Analysis and Screencaps Of ‘Star Trek: Short Treks’ Teaser

We have taken a closer look at the newly released teaser for Star Trek: Short Treks. We can now put it in context with what we have been learned about Short Treks over the last couple of months. The episodes are short, the teaser is short and so this analysis is going to be short and contains speculation that may turn out to be POSSIBLE SPOILERS.

A Short history on Short Treks

First announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July, executive producer Alex Kurtzman described Star Trek: Short Treks as short films that can be released in 2018 while they spend the time and effort required to finish the second season of Discovery, which will debut in early 2019. CBS says that Short Treks are an “opportunity for fans to dive deeper into key themes and characters that fit into Star Trek: Discovery and the expanding “Star Trek” universe.”

While it doesn’t appear that Anthony Rapp will be featured in any of the Short Treks the Stamets actor did give his impressions of the mini-episodes when speaking to Trekmovie at Star Trek Las Vegas, saying they are “a great new way to explore the world and the characters” and drawing a culinary analogy on how they are “little treats before the meal,” with the meal being the second season. Rapp also noted these mini-episodes are not being short-changed in terms of effort, saying “Even though they are short, they are still a lot of work and take a lot of resources.”

Production on the Short Treks has taken place overlapping with the second season and utilizing the same sets in Toronto. Each one takes significantly less time to shoot than a full episode of Discovery, for example, “Calypso” was shot in three days. It appears they were shot in the same order they are to be released, with the first two (“Runaway” and “Calypso”) being filmed prior to San Diego Comic-Con in July. The third (“The Brightest Star”) was likely shot in August and the final one (“The Escape Artist”) was in production just last weekend. The teaser released today appears to only have new footage from the first two episodes, although the composite teaser image has shots from all four.

Short Treks composite teaser image     

Runaway – October 4

Official synopsis

On board the U.S.S. Discovery, Ensign Tilly (Mary Wiseman) encounters an unexpected visitor in need of help. However, this unlikely pair may have more in common than meets the eye.

Background and analysis

At Comic-Con it was said that this mini-episode will feature Tilly form a “friendship with an unlikely partner.” Today’s teaser featured a shot of this “unexpected visitor,” who appears to be some new kind of alien. Since Tilly is a commissioned ensign, her short takes places some time after the Season 1 finale.

Images

The mysterious women crouches like an animal

Tilly – speaking to the “unexpected visitor” – is excited. “Are you freakin’ kidding me?”

Tilly looks on curiously

A mysterious moment

We also see a close up on an alien hand. It looks to be the hand of the alien Tilly finds in “Runaway,” it appears to be grasping a wall or console on a Starfleet ship.

A fleeting glimpse at the Runaway’s hand

A ghostly alien hand

The hand also appears ghostly, so the alien in question may be out of phase, or perhaps it’s a dream-like flashback. There is also a brief moment that is easy to miss but when the hand brushes by a crack on the wall or console, there is a spark of light at the point of contact.

The hand reacts with a spark

Calypso – November 8

Official synopsis

After waking up in an unfamiliar sickbay, Craft (Aldis Hodge) finds himself on board a deserted ship, and his only companion and hope for survival is an A.I. computer interface.

Background and analysis

This episode is the only one of the Short Treks to focus on a new character. It was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon, who shared a moment geeking out in the Captain’s chair while on set. Chabon is also one of the executive producers on the new Picard series, and so it is possible this episode is tied more to that “expanded universe” CBS refers to in their official press release.

Images

Craft wanders the sickbay alone

A disorienting moment as Craft wakes up

Craft alone in the dim ship, wielding what appears to be a makeshift weapon, probably from Sickbay

Craft eats in the mess hall, with what may be that same medical device next to him

The Brightest Star – December 6

Official synopsis

Before he was the first Kelpien to join Starfleet, Saru (Doug Jones) lived a simple life on his home planet of Kaminar with his father and sister. Young Saru, full of ingenuity and a level of curiosity uncommon among his people, yearns to find out what lies beyond his village, leading him on an unexpected path.

Background and analysis

At Comic-Con it was revealed that the second season of Discovery will feature an episode with a visit to Saru’s homeworld. This Short Treks episode looks to be set before the first season and may be a sort of prequel to the Kelpien-focused episode in season two. “The Brightest Star” will be the first time we see Kaminar and may be our first look at a female Kelpien (if all the Kelpiens seen in the Mirror Universe were males like Saru).

Speaking to TrekMovie at Comic-Con, Doug Jones described how both the season two Kelpien episode and this mini-episode will explore Saru’s history, saying: “questions will be answered as to why am I the only Kelpien who ever joined Starfleet and how did that happen. That is going to be addressed. Between that regular episode and the mini-episode, I am going to be doing as well.”

A close up on Saru’s eye, reacting to something

Saru on his home planet

The Escape Artist – January 3

Official synopsis

Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson), back to his old tricks of stealing and double-dealing, finds himself in a precarious position aboard a hostile ship – just in time to try out his latest con.

Background and analysis

As this episode only started shooting last weekend there is no new footage in the trailer, with the title card re-using footage from the fifth episode of Star Trek: Discovery titled “Choose Your Pain.” This may just be a convenient way to show Mudd behind bars. However, if it’s indeed a hint, then this mini-episode may show how Mudd got out of the Klingon prison ship. Since he later appears free in episode seven “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” to torment the crew of the USS Discovery in a time loop.

We also know thanks to Wilson’s tweet over the weekend that the episode will feature some Orions, known to be just as shady – if not more so – than Mudd himself. The episode is written by Rick and Morty’s Mike McMahan so we should expect a different tone than usual for Discovery. Wilson has described his mini-episode as “funny” and “weird” and has also noted it features “twists and turns.”

Images

Mudd in the Klingon prison ship (not new footage)

An angry and bloodied Mudd

A behind-the-scenes shot of Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd with some Orions

Writer’s Room Wears Short Shorts

After the release of the teaser this morning, the official Star Trek writers room Twitter account shared their take on Star Trek getting into shorts.


TrekMovie will review the Short Treks as they become available each month. Be sure to check back after October 4 for our review. Click the links to see all of the Star Trek: Short Treks and Star Trek: Discovery news and articles here at TrekMovie.

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So, am I the only perv who thinks Carft looks totally naked in my that shot?

He’s super hot. Looking forward to that one

Ditto.

Double ditto!

Nothing “pervy” about that: He is naked.

Actually, he has on black shorts.

Thanks, Matt. You folks at Trekmovie are all over this stuff, your passion and dedication evident, and the quality and energy you put into each article is much appreciated. Regards.

Looking forward to ‘Calypso.’

Agreed! This has become the first place I check every day for any Star Trek news. They run a great site and always on top of things. Thats why I love posting here so much!

This!

Could that be a Kelpian hand, one with slightly longer nails than Saru’s?

Actually, after watching the teaser again, I think that hand belongs to the Runaway. Your still shot of her has her hand cropped out but the video shows it better and I think it mat be hers. I think Klingon nails are bigger than those.

We’ll see. This is all part of the fun!

I dont think its klingon.

The medical device looks like it came from Bones’ sickbay… or Crate and Barrel — it’s a salt shaker.

Looks like the head of a protoplaser.

I’m looking forward to seeing these, but I just have to say the first image of Tilly is a meme or caption contest waiting to happen.

Ensign Tilly is the Wesley Crusher of DISC.

Except that she doesn’t suck.

I’ll just say that Tilly is only marginally a better character than Wesley.

How often did she get to “save the day” in the first season? – She figured out how to rescue Stamets, but that’s about it…
Compared to Wesley, that’s a weak track record.

I intend no disrespect to Wil Wheaton (more to the writers) but, um, no. Tilly is way more entertaining.

The male Orions all look like Igor from the Hilarious House of Frightenstein to me.

With a side of Edgar from ‘Men In Black’.

C’mon this is Tilly! No way she just used the word ‘freakin’. ;)

Ha!

Something tells me they won’t be dropping anymore f bombs in Discovery.

well, now she’s an officer, Ensign Sylvia Tilly, last time she was an exuberant cadet and Stamets was showing that she was right to be excited (because she had already apologized).

Perhaps an off-camera crew member was offended by her earlier f-bomb and filed a complaint. There’s probably a reprimand in her personnel folder. ;-)

Ha! I was thinking the same thing Tiger was. Your explanation, I’m Dead Jim, seems to be the best one. Kudos.

I like that (Mudd aside) they feel a bit more Trek like that what we got in season one. An alien planet. A different ship with an AI issue. A new alien. All positive developments.

Wow! First, an early release for NuWho s11, and now, new Short Treks in just over 2 weeks!

So are the release dates for the US only, or will these Short Treks be released in the UK (where I am) as well, at the same time?

Anything is possible, but it would seem that these are primarily a draw for CBSAA subscribers who dropped the service during the hiatus. I’m not sure they have as much impact for the Netflix subscriber, and I can’t imagine how Space in Canada would offer them — maybe via their website? I suppose they could be used as marketing tools to draw new subscribers to any of those services, assuming they are given the same access to them …

With the Craft and AI scenarioo… am I the only one thinking, “They’re dead, Dave. They’re all dead, Dave”….I’m sure that AI has an IQ of 6000 – the same as 6000 PE teachers.

Tilly is not Wesley Crusher. Tilly is the “babbling, wacky but lovable friend to the protagonist” as seen in standard romantic comedies or sitcoms.

So, Saru is from the same planet as Boba Fett?

Oh wait, KaminAR, not KaminO…

I thought Camino was the water world home of the cloners. Fett was Mandalorian. But, yeah. Ha.

So these are merely vignettes (example: the three vignettes that STC did back in 2012)… and yet TPTB wont allow anyone else to play in their sand box…

I know it’s merely fish bait but good on them (I suppose…) Someone on BT.com commented that the modern “Free” TV format aka your local channels that you used to get with rabbit ears is dead or dying media format. It makes me feel rather, Old now, to admit that but I agree…

~Pen… all that.

Can’t say that I’ve never wondered what CBS could possibly be up to with their new fanfilm time limits?

I don’t think Calypso is connected to the Picard series. The design is obviously the time of Discovery.