeah, a huge pause there while the Universal Translator is working. What if he was giving an order in a dangerous blink-and-you’ll-miss-your-opportunity situation?

Perhaps the Tardigrade understands English (he’d almost certainly have to). The translator is for others to understand him. So he’d have trouble rising to supervisory levels where instant orders are needed. But acting on immediate orders shouldn’t be an issue.

I really need to own one of those Disco t-shirts.

Oh, ‘go climb a rock.’ ;-)

You’re in luck! https://shop.startrek.com/product/Z1CTSTK221/star-trek-discovery-disco-tshirt

Blessings to the Divine Exchequer!

Ordered one…

This makes me feel empty inside…

Please, let them not mess up the Vulcans too badly. Please, at least let there not be a blue freakin’ sky.

I fear it is too late if canon now establishes the Vulcans as violent dark elf types who don’t have a problem with shooting first, and encourage their foster children to kill.

Remember when Star Trek was all about how Vulcan reason was depicted as one of the two lenses that Admiral Kirk needed to be fully human? As a mirror of our own great achievements of the mind that got us into space? Instead ever since ENT someone has gotten the idea that Vulcans are reptilian pains in the butt; killjoys who want to stop us from going into space and from having adventures. And now they are weirdoes who are cool with war.

If only Burnham had spent more time with Sybok.

Seems pretty similar to the Vulcan depicted in Enterprise to me. The ones that wouldn’t give info the the Earth Starfleet. The ones that persecuted a minority sect and shunned those infected with a disease.

I don’t know. The Vulcans are historically a very aggressive species, they are simply (usually) able to hold it in. Not all of them reach Kolinahr. I actually like the idea that this emotional past of theirs slips through a bit in some of their stances on things. Rather than being ‘cool with war,’ Sarek’s strategy for facing the Klingons seems highly rational based on Vulcan’s previous encounters with them. Their early encounters with the Klingons might have influenced how they treated humanity, they’d rather not have another aggressive species on their doorstep.

That’ll probably be the twist in a few seasons’ time: Burnham’s emotional behaviour blended with logic inspires Sybok…

Then again, didn’t Spock have an emotional cousin way back in Enterprise: the First Adventure?

Maybe you should watch the TOS episode “Journey to Babel” before you acuse this new iteration of Trek if screwing up the Vulcans? POCK: Vulcans do not approve of violence.
KIRK: You’re saying he couldn’t have done it?
SPOCK: No, Captain. I’m merely saying it would be illogical to kill without reason.
KIRK: But if he had a reason, could he have done it?
SPOCK: If there were a reason, my father is quite capable of killing. Logically and efficiently.

And I certainly recall the many times Spock fired a phaser on Kirk’s orders, to defend a crewmember, &c. He was also capable of killing logically and efficiently.

Right. It’s not that Vulcans are absolute pacifists, it’s that they aren’t ones to strike for no reason. If the logic makes sense, they will attack. Self preservation is, after all, logical.

I personally feel that they should have made the Vulcans the super intelligent pacifists that would get run over without humanity that we bring something to the table (Vulcan peaceful, Andorian super aggressive, humans with the balance). That being said In Balance of Terror remember that it is Spock that logically says they must attack the Romulans and attack now or invite war later that this is all consistent with TOS.

The portrayal of the Vulcan mind meld is another weird aspect to the show’s portrayal of their culture. I know they haven’t shown Amanda yet but I would think that she would also get these “feelings” from Sarek. Yet we’re not suppose to get her on the show for awhile. I guess what I am trying to say is that I would prefer if we got see her get them rather than always see Burnham. I would imagine that given the nature of their relationship Amanda’s connection to Sarek would be more powerful than Burnham’s.

I think the implication was Sarek and Michael had a particularly strong connection due to his use of a mind meld to essentially bring her back from the brink of death at a very traumatic moment.

One can hope any mind coupling of Sarek and Amanda were more decidedly pleasant and less invasive.

Still a mind meld is a mind meld. I would imagine they would all provoke similar reactions in humans. Also wouldn’t Sarek want a stronger connection to Amanda? She is his wife.

T’Pol said the sky on Vulcan gets blue “occasionally”

Oh come now. As if JJVerse-Vulcan’s blue sky was an actual issue. I mean, Vulcan’s sky was orange in Amok Time, black in TMP (theatrical cut), red in TSFS, a dull yellow in TVH and alternating between pink, brown and yellow in ENT…
In shor: The consistency here has always been wonky at best.

Was it ever shown on TNG or DS9? I can’t recall.

Well, what can I tell you? It was stupid for me, just change for the sake of change, and aesthetically unappealing. A shame, too, if only because I liked the film’s depiction of Vulcan otherwise. We all draw the line on these things on different places.

@JAGT – And that’s why I’m okay with bending TOS canon. They bent their own, countless times.

The idea of portraying a same sex couple as being “normal” is defeated by all these non-stories trying to make a big deal about it. It was couple brushing their teeth. So?

It was a big deal. On Ellen and Will and Grace…. like 10 years ago……

Over your head.

Okay, so first off: When do you think ELLEN aired?

Second: The point is not that gay themed TV shows have existed for decades now. The point is these are characters included in an august TV franchise that is not singularly focused on the gay experience, and they are treated the same way that straight people would be, within the show. That is great, and worth noting and even celebrating.

Its almost like people think as soon as the civil rights movement began that everyone was treated equally the next day.

This is a long process. And there are stories BECAUSE its important and people are interested.

Its was just last year that gay marriage was allowed in the US. LAST YEAR! Just this week Trump JOKED that the Vice President wants to HANG gay people.

We have some more work to be done.

@Drew – You missed my point and damn near agreed with me.

Sometimes seeing very ordinary things depicted where they have not before can mean a tremendous amount to people.

@Tay Dervis — the biggest problem with that scene I had was why are they using a toothbrush like the one I use every day? By the 23rd century, I REALLY Hope they have a better way to brush your teeth. Some kind of sonic rinse (we all remember the sonic shower?), that is quickly inserted, vibrates off all the food particles, rinse and done.

There was no toothpaste…kinda like a sonic shower…no water

in the future all teeth is pulled and replaced with aritificial sanitary teeth to protect folks from the 23rd century teeth virus

I like the idea of exploring Sarek but I hope they don’t gloss over how Lorca got captured. Someone knew his travel plans and it would be nice if they at least threw the thought out there in the episode. Sometimes I feel like Discovery is trying to do too much. Oh well I will watch the episode and see how it goes.

They definitely have to address this. Ill be disappointed if they dont. Given the tone of the preview where the Admiral is angry at Lorca, maybe Sarek needs to be rescued because he knows something….

That would be a better tie-in than Burnham simply looking for her adopted dad angle. Even if he is a highly respected Federation diplomat.

I find it difficult to believe Lorca would utilize their technology and take time out of the war effort to go looking for Michael’s dad just because she’s sad. It has to fit into the larger narrative.

The Admiral admonishes Lorca in that clip and he replies (assuming its the same scene) that he’s trying to win a war. So Sarek ties into that somehow.

To me, it really looked as though lorca and the crewmember were waiting to be picked up by the Klingons. Like lorca was positioning himself to be captured on purpose. Lorca would totally be the type of person to do that, too. Would explain why the admiral was angry with him – he was deliberately putting himself in a situation where he could be killed. I’d be pissed with him for that too.

I don’t think Lorca wanted to be captured by the Klignons. Someone else leaked his shuttle route to the Klignons. There is a spy somewhere. Who and why they switched sides only the producers know.

Spoiler alert: Sarek will survive and live for another century.

My comment from an earlier thread yesterday..

For some reasons ‘Discovery’s writers seem to have an affinity for episodes about time-sensitive rescue missions.

In episode four it’s saving the colony in six hours, episode five about saving Lorca before he reveals ‘Discovery’s secrets. The sneak peek for episode 6 showing Sarek in distress; we could be in for another rescue mission.

After watching the preview today; sure enough, it’s the third rescue episode in a row! They should rename the show ‘Star Trek: Rescue 1031’

Haha, the “Voyager” ticking time bomb is now brought to you by “Discovery”

Well remember there are quite a few Voyager writers on this show including the former show runner. ;)

No no no. Star Trek: Squad 51

@Lurker,

I was thinking of ‘Rescue 911’, the CBS show with Shatner.

I’ve always had a soft spot for “Emergency!”.
I forgot about Rescue 911, I wonder if that is on CBS AA.

Your comment was so filled with wisdom, you felt the need to share it again? :)

@VoR,

Indeed. :)

Yes would be nice to see some discovery episodes where they explored a new planet or alien satelites or something. The episodes so far have been fantastic though

@somethoughts,

“Yes would be nice to see some discovery episodes where they explored a new planet or alien satelites or something. ”

Yep. Given their huge budget, I thought that we will finally get to see strange new worlds on a bigger scale; adventures in space and time the likes of which we have never seen before!

Alas, they are stuck on Discovery and the Klingon ship, recycling general plotline, namely rescue missions for 3 episodes out of 6!

I think they will give us that in season 2. Alex mentioned that they will not focus on Klingons on season 2 and hopefully we get more exploration and sci fi stuff.

You bitch and moan every week yet you still watch. Maybe you are more at ease with the generic sets and recycled TNG scripts on orville.

@Captain Ransom,

It’s amusing that whenever someone mentions some issues with ‘Discovery’ your default response is to point to ‘The Orville’!

You must be insecure about ‘Discovery’ that you can’t engage in a reasonable argument and restore to deflection EVERY SINGLE TIME!

Just doing what you do, dude.

@Captain Ransom,

While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but you’re not even doing that.

I talk about writing issues on ‘Discovery’ and what appear to be showrunners’ fixations on rescue missions and you response by pointing to ‘The Orville’!!

This tells me that you’ve got no counterarguments, and in fact you’re agreeing with my original point by your default deflection.

I need no arguments when you know it’s true dude. Go read your posts on the early treads when Orville started. You know I’m right.

@Captain Ransom,

In other words, you have nothing to add to any discussions about ‘Discovery’ but to deflect.

Good to know.

Oh but I do add to the discussions. But unlike you, it isn’t negative so it doesn’t interest you.

You know, maybe you’re on to something. Maybe the war story of this 15 episode serialized drama will suddenly be dropped and they will just explore a planet for no reason.

They are telling a larger story. If you dont like it, thats cool but dont be surprised when the individual episodes support the larger story. And that means things like rescue missions.

He just likes to troll. I’m happy to engage with anyone reasonably critical of the show, and they often make points worth considering. But his particular thing is just to provoke fights, then to run away when you can demonstrate he’s factually in error. Any time spent arguing with him represents moments of your life you’ll never get back. Best to just ignore him if you can.

@Michael Hall,

“But his particular thing is just to provoke fights, then to run away when you can demonstrate he’s factually in error.”

Projection much? Because that is how you acted in the “Choose Your Pain” review thread.

You made it a habit to go after people who criticize the show ‘Discovery’ & the delivery method CBS AA, mocking them in the process.

When a commentator by the name Jonathan Thomas made a comment shared by many that “the Spore Drive is stupid, an idiotic concept.” you responded with your typical trollish comment:

“No snark, but what is your basis for finding this concept ‘idiotic’? Do you claim a particular expertise in the science involved, or related sciences? How do you know?”

While no one is required to have deep scientific knowledge to know that certain TV concepts are dumb, nevertheless I gave you comments by astrophysicist Ethan Siegel where he basically agreed with Jonathan Thomas’ description. Two other people responded as well.

What did you do? You ran away when we demonstrate that you’re factually in error.

And my reply from yesterday:
And…?

“Spoiler alert: Sarek will survive and live for another century.”

Ha! Nice.

Swirly, sparkly rainbow-coloured space phenomena? Well that sure looks like TOS!

It would be nice to read an article about two fine characters (Stamets & Culber) WITHOUT making their gay relationship the focus. Every…single…article so far about the characters & actors who portray them go something like this… “It’s great that ST-D is treating the gay relationship as a natural, non-issue which is how we all should be treating it…….now, let’s talk about it in great detail constantly!!!”

That we are seeing a lot articles right now doesn’t surprise me since it made Star Trek history. Also representation matters definitely applies here. I did like how it was done and I think people are saying that as well. Hopefully as the show goes on and their relationship progresses we can start focusing on their individual achievements as well. Then again we may also see other articles detailing straight characters relationship in great detail. Hard to know at this point.

I hope that the Star Trek community gets past this. I’m sure OTHER characters have boyfriends or husbands, wives…ex’s…etc. floating around in the universe…I mean, having an entire Bridge crew made up of single people is just weird for Star Trek…right? err…right?

Just about everything I’ve read about Stamets up till now didn’t mention his sexual orientation at all. And his relationship with Culber is, in fact, a gay one, and a first for this franchise. It’s pretty ironic that you would object to all of the wordage being expended on this topic by adding more of your own.

“Just about everything I’ve read about Stamets up till now didn’t mention his sexual orientation at all” – really? Certainly it’s implied, inferred, suggested and mentioned directly often! Like I hope I’m stressing, I have no issue with the gay relationship in Star Trek…it’s just that I think it’s patronizing to the gay community that we have to celebrate and go on and on about something that really is normal. (The Ancient Greeks had no issue with homosexuality) homophobia is newer than homosexuality.
Anyway, I do take your point that I am adding a lot to the topic that I’m complaining about, but…well…get over it haha

Yeah, really. Most of what I read talked about his character’s research and the role it played in the show’s plot, his relationship to the real Paul Stamets, the ornery demeanor and attitude towards Burnham, etc. Only after Culver’s introduction has this been a big focus, and again, why not? For a franchise which has long touted its social progressivism, it is in fact something new and unprecedented. Trust me; the “Wow, look, a gay couple on Star Trek!” talk will fade away soon enough–that is, if you let it.

@Michael Hall,

“Only after Culver’s introduction has this been a big focus”

False. Wilson Cruz’s character was introduced in the 4th episode on October 8 & his relationship with Stamets was made clear in the 5th episode on October 15.

However, the focus on Stamets sexuality was there from day one.

Vulture: Star Trek: Discovery Casts a Gay Character and a New Alien
Nov 29, 2016

Trekmovie: Anthony Rapp Talks About Being Star Trek’s First Gay TV Character
March 23, 2017

ETonline: Comic-Con: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes All in With Gay Storyline
July 22, 2017

Radio Times: Star Trek: Discovery will show Starfleet’s first LGBT relationship
July 25, 2017

EW: First openly gay Star Trek TV character revealed
July 27, 2017

CBS News: Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz on gay romance in “Star Trek: Discovery”
Sep 19, 2017

Offical Star Trek site: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Discovery’s Anthony Rapp
Sep 21, 2017

CBR: Star Trek: Discovery EP Talks the Franchise’s First Same-Sex Couple
Sep 22, 2017

Vox: Star Trek: Discovery’s showrunners on what to expect from the first Trek TV series in 16 years .. On developing the character of Paul Stamets, who is gay, and casting Rapp in the role
Sep 22, 2017

The Daily Beast: ‘Star Trek’s’ First Openly Gay Character Tells All : Anthony Rapp (‘Rent’) opens up to Ira Madison about playing the groundbreaking Lt. Stamets and what it’s like to be an openly gay actor in Hollywood.
Oct 3, 2017

@Michael Hall,

“Just about everything I’ve read about Stamets up till now didn’t mention his sexual orientation at all.”

That’s an absurd statement.

EP 6, how much worse can it get :( I suppose we can at least hope this abysmal dross doesn’t get past the first series…

You are free to stop watching and tune into orville instead.

In their defense Discovery isn’t perfect. Ahmed is right there have been a lot of rescue missions lately. What the writers are planning seems confusing at this point and people are always asking whether or not they want to stick around to find out what the answers are. To each his own. I can certainly understand both sides of the coin.

YEah I’m waiting for Star Trek to get ‘weird’ again like time travel, evil clones, stories where people think of something that comes into reality (done in TOS, TNG and DS9), time loops, meeting aliens with crazy abilities, parallel universe stories, etc. I want crazy stuff to happen soon like they do on every series. I don’t mind the war stuff and rescue missions but yeah three times in a row?

ya twilight zone stuff has always been my fav, wonder if discovery will be doing a halloween special since the ship is 10 31, fullers fav holiday I read.

That’s what the plot of this serialized drama is, for this season at least. If they suddenly took time out to indulge in the kind of diversions you’re talking about others would inevitably complain about the show losing its focus on the war story. Once again I’m reminded what a no-win situation producing a show like this for a crowd of obsessive nerds really is.

Your Trumpian use of “people are always asking” could just as easily be written as “everyone loves the show”. Its easy.

Ahmed hated Discovery before it aired and he was never, ever going to admit he was wrong, thus he hates it now. Watched it every week. But hates it. yeah right.

If you don’t like the show- fine.

If you don’t like the show, don’t watch it.

If you don’t like the show- don’t read articles about it and don’t troll.

Simple.

And yet here you are.

Maybe you would prefer no Star Trek then?

Just watch another rerun of TOS or TNG or DS9 perhaps. More than enough material there to keep you busy while Discovery evolves and is enjoyed by others.

The whole story doesn’t make sense, so far. I hope they will explain how DIS shall fit in the ST canon. Otherwise it is the worst ST series ever. The dialogues and the story writing would be eminently bad if they don’t give us an explanation why this ought to be an storyline playing 10 years before Kirk. May be the mirror scene at the end of the last episode is a hint at the upcoming twist.

Without a twist it would be acceptable for me only as a post-VOY-series but not as a pre-Kirk-show. What was the working title for this show? “Band of assholes”? “Alone in the Dark”? Although Kirk’s era is regarded as an age of “cowboy diplomacy” people acted far more moral and ethical than in DIS.

Times change quicker than I think you would care to admit. Just have a think about how the real world has changed in just the last 10 years!

Really? Going back to 2007 isn’t that radical of a shift. A lot of people had smartphones, electric cars are still in their infancy (just as they are today), and people used Google Wikipedia or Facebook for everything.

Yes, really. Those are surface things. Try to look deeper. The world is a very different place than it was a year ago, let alone ten.

The iPhone came out in June 2007, and very few people bought it. Android did not come out until a year later. Facebook was still in its infancy then. There were no apps, no Uber, no Tinder, wi fi wasn’t ubiquitous, most people used desktops because laptops were still slow. Tablets weren’t a thing. True, cars haven’t changed that much. I drive a 2004 and other than infotainment systems it compares well to 2017 vehicles.

@Thomas: The producers just gave an interview that the audience should be patient and that it will be canon. Everything will make sense after time, they will explain it. But people are screaming out after episode 3 or 4…my god…if we had judged TNG that way, it would never had made it to season 2.

Sarek will probably survive.
But will he survive unscathed?

Since the title has been linked to the mythological river of forgetfulness,
I am wondering will suffer some sort of brain damage that will cause him to forget who Burnham is.
Just a theory.

beating analyst exceptions of 3.6 million.

It is in the article.
Also, it is a bit early.
We shall see how it all shakes out.