[Episode review starts at 15:40]
Tony and Laurie talk about Anson Mount joining METI, Simon Pegg patching things up with Quentin Tarantino, and Kovich theories. Then they get into the nitty gritty of Star Trek: Discovery‘s “Scavengers,” which strikes them both as a mixed bag, and head down a few nerdy rabbit holes along the way.
Links to topics discussed in the pod
Anson Mount Joins Scientific Effort To Make First Contact With Aliens
Simon Pegg talks about Quentin Tarantino Trek [Radio Times]
Three Theories About Kovich And What’s Next For Georgiou On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ And Beyond
Other mentions:
The Ready Room: Mario Moreira talks about badges
Enterprise NCC-1701 refit from Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Enterprise NCC-1701-A in Star Trek V: The Voyage Home
Michael Burnham meets Emperor Georgiou (Discovery season 1)
Trekbits:
Tony: Nicholas Meyer Discusses Sherlock Holmes, Antisemitism and Raoul Wallenberg (and McCoy’s line about Spock)
Laurie: Hotel Royale book found by Matt Mira on the set of The Goldbergs (and the Star Trek: The Next Conversation podcast)
Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments.
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Love the podcast. Watching the episode, I wondered: if Starfleet had the ability in the 23rd century to build Discovery and the spore drive, wouldn’t they be able to do it in the 32nd century also? It seems that rather than risk Disco on missions, they should be disassembling it so they can make a whole fleet of Discoveries. Seems like a little technobabble was needed on why that wouldn’t work.
I was thinking that too! I meant to bring it up on the podcast. I wasn’t even considering taking it apart so much as sending a bunch of scientists to go study it, observe them on missions, and try to recreate it. It seems odd to me that they wouldn’t just try to make more spore drives now that they know of their existence. We definitely need to hear a legitimate reason they can’t do that, plus it would be fun to see a swarm of scientists hounding Stamets to try to figure it all out. (And thanks, so glad you are enjoying the podcast.)
Laurie, thanks again for the podcast. I’m loving the Discovery episode reviews and the opening Trek news segment is an nice addition to the podcast format. Thanks again.
Very glad you’re enjoying it. Tony & I are having a great time recording it every week.
What’s Michael’s arc this season? Being obsessed with finding out about and stopping the Burn, she accidentally becomes the Burn! The writing’s on the wall. Not much left to wonder IMHO. There was that line in ep. 3 about her collecting the weight of the world on her shoulders. And that’s what she does… again. There is no way around it. I know you don’t like the idea but that’s what I expect them to do…
WTF???
I got the sense last night in Episode 6 that they’re setting her up to leave Discovery and join the Section 31 show. On one hand they clearly know that she’s a flawed character and are making efforts to improve her and on the other hand they keep doubling down on her flaws. I’m thinking that there’s a longer play here that I’m not seeing clearly yet…although I’m intrigued. I’m also noticing that I’m really enjoying the Discovery crew as an ensemble when Burnham isn’t around and think that there 32nd century dynamic within Starfleet is very interesting. I think there are some surprises in store for us.
I have asserted elsewhere that I think commentators on this forum are falling into the trap of analyzing a characters motives and direction i.e. future story arc when I am just not convinced the writers have anything planned out long term. There are far too many people involved in these shows with far too many story arcs and ideas floating around for it to be cohesive.
Will something “dramatic” and “heartwarming” and “inspiring” happen to Burnham this season? Sure! They will tell us its dramatic, heartwarming and inspiring by the dialogue, the music and the moist eyes and pained facial expressions… but will it be earned? Will we actually feel any of it deep down? probably not.
Has any of what will happen be planned? I doubt it. They know something will happen, but they don’t know what….and here we are chasing our tails latching onto any clue or gobbling up any crumb that is accidentally dropped in each episode.
By my count we have…
…with 5 episodes remaining!!! Which of these arcs will joint the Borg Cube on planet Hippy-Android and be left on the writers cutting room floor? Place your bets!!!
Disco Tech? Ugh, I’m having ’70s flashbacks!
I love tuning in to the podcast each week. Laurie and Tony started out as great hosts and just keep getting better! They flow together so well.
But… I must respectfully disagree with Tony’s assertion that ep 6 of Disco will not be remembered for any great scenes. We finally got to hear Ronnie Rowe deliver not just one but two lines of dialogue as comm officer, Lt. Bryce- in the same episode!
I am preying daily to the Great Bird of the Galaxy that we might be lucky enough to get more Lt. Bryce next week! In fact, Kurtzman, if you’re listening, just spin him off onto his own show, please.
One More Thing… I didn’t quite agree with the Linus criticism, even though I also found the gag wore thin extremely quickly. I didn’t think his personal transporter was malfunctioning, rather I got the impression he was playing with it like an excited kid with a new toy and simply acting like he didn’t mean to be beaming here, there, and everywhere.
Thanks for the feedback. Maybe some day we will do an interview with Ronnie and ask about it.
SETI has a valid premise look for the garbage radio signals that a planet like Earth simply tosses out into space. METI is the ultimate hit and miss in a field inconceivably large. The idea of carrying conversations across hundreds of light years ranks as the most pointless activity that one can conceive of. METI is so improbable a proposition that it’s funding should be left to bored billionaires, not taken from actual worthy scientfic endeavours.
Turbolift kiss? Sorry, I don’t watch Discovery every day.
Book sent Grudge to Michael because he got himself imprisioned while looking for a clue about The Burn. Michael completely shirks all responsibilities of her new role of first officer and takes Space Hitler to go break him out of jail. She gets there and finds out he really didn’t need her help at all. But they manage to free a dozen or so prisoners before they completely destroy the facility, killing untold amounts of people. Book takes this to mean, “Gee, you really do care about me, Michael.” and finally, after an entire year of hardcore flirting, works up the nerve to kiss her in a turbolift. But wait! Just a moment before their lips touch, Linus accidentally beams into the turbolift and ruins it with a lame excuse that he was trying to beam somewhere else. Book and Michael decide to kiss anyways, because chances to kiss only come along about once a year for these two.
And now the audience can stop wondering Will They, Haven’t They Already?
In case you haven’t found out yet, San was a character in the mirror universe Discovery novel “Die Standing”. I wonder if writers are going to do more novel call backs. It would be good motivation to continue reading novels. Once they don’t go to far and make novel reading practically a requirement to understand the environment the main series is taking place in. Like they did with ST: Picard and the novel “Last best hope”
Thanks for the comment and it’s a good point and we are looking into following up on that. What’s annoying is, I read that book, but forgot all about San, who was mentioned but IIRC we never actually met San except in a dream sequence/memory
Remove Burnham and this becomes a great show. Man, i’m even starting to warm to Tilly a bit now she’s coming up with some sensible things than goofy things to say.
Having Wonder Woman Burnham solve everyones problems and get teary every week and get away with not following orders is extremely tiresome. Me, me, me…it’s setting up for The Burn (ham), either her or her mother have something to do with it no doubt and once again she will
Have found love for every star trek show up until today, and discovery took longer to grow on me but it has done without this character. Burnham is just a character I cannot love no matter how hard I try.
If I were Saru, the solution would be so obvious: Burnham and Georgiou want to sneak away on Book’s ship? Well then they can stay on Book’s ship. The ship would be better, the show would be better. Burnham and Book can kiss all the time for Laurie.
It’s kind of amazing that the crew of Disco sacrificed everything to follow Burnham into the future, rewarded her with the position of first officer, and then almost immediately she turned her back on everyone and went rogue with Space Hitler.
Remember when the characters on Star Trek were aspirational? Picard was such a great role-model. Janeway was the very essence of a fantastic woman in a leadership position. Sisko showed us how to be great even when you aren’t perfect like Picard. Even Prime Kirk was a man we could all look up to.
It’s like Burnham is a pastiche of all the worst elements of the previous captains. She is disobedient and willing to disregard orders when it suits her like Sisko, her success relies on pure luck like JJ-Kirk, she is wracked with self-doubt and depression like Janeway and movie-Picard, and she furrows her brow all the damn time like Archer.
The problem is that all of the other captains had a lot more going on inside. They had layers and were balanced out by their friends and crew. They weren’t defined by their flaws. With Burnham, it’s like the writers are constantly trying to tear her apart so they can attempt to put her back together. It’s not for me.