‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 3 Is All About Restoring The Federation

In addition to releasing the new trailer, and announcing a cat, the Star Trek: Discovery panel discussion on Star Trek Day also broke some news. After star Sonequa Martin-Green introduced the trailer, there was a panel with co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise, who were joined by actor David Ajala. We have broken down all the news from the panel, so obviously SPOILERS below.

Season three is about bringing the Federation back

Season three of Star Trek: Discovery finds the crew jumping into the 32nd century and from what we have seen from previews, things have changed for the United Federation of Planets. Alex Kurtzman provided some more details on the state of the UFP in season three:

Obviously, the Federation is not where it was, and yet our characters enter into this timeline and our whole season is about trying to bring it back. So you are into a world where it is very reflective of the world we live in now. And I believe very reflective or [Gene] Roddenberry’s essential vision of optimism. In the darkest times we have to hold that beacon of light up to guide us back.

The trailer referred to something called “The Burn,” which was described as “the day the galaxy took a hard left.”  In the panel, Kurtzman revealed this is why things have changed:

What happened to the Federation didn’t happen because of the Federation collapsed in on itself because of disagreement or strife. That’s not what happened. The Federation was as strong as ever. Obviously, something cataclysmic went down that changed everything.

Michell Paradise also revealed some more details on the state of the Federation as the season starts:

At the top of the season part of it is a mystery that Burnham needs to figure out. Where is the Federation? What kind of state is it in? And that’s something that she and then our heroes on Discovery also need to figure out. And when we find it, we’ll find that it’s still in existence. It’s just much diminished from what it was. They’re very much kind of in survival mode.

From Star Trek Day Discovery season 3 trailer

Burnham meets her match with ‘Book’

David Ajala joins Discovery’s cast as Cleveland “Book” Booker. The actor gave an overview of his role in season three:

I think the main thing about this character that was special was his sense of purpose. And to find a sense of purpose that was bigger than himself allowed him to continue living life was a backstory that I discussed with Michelle and Alex. He is going to bring out something in Michael Burnham. And Michael Burnham will do exactly the same thing for him.

Ajala also joked that when Book meets Burnham for the first time it involved “throwing cuffs and fists” which he quipped was “quite romantic.” However, Kurtzman indicated there could be something to this romance:

The thing that was most beautiful to watch is [Book’s] dynamic with Burnham over the course of the season, because Michael has had a series of very complicated relationships that never really allow her to flourish, or a certain part of her to flourish. And we talked about the idea that she would need to meet her match in a way, who seemed initially very, very different from her. She is selfless. He is selfish… But over the course of the first episode, she comes to realize that’s a very incorrect first judgment. And in fact they have a lot more in common than she first realized. And then we keep peeling that back over the course of the season.

Michelle Paradise also discussed how Book fits into the narrative of season three:

He’s someone who was born into this new world that we come into. So while our heroes have the perspective of 930 years ago when the Federation what was strong and everyone knew what it was, he comes from this time that’s very, very different. And so actually Book becomes a window into this new world for us. He becomes kind of the eyes through which we see the everyday present for those who were born into this new future. And our heroes coming in with a completely different perspective, it’s a really helpful way to to make that jump to the future is to have that anchor for us in what David does with that character.

From Star Trek Day Discovery season 3 trailer

Leaning into Trill mythology

Last week it was revealed that in addition to Book, season three will introduce a couple of new characters: Blu del Barrio playing the non-binary character Adira and Ian Alexander playing the transgender Trill character Gray. Michelle Paradise revealed that Adira is introduced in episode three, with Gray joining in episode four, adding they have a “very unique and specific relationship.”

Paradise also discussed Gray being Trill:

Gray is Trill so there’s a whole Trill mythology in Trek that we’re going to be leaning into with this… What’s interesting about being one thousand years ahead is that we can play them in new ways. So you may think that you know a particular species to be a certain way and maybe a thousand years later, they’re a little bit different than you might expect. But at the end of the day, I think it will still feel very, very familiar.

Kurtzman also talked about the Trill being introduced in Discovery:

The Trill have always been a very interesting case study on questions of identity, because you’re carrying so many different identities within one consciousness. And we explore that a lot with both characters. It felt, for a show called Discovery, you always want to be applying that idea to all your characters. Everyone is constantly in a state of self-discovery.

From Star Trek Day Discovery season 3 trailer

Getting the Disco off the ground

The new trailer also reveals that the USS Discovery crash lands on a planet. Kurtzman went into some detail about how this plays out:

They crashed land into the future and something goes wrong with the ship that makes it basically impossible for them to get back in the air. So they have to step out into the world and see if they can find something to help repair the ship. And in so doing, they get their first taste of what’s actually going on on the planet.

From Star Trek Day Discovery season 3 trailer

Frakes on Michael’s freedom from fear

Star Trek: The Next Generation star Jonathan Frakes returned to direct three episodes for the third season of Discovery. During the Star Trek Day TNG/Picard panel Frakes talked a bit about Discovery:

The third season is magical. They have gone ahead nine hundred and three years, or something nuts. And Sonequa – who I am crazy about and is the number one [on the call sheet] – has taken on entirely new life and it’s wonderful… When I asked her I feel so much more joy from you and she said, “My character is no longer driven by fear.” And it has affected her work and it has affected the set. And it has affected the show.

Watch the full panel

ICYMI: New trailer!

CBS released a brand new trailer during the panel. We will be doing a full trailer breakdown soon, but in the meantime, you can watch it here.

More Star Trek Day coverage at TrekMovie

There has been a lot of news coming out of the virtual Star Trek Day. We still will have more updates. Keep up with all of TrekMovie’s Star Trek Day coverage.


And keep up with all the news and reviews from the new Star Trek Universe on TV at TrekMovie.com.

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Discovery season three will be a make or break moment for the franchise following the expensive nihilistic disaster and train wreck that was Star Trek Discard.

I wouldn’t be that pessimistic but Discovery is near a cliff.

LOL. Man, the over-the-top melodrama of some fans is hilarious.

It really is. The detachment from reality is amusing but also disappointing.

Yah isn’t it though? It’s called an “opinion”.

The first season of Star Trek Picard was uneven. But to say that it was a “disaster” and “train wreck” seems like an overstatement. The series premier was some of the best Trek on TV since DS9. I loved seeing Riker and Troi back on the screen. And if Data’s “death” didn’t pull at some heartstrings, then you may be as emotionless as the android was pre-Generations.

Was definitely criminal how Picard forced Data to commit suicide… and for what? You have to feel for Data.

Interesting take. I never felt that Picard forced Data to do anything. The copy of Data stored in Maddox/Soong’s computer asked Picard to end the program, and Picard obliged. Now, we can debate until the cows come home whether the Data we knew from TNG would have made that request, or whether TNG-era Picard would have agreed. But either way, I didn’t view the scene in the same way you evidently did.

Cmd. Bremmon, how on earth do you get Picard fulfilling Data’s expressed, reasoned, and personal choice to end his life, despite Picard’s own deep wish to spend more time with Data, as Picard forcing anything on Data.

I accept that you often march to your own drummer in your analysis, but there is no way to make your conclusion fit what was shown in the episode.

You know how this guy thinks about this stuff. It’s no point of trying to argue it. But anyone with a brain obviously knows Picard didn’t force Data to ‘commit suicide’. It’s so ridiculous. Even more so because Data has already been dead for 20 years.

Picard is talking to the Data that was most likely part of B4 when he downloaded his memories into his. That’s really the only way to explain it. Data was never coming back regardless.

What did you watch? There’s no other way to interpret it: Data wanted to experience the final human thing he hadn’t before had access to, to grow old and die. He asked Picard to help him with it, and he did. It was Data’s final frontier, and has been ever since we realized androids don’t die natural deaths in 1987. That was all Data, Bremmon. And it was a pure Data moment, as well. It was classic Data.

Even though I thought the finale was bad overall, the one bright moment definitely was the scene between Picard and Data. It was so touching and done really well. And I think it gave fans closure who was upset on how he went out in Nemesis. This was a lot more poignant.

I agree that “disaster” is overkill. But it still was not all that good. I disagree that the premier was any good. In fact, the opening three episodes plodded along at a snail’s pace. Those three episodes could have easily been done in two, or better yet, an opening episode just over an hour long. I was never a fan of Riker or Troi to begin with so their appearance did nothing for me either. And for the record I found Data’s “death” in Nemesis to be more emotional than some dream in Picard’s new android mind.

Agreed Bob, I was disappointed that the sum of the first season of Picard was less than its best parts, many of which were wonderful/glorious, but to say it was a “disaster” or a “train wreck” is to engage in precisely the kind of over-the-top, lurid melodrama that Discovery is accused of.

Optimism Captain! Embrace the new Star Trek!

Haha, optimism and inspiration in Klutzman Trek, that’ll be the day. It’s all sbout depressing nihilistic pessimism with hack Klutzman as Showrunner.

I am thankful, Michael. We (all fans) have been waiting for new Trek TV Shows since 2005. Many shows, including Trek shows, take 2-3 seasons to see positive changes. Live Long and Prosper!

Yeah, and we’re still waiting ;-) But maybe SNW will be good… (and of course I’m exaggerating, Picard was ok, but Discovery still sucks, and probably will do even more in S3, because of various (personal) reasons)

I really miss Phlox. :(

I don’t think it was that expensive from the use of stock footage and the USS Copy Paste. Sir Patrick’s fee was probably the main expense, but the good people of the Golden State picked up the tab for that and then some with the tax credits.

Collector, let’s not go down that road…

And keep in mind that I and several others on this board are mostly contented Ontario and Canadian taxpayers happy to see how the rest of the rest of the live-action Trek series are contributing to the industry here.

Agreed. Discovery is not super star trekky, but it tells a compelling story with good characters. Picard was sentimental schlock.

Season 3 will make or break Discovery at this point. If it’s bad, cancel the thing. I’m hopeful for Discovery but I have VERY low expectations.

I’ve been saying that since the send of S2. (And I’m still surprised they think they’re making a fourth season, though I assume they are). You can’t catch up to your last episode and be gaslighting your viewers into accepting that some kind of story has taken place.

I agree season 3 will probably be a make or break season, especially given they completely changed the premise of the show, the first time any Star Trek show has done that. Of course it doesn’t mean it will get cancelled or anything but I do think for people who is still on the fence of the show or who hate if, if this season doesn’t convince them, then I don’t think anything will after it.

Fair assessment.

Though they were unneven, I mostly liked the first two seasons. Looking forward to more adventures with Michael and Saru.

“Uneven” is a nice phrase. In my quest to be more positive on here, please forgive me for stealin… I mean… borrowing that to describe the recent Trek productions :)

“Uneven” also perfectly describes “Star Trek: Voyager” so this is not something new to the franchise.

Uneven would be a generous rating for TNG season one, and a fair one for season two.

Discovery and Picard are in good company.

I’d of thought Star Trek Day would have been April 5th (First Contact Day).

“I’d of” has no meaning.

it means “I would have thought”. Perfectly acceptable use of the contraction.

That’s entirely incorrect–and it’s proof that you are neither an editor nor a writer, I might add, since you bizarrely think it’s acceptable use. “I’d of” is not a phrase in English; rather, it’s evidence that a person has no idea that the phrase is “I’d have.” The “of” is grammatically nonsensical. Saying otherwise is ridiculous.

Relax friend. You’re correct, but some people write like they talk… this isn’t a literature class. Tone it down a bit, though I need to say your posts are entertaining.

So, if he’d used the ‘ve it would’ve been ok.

So, much for the “use your internal ear” approach to resolving grammar.

And the “Academie Anglaise” unofficial sub-board of TrekMovie rolls on and on. ;)

It does my heart good to see someone other than myself jump somebody for typing “I’d of” (or “could of,” etc.).

It has been for 20 years now but I think CBS thinks this is better to celebrate it on the actual birthday of Star Trek. But I really prefer April 5th because it has a meaning within the franchise itself.

To some, perhaps, but not to many. The franchise has been widely celebrated every year on Sept. 8 since the mid-1980s.

Well both days has been celebrated every year to be honest. But this is the first time this day has officially been dubbed Star Trek day making it clear this is now the most important one. But April 5th will still be celebrated of course.

Hmm, I dunno about the Disco crashing on a planet. If the ship stays grounded for more than an episode or two, it’s going to feel like 1960s “Lost in Space” which didn’t actually feature very much, you know, *space*.

Don’t worry, we’ve known for a long time that she’ll end up in space again–we saw that in “Calypso,” before season two even began.

Hopefully this ends up being more like the new Lost In Space; wow that show ended up being terrific!!!! Explorers on strange worlds facing the unknown and hardships, wow!!
Really surprising how cheesy Lost in Space ends up with a semi hard sci-fi reboot while semi hard Trek ends up with cheesy sequel series.

We know the ship is eventually abandoned in space from short treks.

I keep wondering if Georgiou (and a few others) will take the ship back 1000 years, load it up with shielded dilithium, park it in the nebula and then leave it for Saru and crew to recover.

That would cover everything off.

There are lot more questions than answers for Discovery at this point. I don’t see how this show is going to see the full run envisioned if they’re flat-out stuck in the 32nd century, but they were supposed to be reported as destroyed and the subject was classified in the 23rd century. I guess we’ll know when they start throwing plotlines at the wall to see what sticks. Would they make it an ambiguous ending? Will they pull a Star Trek: Enterprise type of finale? Neither seems likely, given that they’re developing a Section 31 series around Mirror Universe Georgiou. I have no idea where they could take Picard next and retain continuity with Season 1. Maybe Picard and Number One back at the chateau, with Picard sipping wine and waiting for his comm badge to ring? Don’t even get me started on Star Trek: Upper Decker. I lasted through one episode of that hot mess and closed my browser.

I figure it will lead to the temporal multiverse war – I bet that’s the Section 31 series.

There might be some potential coolness there, if they play it out over nine or ten centuries and multiple temporal existences. As good as the Deep Fake tools are nowadays, they could CG in all sorts of canon characters. A regular Mardi Gras of the Trek universe.It could be cost-prohibitive, though, to get the rights to the likenesses of some of the actors who portrayed them. As it is, they’re been able to get away with recasting Pike, Spock, and Number One (gotta admit, they did a good job there), but it would be a real bugger to try to recast too many of them for the sake of that storyline.

The Discovery has traveled to a point several hundred years after the Temporal Cold War. Still, it’s certainly possible since the war involved time travel. It’s a cool concept.

They say they are stuck but Burnham has a time suit. Plus it’s 900 years in the future. Seems like getting back ought to be no more difficult than priming a warp core.

Nah. Stamets just needs to rewire the flux capacitor right.

Well, they said the time suit was one-way because it would burn out the time crystal if used more than once. Burnham then promptly went on several trips in it to set off all the beacons that attracted Discovery’s attention in the first place. Oops.

I’m a little confused about your question but it’s clear the show will be about staying in the 32nd century and whatever plot line that will follow will probably end the show in that century. I think its meant for them to be ‘destroyed’ in the 23rd century permanently and just a (bad) way to explain why we never heard much about Burnham in TOS and why she was never around then.

So… It is a rip-off of Andromeda.

Its OK. All shows have something from a previous show. Also, Andromeda is a Roddenberry Show.

Andromeda is not really a Roddenberry show like you might think. Roddenberry had the idea for an intelligent Starship. His wife, Majel, took that idea and threw it together with Genesis II/Planet Earth and launched Andromeda. While both ideas were from Roddenberry, it was not as presented.

Yeah, ol’ Gene was good at poaching from himself. LOL

This is what I am trying to say, all shows have recycled elements and ideas. :)

It’s not a Roddenberry show since it has very little to do with what Gene wrote.

You have a valid point, Rios. =)

Well thank god that the “Burn” isn’t some Orange Man is basically Hitler allegory.

Looking forward to seeing the Federation rebuilt by Alex Kurtzman – an ostensibly benevolent force for good, but actually a proto-fascist politically correct communist empire.

Prove me wrong please, Alex.

Is that you, Steve Bannon?

Nice one…! Yeah, you caught me. Just don’t tell the Postmaster General.

Sounds like he hasn’t seen star trek before. It has always been basically communist since 1966. No money, every basic need provided for people, etc.

Whilst I recognise the use of the word “basically” before communist, the Federation isn’t a communist system. The absence of money (which isn’t totally true) and the apparent provision of basic needs to citizens (again, not totally true – as Sisko comments to Dax (I think!) “The problem is Earth… it’s paradise compared to other planets and colonies”… I’m paraphrasing) does not suggest that the UFP has cracked communism/socialism without its inherent fascist/authoritarian side effects.

Be patient… I will be stunned if such a thing doesn’t show up somewhere…

Trump is a disaster of epic proportions. Every day it’s something mind boggling head shaking we learn about this idiot. I don’t want the show to focus on him at all and hopefully come January 20th of next year, we won’t have to in real life either.

As a friend from across the Pond, I’d just suggest that you brace yourself for a double whammy of Trump winning the election and being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Democrats could have picked someone young, exciting and unifying – I’m thinking Tulsi Gabbard – but choosing Joe Biden is just sad. He clearly is struggling and should be enjoying retirement with Jill. Him not being Trump simply won’t be enough to win the election. The Conservatives thought the same in 2017 with Theresa “At Least I’m Not Jeremy Corbyn” May and for all intents and purposes lost the election.

Sorry for the non-Trek post, but for your sanity (and others), you should start preparing for the idea of President Trump not leaving the White House until Jan 2025.

Do us a favor; when the planes are finally full again, please stay on your side of the pond.

The Democrats could have picked someone young, exciting and unifying – I’m thinking Tulsi Gabbard.

For all intents and purposes, they won the election with a reduced majority. Happens all the time in parliamentary systems. Jeremy Corbyn never formed a government, and “not Jeremy Corbyn” worked well enough in the next election, too. The Jeremy Corbyn in our election was Bernie, with Tulsi as a kind of mini-me. Thankfully, the Democratic rank-and-file had more common sense than the (Old) Labourites.

The Conservatives thought the same in 2017 with Theresa “At Least I’m Not Jeremy Corbyn” May and for all intents and purposes lost the election.

It’s okay, darling. The US is large enough for me to visit and not cross your path. X

If you were a fly on the wall at 10 Downing Street when the exit polls came in, you would not have seen a jubilant crowd. It would have been one of absolute shock. Tories were incandescent with May and she was totally unable to govern. Yep, sounds like it was a great victory.

Tulsi, unlike Bernie and Jez, could not be accused of being disloyal to her country as she served (two tours I think… I’d look it up but to be honest you’ve bored me with your response). She has a decent personality (for a politician), is personable and seems to be willing to work with other parties. In a time of division, she would be refreshing to say the least. Joe Biden, bless him, is seemingly stale. It seems there’s no real enthusiasm for him, which could spell trouble for those wanting Trump out of the White House.

I like Tulsi but she comes across as a bit loony. I doubt she would win. But then Trump is an utter nut job, corrupt, unhinged, habitual liar and as his former Secretary of Defense said, dangerous. Not to mention tens of thousands of people are dead that didn’t have to die not just because of his inaction of the virus, but that this A-hole LIED about what he knew how deadly it was for months.It’s appalling we have the most people dead from this virus in the world. USA #1! So maybe she could’ve done it.

Joe Biden has been consistently beating Trump in the polls for literally MONTHS now. In fact he was beating Trump in most polls before the Coronavirus mess. And he’s actually outraising Trump in money now. Trump campaign for the first time EVER is short of money…two months before election. That’s pretty unheard of for most incumbent Presidents.

But yes we’re FULLY aware this could be another 2016 situation but I think (or a better word hope) most people are very motivated this time and to vote this nut out. Last time, a lot of people assumed Hillary would win and just stayed home. I don’t think many will make the same mistake twice now.

End of the day majority of Americans didn’t vote for this clown in 2016 and it’s no way the majority will vote for him this time (even though he can still win). That at the very least I know.

I have a feeling no matter what the results are Trump won’t leave the White House sadly. Even his own former lawyer thinks Trump will try and stay in power no matter what. Sigh, how did we get here??

And America voted for Bush twice, so yes I’m prepared for anything lol. Trump is so disgusting though and a proven con artist which is OWN sister thinks he has no business being there I hope not so many stupid people vote for this guy again, but yeah.

I do despair for the USA. It’s not a great choice you have and sadly the Libertarian Party are a joke and there isn’t an independent like Kiefer in Designated Survivor, but even then, the job corrupts.

I’d joke you guys could annul the Declaration of Independence and we could have a Reunification, but our politicians are just awful too. Maybe we could both be absorbed into Switzerland ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is such an Andromeda ripoff –

While we haven’t seen it yet, and who knows, the trailer indicates the following:

  1. The Federation has fallen
  2. It is up to this starship crew to rebuild the Federation

That is Andromeda 100%. The opening dialog of Andromeda is as follows… “The long night has come. The Systems Commonwealth, the greatest civilization in history has fallen. But now, one ship, one crew has vowed to drive back the night and rekindle the light of civilization. On the Starship Andromeda, hope lives again.”

Those words are spoken almost exactly through the trailer. Substitute Systems Commonwealth for Federation, and Andromeda for Discovery and the trailer describes this literally word for word.

Lawyers would be rubbing their hands with glee… Roddenberry Estate v Roddenberry Estate.

In Kurtzman’s defence though, he’s probably not aware of Andromeda… he didn’t know of Star Trek: Enterprise until a day before announcing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds!

He is the leader of the franchise and should be responsible for knowing all of this. And I would think he has too. He refers to the “light” the same way Sorbo refers to it in the opening of Andromeda.

And how many other things has he copied in new Trek? Lets see, Lord of the Rings, The Avengers, and the list goes on.

I don’t understand your point about Enterprise? Since both the Kelvin movies and Discovery references the show, he’s obviously very aware of it.

Exactly. The comment about Enterprise is utterly ridiculous.

he didn’t know of Star Trek: Enterprise until a day before announcing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

That’s an idiotic statement. Please tell me you’re not one of those loons who believes the made-up hate-mongering you see at Midnight’s Edge.

Crikey guys, you’re so defensive about new sub par Trek that you can’t see an obvious tongue-in-cheek statement (the exclamation mark was a hint).

In the future on here, I’ll put “<— This is facetious/a joke” to help you. (I won’t, this is just something called banter).

I wasn’t defensive I was really just confused. But OK, understand.

The collapse of the Systems Commonwealth in Andromeda however was kicked off by the betrayal of “the Niechians” – a member species, not the story here from what the trailer suggests.

And given that the Systems Commonwealth was a substitute for the Federation, it’s really difficult to argue that it would be Trek that is the imitator.

Yes. This article just confirms what most already predicted before anything about season 3 ever came out. *sigh* Still nothing really original coming out of Secret Hideout. What we now must hope is they tell this predictable story in an unpredictable way. My faith in that happening, however, is very very low.

 So you are into a world where it is very reflective of the world we live in now.”

Somehow I very much doubt that. If it is then it is only by the most crazy of coincidences.

Agreed, and while they’re restoring the Federation, how about they restore my faith in this show?

““ So you are into a world where it is very reflective of the world we live in now.”

Somehow I very much doubt that. If it is then it is only by the most crazy of coincidences.”

In the eyes of the Hollywood fringe we ARE living in that world, and it’s all the Russian’s fault ;) Never mind they are still sipping their mochitos at their villa pools in this alocaylptic dystopia!

Let’s not forget there’s extremes on both ends and two wrongs don’t make one right.

havent gotten to this panel yet… the ds9 panel was awesome btw you should check it out… my favorite show… picard which had an amazing first season… nearly perfect… that panel was stewart and frakes… very touching… what a great time to be a trek fan… glad you’re all enjoying it

DS9 is still my favorite show by far too. Picard…not so much.

This is not hyperbole at all, but this season of Discovery is the most excited I been for a Star Trek season since DS9 ended. That’s how excited I am about it. The new trailer made it look so interesting because it does look SO different than what we seen in Star Trek before. Everything looks so downtrodden. We seen tons of that in Star Trek obviously but we rarely see it on Federation worlds unless its some small start up colony or farming community. And I’m excited about the technology we will see and as they alluded to how different familiar species will be by the 32nd century. Oh and based on theories from others most likely Saru will end up being the captain. If so GREAT choice and very obvious if he does end up happening. If Burnham becomes captain I can already hear the moans about it from light years away.

I always said I want to see Star Trek really boldly go and try to do something different and radical. The season can still suck, I have no doubt about that sadly, but I do think with it’s own sense of direction now and just feeling more comfortable with these characters this show can go the way of TNG, DS9 and ENT in their third seasons and create a stronger show with a new sense of purpose. We’ll see!

Tiger, your ability to still get excited despite all prior evidence never ceases to admit ;)

For me I feel very very cautious because the problem before was not the constraints of canon but the skills of the writers. If they can’t produce good Trek with the guidance of 50 years of good Trek all around them, what are they gonna produce on a blank slate. What we’ve seen no matter the show, the Kurtzman clique is just not good at serialized writing, and while there’s still hope for LDS and SNW regarding an episodic and more varied take, my expectations for Discovery are very, very low now. You just don’t take away the walking stick from a blind man and expect him to find his way ;)

I understand how you feel and I have said this many times, including in that post, I’m still prepared for this season to be bad. But of course I’m just hoping it will be good. I mean I’m not paying for a show if I know its going to suck. I’m just hoping they got their ‘stuff’ together and that they will surprise us.

But I’m not an apologist either and you clearly know that. As excited as I am about next season Discovery is still the worst Star Trek show for me out of the franchise, even now. Sadly Picard is the second worst. First season of Discovery is also the worst season for me out of any Trek show by far. Yes, even worse than TNG first season. So I get it.

But same time I honestly thought second season was a VAST improvement over first season in so many ways (but there really was no place to go but up ;)). Now I know you still had more problems with second season than I did, but for me I honestly liked most of the season. I would say 2/3rds of it was good to great while a third of it was OK to bad. The funny thing is that’s completely the opposite of first season for me. 2/3rds were OK to bad while only a third was good. And I can’t even say any were great. I can say that a few about season 2 at least.

So that is the difference. While I acknowledge the show is still mostly bad and have a long ways to go to improve, there was tons of potential I saw in season 2. But sadly they dropped the ball so bad on the story it did kill a lot of goodwill the show did have IMO, at least through the first half of the season. Oddly just like Picard. So we agree about serialization aspect and that sadly could get into trouble yet again.

But for me, I’m just happy to see Trek simply go another direction. So even if the season blows, its just nice to see them taking real chances again. That’s what excites me. The Kelvin films for example, I really hated the fact it was going to be a TOS reboot. Did nothing for me. But the second I heard it was going to be in another universe, suddenly I got very excited over it because they were thinking outside the box. Sadly it didn’t work out as well as I liked, but I still love the idea and hope we still get some stories in the universe again even if the original movie actors are done now (which I think they are personally).

So yes the season of DIS can suck but maybe it will lead to some interesting concepts to make Star Trek interesting again.

Tiger2, I’m with you.

Discovery has had a difficult time launching but even in S2 there were amazing things.

I’m here to be amazed again, and crossing my fingers that stability in the writers room will mean coherence on-screen.

Actually that was another thing I was going to mention, but I was long winded lol and that is yeah both seasons of Discovery just had some crazy behind the scenes problems that we have not heard of since TNG. But for third season, we didn’t hear a peep about anything. I mean sure Alex Kurtzman had allegedly been fired five times now if you listen to Youtube but I guess CBS just keeps having a change of heart. ;)

So I’m hoping things have just worked out better behind the scenes too. Once all the chaos from TNG early seasons were done and Roddenberry was kicked to the curve with his loony ideas, the show prospered.

Sorry but TNG was almost unwatchable in the early days.
Disc s1 was not bad for a opening ‘trek’ season.

Its why they are called opinions Tony. Nothing to be sorry about, you just have a different view than I do. And I’m not saying it was great, I’m only saying its a lot easier to find some episodes to watch in season one for me than Discovery is. Mostly because they are all standalone and there is a lot more of them to choose from I guess.

I assure you it’s still my second worst season to watch after Discovery. ;)

Tiger, I’m all for change and fresh ideas as long as they are positive. Problem is, what we are getting is mostly the bad kind and apart from LDS (which from the looks of it Kurtzman is LEAST involved with of all the new shows and just lets them do their thing) the proof is still in the pudding they can do something different AND good. I mean, who would’ve thought anyone could mess up writing PICARD? It should have been fan adoration delivered on a silver platter!

Picard should’ve been MUCH better! We definitely agree on that. I mean they said all the right things when talking about the show and Stewart enthusiasm for it put me at ease. And sadly, it mostly ended up being a dud. GOOD at the beginning but by the end….ugh.

But that said, I still thought it was better than both seasons of Discovery, so at least it’s improving…if only mildly.

So I understand your point. Obviously I’m not trying to convince you or anyone to feel the same way I do. You know I’m not one of these people offended if they think a show sucks or not, its how you feel. But same time you plan to watch the season,right? On top of that, I think you will be paying for it too, so isn’t it better to go in being a little more positive or why bother at all?

Actually since neither is available for streaming where I live, no, I’m not. I’m only in this with my motivation, not my wallet, so I may be floundering at times :D And SOMETIMES KurtzTrek feels like that abusive relationship you only keep clinging to for the sake of sentimental nostalgia (tough words for a Vulcan!) and hope that one fine day it will be like the old times again. Ah well, there’s still SNW for that!

I’ve always thought from literally the pilot that what we were watching was Burnham’s journey towards becoming Captain. They’ve leaned hard into serialisation, they made her character a mutineer (the least likely person to make the journey to the captain’s chair) so she really has somewhere to go. It just makes the most sense to me, whether that’s at the midpoint, or towards the end of the series. Even the prison jumpsuit thing they had her in foreshadows the (at the time unintroduced) captain’s yellow.

We’re. Hugging. A tree?

well…..

in Oregon, Washington State, and British Columbia lives the world’s largest (real-life) living organism, the mycellial network that interlinks trees the the West Coast rainforest.

So, when I saw Tilly hugging the tree, my thoughts immediately ran to “…that tree must link to the mycellial network and MAE.”

I suspect the tree was planted around the time Discovery disappeared perhaps as part of a memorial to the Klingon war; they’re coming back to visit as a link to their past.

It looks a bit large for 900 years old, but I’ve really only seen Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar that old.

But I think your onto something with the idea that it’s a tree that the group, or at least Tilly, had a connection with in the 23rd century and seeing it still alive is a way to psychologically come to terms with how far forward they have jumped in time.

It’s also a good, and positive visual symbol of the time jump for the audience (not negative like an eroded coastline).

TG47, I really hope they do make full use of the (for Trek) unique opportunity to show a time jump that far into the future, for longer than one episode anyway. This is really the time scale for the rise and fall of civilizations, religions and cultural norms so this shouldn’t be just another 3D interface, another phaser shape etc. The clothes, once again, do not fill me with optimism in that regard, but then again, apart from the excellent new TOS uniforms, the unimaginative, lazy-contemporary wardrobe has always been the weakest link of both Discovery and Picard.

VS, we part ways on the costumes, definitely.

For me, Gersha Phillips work has been the best design since TOS, and unlike the Picard costumes, the execution has the same couture quality and attention to detail (unlike Picard) as the best of TOS.

I expect that Phillips’ work will be join the TOS collection at the Smithsonian, or perhaps at a national museum in Canada since she’s Canadian and the work was done in Canada.

Aren’t the new TOS uniforms her designs? I definitely dig those! As for the blue main Discovery uniforms, they look like a mix of the Enterprise jumpsuits and Flash Gordon era designs (the gold elements) to me and are, like many costumes on the show including the Klingon uniforms, overdesigned, apparently to show off “cool” 4K and 3D printing technologies (ironically, much in the same way TOS was overly colorful to show off the then new color television and technicolor). Sometimes less is more!

I get where you’re coming from on the blue Discovery uniforms, but I suspect that Phillips may have had direction on that from Brian Fuller to avoid the bold multicolored uniforms.

Tamara Deverell, who took over as production designer from the 4th episode, has commented on how they had to repurpose very expensive sets that were built for the original concept. What became the spore drive lab had been the torpedo bay. So we know that the designers had too work around differing direction as the showrunners changed.

I think that the Klingon uniforms are lovely and give off a distinct feel of coming out of a medieval period.

But when I was comparing to TOS, I was particularly thinking of Sarek and Amanda’s costumes.

So wait—- they are blaming Bernie Sanders for the fall of the Federation!?

I just got the joke lol.

:)

You guys didnt get it?

1. The official slogan of Season 3 is “Feel the Burn”

2. The Federation took a hard LEFT

3. That arrowhead in the V of the new logo is also pointing towards the FAR LEFT.

We all know what you’re doing here, Colonel Kurtz!

;)

;)

:P

The trailer referred to something called “The Burn,” which was described as “the day the galaxy took a hard left.” In the panel, Kurtzman revealed this is why things have changed: “What happened to the Federation didn’t happen because of the Federation collapsed in on itself because of disagreement or strife. That’s not what happened. The Federation was as strong as ever. Obviously, something cataclysmic went down that changed everything.”

Ok, “The Burn” may be similar to a couple of things:

1. “The Flood” from the Halo games. Wikipedia summary:

The Flood is a fictional parasitic alien lifeform and one of the primary antagonists in the Halo multimedia franchise. First introduced in the 2001 video game Halo: Combat Evolved, it returns in later entries in the series such as Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo Wars. The Flood is capable of infecting any sentient life of sufficient size; Flood-infected creatures, also called Flood, in turn can infect other hosts. The parasite is depicted as such a threat that the ancient Forerunners constructed artificial ringworld superweapons known as Halos to contain it and, as a last resort, to kill all sentient life in the galaxy in an effort to stop the Flood’s spread by starving it.

2. “The Reapers” from the Mass Effect games. Wikipedia summary:

The two discuss their victory while also mentioning an artifact called the “Conduit” and the return of the Reapers, a highly advanced machine race of synthetic-organic starships believed to eradicate all organic civilization every 50,000 years.

Since we already got a version of the second one in “Picard”, I’m guessing it’ll be the first one this time.

Of course, as some clever folks here have already suggested, it could also have something to do with warp drives eventually disrupting space to the extent of making fast interstellar travel impossible (affecting slipstream drives too, presumably). Enter the Discovery and its mushroom drive…

I’m wondering if something happened in the domain of the physical sciences not a parasite or an enemy.

Perhaps the interaction of the Andromeda galaxy with the Milky Way had some distortionary effect that destroyed dilithium, and made some planets uninhabitable.

I’m wondering if something happened in the domain of the physical sciences not a parasite or an enemy.

Yes, it could certainly be something like that too, especially if “The Burn” is an allegory for global warming.

If this was a wild guess, that’s the best wild guess I’ve ever seen.

Thanks for the cheer.

I still recall seeing the Enterprise being limited by a galactic wall/barrier in TOS when I was a child, and then being disappointed that it “wasn’t a real thing.”

But our understanding and evidence of the underlying structures of the universe has come so far that TOS wasn’t as widely off the mark as had been thought.

AKA: “We have no idea how to write for Star Trek so we’re beyond thrilled we now don’t have to. Yay us!”

Secondly: y’know, I’m all for suspension of disbelief – a somewhat necessary component of watching and enjoying a fictional science-fiction show – but even SoD has limits. A giant starship crashes onto the surface of a planet but it’s okay: we’ll have it fixed and flying again in, like, two episodes.

Yeah, this season is gonna be a huge improvement.

‘The Burn’ hopefully doesn’t relate to ‘Burn-ham………’

It probably will though.

Are we going to admit this is just Andromeda rehashed?

Surely your not saying that Andromeda was so well executed that it’s ideas aren’t worth reworking into a real Star Trek series?

More, Andromeda itself was a hash of Roddenberry ideas that never got greenlighted situated in a copy of the Star Trek Federation universe minimally renamed “Systems Commonwealth” , so why would this be a problem?

Personally, I’ve been waiting for a good quality in-universe Trek integration of Roddenberry’s post-Armageddon Genesis Two and Planet Earth concepts ever since the failed pilots aired as made-for-TV movies in the 70s.