Oh “Brother” Where Art Thou? – The Shuttle Pod Crew Goes Back To The Disco

Like we did last year for the run of Star Trek: Discovery season two, the Shuttle Pod will again transform into Shuttle Pod At The Disco with weekly podcasts discussing each new episode.

Shuttle Pod At The Disco – Season 2, Episode 1 – “Brother”

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 1 – “Brother”

Welcome back to the Disco, and another season of Star Trek: Discovery! The whole Shuttle Pod crew gathers to talk about the premiere episode of the second season, “Brother.” We discuss the action and adventure of the new episode, our warm feelings for Pike, and ponder the question the episode title calls attention to: Oh brother (Spock) where art thou?

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So, you guys mentioned that the show is Discovery and that going on board the Enterprise would be a distraction, I would remind you that Pike and Spock are HUGE distractions. If you don’t want to show the Enterprise then DON’T bring it in in the first place! You do that and nearly every viewer is going to want to go on board. It just becomes nothing more than a tease. Probably would have been better to have Pike just board from a shuttlecraft or something.

The Spock logic line bothered me too. It did feel like they wanted to show fans that they were aware of the line but it didn’t work because fans would know that was a Spock who had found himself.

The character archetypes I found interesting and I think there is a lot of truth to that. It MIGHT be why Burnham has not been so well received.

I disagree on Tilly. I found her amazingly annoying last season and this episode it was dialed up even further. She needs to dial it back a LOT or we need to just start phasing out the character. We know she’s not going anywhere so that leaves…

I liked the moment where Tilly talked seriously to Stamets, about wanting him to stay, but other than that, yeah, she seems even more dialed up than last season. Hope she takes his advice to heart. Fewer words, please.

Thank you!!!! I have no idea what people find appealing about Tilly. Her character is absolutely annoying and so over the top that I find nothing relatable about her. I’m a Star Trek nerd from way back surrounded by other nerds and awkward people and I don’t know anyone remotely like her. She reminds me of the reason Boston Legal fell apart in the 4th season. Everyone became an over the top quirky character and the show was completely unwatchable. Tilly needs the Wesley Crusher treatment from The First Duty. Bring her down to something real. She can be shy and awkward without being so incredibly annoying.

“She can be shy and awkward without being so incredibly annoying.”

Yes. That. I guess that is hard for Star Trek writers. Wesley was annoying as well. To the point where every line he delivered made me want to throw a rock at my TV. Tilly, for me at least, is only one step away from reaching Wes annoyance level.

I have a theory the Telosians will interact with Spock rather than Pike, perhaps over the red angel but at any rate laying the groundwork for a connection that Spock exploits years later, to plan Pike’s return to Talos IV. That would be a nice tie back to TOS.

Yeah, in The Menagerie they clearly have been in communication with Spock, so it may set that up.

Another thought we’ve kicked around is maybe Pike reaches out to the Talosians to help Spock pull out some crucial memory to solving the mystery. We see Spock in a Federation psychiatric facility in the final trailer released in December, so maybe something is driving him mad, and the Talosians help surface things so it can be dealt with.

I have a different opinion on why Pike arrived on the ship in a TOS-style uniform and then changed at the end.

Initially, Pike didn’t know that he was going to be taking over the Discovery for more than one mission. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for him to don a Disco-style uniform just to beam onto another starship for a one-off mission. And of course, once he does assume an extended command of Discovery, his decision to wear the Disco-style uniform is probably an attempt to unite with the crew. Imagine if he stayed in his gold uniform–that would create a sense of separateness from everyone else. Uniforms are meant to create cohesion among groups, right? IMHO, the switch to a Disco uniform also helps slide Anson Mount seamlessly into the show.

Just my 2cents :-)

I personally hope that the Disco crew switches to the new uniforms by the end of the season. Probably won’t happen, for as you pointed out, the blue uniforms were hella expensive to produce and design. Then again, Disco has on occasion done some very extravagant things production-wise. So perhaps a total uniform shift is not completely out of the question this early on.

@Ixley — you may recall that the uniforms fomr the TOS pilots to the series were entirely redesigned, then again for season 3. Likewise, TNG redesigned their uniforms around season 3 as well. DISCO also did two episodes in the MU with a lot of those uniforms created in black. So assuming DISCO knows they are getting a third season, they could easily start introducing them at the end of this season, or launch them fresh for S3.

Frankly, I’m not sold on these red, blue and gold uniforms. I like them, but I kinda enjoy the break from them, just as I loved TWOK-TUC uniforms. There’s something nice about a uniform look throughout, and something a little bit garish about the TOS designs. It was something I really liked about SPACE:1999 which was the first big Sci-Fi show after Trek was cancelled, and I loved how everyone had the same basic uniform, but with a colored sleeve. It’s just a nicer look when you’re not trying to sell color TV sets.

— “I like them, but I kinda enjoy the break from them”

Honestly, maybe I too am feeling a little bit of that. I love Discovery, but the blue uniforms have never been something I’ve ever appreciated. I just don’t understand the choice of that particular shade of blue (It’s ghastly IMO).

Additionally, I guess I’m intensely curious to see what Saru would look like in a TOS-inspired uniform. Or for that matter, what Burnham and Keyla would look like in their corresponding colors.

Sadly the Discovery uniforms are just plain ugly to me. I didn’t mind them at first actually but the more I saw them the less I liked them. Usually it goes the opposite way but not this time. They just feel too busy for me and stuff like the collar and the boots are just weird. I accepted these are the uniforms but I’m guessing we are going to get another big change and they will just move them over to the TOS uniforms.

Because notice they didn’t say the TOS uniforms were just for Constitution ships which I literally thought was going to be the excuse why we are just now seeing them and that way they could’ve kept them separate without any fuss. But since they just said they were the newest ones for Starfleet then it does imply the rest of the fleet will get them in time just like DS9 eventually got the FC uniforms (and still my favorite).

Ixley, I am hoping Discovery adopts the new uniforms by the time the season ends. Yes, they were stupidly expensive. But sometimes you need to cut your losses. Making the change would be for the greater good.

Shifting gears a bit, I was sad to see their use of holograms seems to have increased. I was hoping they would start dialing them back as well.

I feel like I have a very different outlook to what you guys are talking about in regards to the logic line that Pike said that mirrored Spock’s line in the movies.

First, it wasn’t Spock who said it – it was Pike saying that Spock’s logic made him feel that way, and I think that is important. Pike didn’t say that Spock said logic is not the end and whatnot, he states that Spock’s logic and the way he pointed things out made him feel like he could see what maybe others didn’t. It doesn’t mean that Spock is already there, it’s just setting up that Spock has the potential to see that in himself, which we see him grow into later on in his journey.

People can made perceptive points without necessarily being the most wise or have it all figured out. And Pike before was saying that Spock pointed out what is logic of staying away if there is nothing to come back to, and that’s what led to Pike thinking about Spock’s logic and perceptiveness in that way. And Spock’s logic really doesn’t seem to be a sign of growth or maturity as much as just very common sense logic that he was willing to point out that sometimes people may be in denial of. I’m sure even the logic of a young Vulcan is probably very perceptive to us humans who are often driven by other ways of thinking.

So I never saw it as them taking away or copying Spock’s eventual journey, but rather, they are using Pike’s feelings about Spock’s words to rather show Spock’s potential and who he would become.

It’d be one thing if Pike said that it was Spock who said logic is not the end but the beginning, but it wasn’t Spock, it was Pike who said that’s how Spock’s logic made him feel. And I think that is an important yet perhaps subtle difference. It is shining a light to Spock’s potential to become that wise figure, but not yet.

Hey Shuttle Pod, we love what you do with every podcast. Please don’t worry about 4 people making these “too long”…we love them so please make them as long as you like.

Another great podcast. You guys are totally in the zone. Jared: loved the triad/four musketeer model discussion. One of your best insights ever. Trying to figure out which TMT each of you are. Here’s an observation: any thought about when the red angel Burnham sees resolves into Captain Pike? Is there something extrahuman about him? Is there a Talosian twist on the way regarding who and where Pike really is? Seems purposeful. Though of course ObiWan’s Force Ghost turns into Han on a tauntaun, so….

I agree with TrekFan1973: don’t worry about the length of you podcasts. You guys are like my commuting buddies at this point.

Just some feedback regarding the podcasts and the shuttle pod crew. Over the past year or so, I find your work to be very good as you provide some balanced viewpoints. When I am looking for fact based info regarding Star Trek, there is no better place than Trekmovie.com and when I want to hear or read some opinions, I will listen to the podcast or read some reviews or reader comments. Of course, I don’t always agree with the podcast opinions but I like the fact you guys like some things about Discovery and hate other parts of it. In other words, it is unbiased and not just trolling or shilling for listeners. This approach makes it so much better than most of the ridiculous fan opinion videos out there – many of which are just negative and tiresome as they pander to their audience of naysayers. Keep up the good work.

Btw, regarding the length of the recordings, yeah they are sometimes a little long but not a big issue. I will often just listen to half of the podcast one day and return to hear the rest of it another time.

I listened for a bit hoping to hear The Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing” playing in the background. You guys really missed an opportunity there.

What you doin’ on your back, aah?
What you doin’ on your back, aah?
You should be dancing, yeah

Noted :-)

“The Shuttle Pod Crew Goes Back To The Disco” Oh cool, now they’re trying to ape 1970s Star Trek. I suppose the style is already in place for that (wink).