# Star Trek: Discovery



## Veho (Aug 5, 2017)

Trailer oop. 

​

Set in the original series continuity, around 10 years before Kirk's adventures. 

The main character is Sarek's adopted human daughter who also grew up on Vulcan. Yes, Spock's (adopted) sister. We will also find out why Spock never mentioned her. The creators promise they will find a way to cram her into the canon without any retconning of the previous series, but it all smells like a fanfiction Mary Sue to me. Like Harry Potter's hotter twin brother who was left with his _other_ aunt. 

And they've redesigned the Klingons again. The show will reveal how Klingons got their forehead ridges. And then lost them in TOS. Then regained them sometime before TNG. 

And of course I'm gonna watch it because it's friggin Star Trek, okay? Don't judge me. 

Anywhooo. Thoughts?


----------



## Chary (Aug 5, 2017)

Seems yeah, a bit too mary sue for me. I'm so sure, Spock's adopted sister. Puh-lease. They didn't need to cram that in. Interesting that they're going _before_ Kirk's era, though. I honestly just want more Star Trek movies with the alternate timeline cast, Chris Pine was really good as Kirk imo. I suppose I'll watch it just cuz like you said, it's friggin Star Trek.


----------



## DinohScene (Aug 5, 2017)

I'd rather have it play out in the 29th century.
But yeh, I'll watch it tho.


----------



## Sky_Execution (Oct 27, 2017)

I watched the first 2 episodes and didn't quite enjoy it.


----------



## dimmidice (Oct 27, 2017)

Chary said:


> Seems yeah, a bit too mary sue for me. I'm so sure, Spock's adopted sister. Puh-lease. They didn't need to cram that in. Interesting that they're going _before_ Kirk's era, though. I honestly just want more Star Trek movies with the alternate timeline cast, Chris Pine was really good as Kirk imo. I suppose I'll watch it just cuz like you said, it's friggin Star Trek.


Man, you had it spot on, Michael is totally a mary sue. I'm a die hard trekkie, but i'm passing on this. Doesn't feel like trek to me, and i can't stand any of the characters. (other than Saru but he's inconsistent in how he's written though)


----------



## Sky_Execution (Oct 27, 2017)

Someone told me that in this one the klingons now eat people...please tell me that isn't true.


----------



## dimmidice (Oct 27, 2017)

Sky_Execution said:


> Someone told me that in this one the klingons now eat people...please tell me that isn't true.


Yup. It's not shown though. But they technically always ate people. "Eat the heart" is often mentioned. The difference to me is old star trek was subtle about stuff like this. New trek draws attention to it. They're turning star trek into some dark and edgy show (old trek also had episodes like that, but it wasn't built on it) And i don't want that.


----------



## Cyan (Oct 27, 2017)

it's a prequel ?
I never watched startrek, except the first episode of the very first series. (didn't age very well,  )
There are too many episode if I want to catch up all the series, but maybe starting with this one is good if it's chronologically older?


----------



## Sky_Execution (Oct 27, 2017)

I do agree the older series had alot of subtleties. This one feels out of place for me.


----------



## Veho (Oct 27, 2017)

Cyan said:


> There are too many episode if I want to catch up all the series, but maybe starting with this one is good if it's chronologically older?


Absolutely and definitely not. 
If you want to watch Star Trek, start with the second season of The Next Generation.


----------



## dimmidice (Oct 27, 2017)

Cyan said:


> it's a prequel ?
> I never watched startrek, except the first episode of the very first series. (didn't age very well,  )
> There are too many episode if I want to catch up all the series, but maybe starting with this one is good if it's chronologically older?


This one would be an awful one to start with. It doesn't feel like the other shows, It's premise is different, it's fully serialized, and they bend if not break canon. And this is only the first 6 episodes.

If you think TOS (The Original Series) is too old (I do too, only watched a handful of eps) Start with TNG (The Next Generation). Season 1 is a bit wonky but it gets better. If you don't like an episode you can just skip it.

If you don't like TNG (you can just start with DS9 (Deep Space 9). It's a bit different, it's partially serialized, it's a bit darker overall (though not as dark as DIS) and has less of a starfleet feel. Season 1 is again a bit wonky though. I wouldn't recommend skipping too many episodes of this one as each one has character development in the backstories and such. But if you can't stand one episode it's not the worst thing to skip it. Also skip S01E10. It's the worst.

Then there's VOY (Voyager) left. Voy is from the same time as TNG/DS9. And chronologically It's concurrent with DS9. It's the weakest of the TNG/DS9/VOY trio in my opinion. But it has its moments. It's also almost completely unserialized.

ENT (Enterprise) is a prequel (Before any other show) and is the second newest show (Since DIS is here now) I quite like it, others do not. But it's definitely worth a try.


Also check out Babylon 5. It's not a star trek show, but it's goddamn excellent. the CGI sadly hasn't aged well but writing wise and such it's just brilliant.

 
The intro alone gives me bloody goosebumps. It also has a kind of weak season 1 though.


----------



## Sky_Execution (Oct 27, 2017)

DS9 was ok. TNG was good. And I honestly havent watched Babylon 5 so I might check it out.


----------



## InsaneNutter (Oct 27, 2017)

I didn't think much of the first episode however after that I really got in to it. It's different but in a good way I think, i've been enjoying the story line too.

The main thing that annoys me is the klingon's actually speak klingon quite a bit. I find having to read subtitles a lot less immersive when watching something, so it gets annoying when it's a scene that goes on for a couple of minutes.

I'm not a hardcore trekkie, Voyager is my favorite series which a lot more of the hardcore fans hate from what I gather. I did really enjoy The Next Generation also.


----------



## FAST6191 (Oct 27, 2017)

Watched all of them thus far and ruminated on the matter for a few days.
Oddly compelling but incredibly soft sci fi with most things being more "that's a cool thing, let's include it" than any kind of real exploration. It then makes for something with no real stakes, and while that does not always bother me it does not do well here.

I imagine if you cared about canon and such it could annoy but I don't. I am quite OK with shared quasi background history (see also things like all the gangs and such that Fox and FX share between many of their shows) rather than suffering another origin story.

Guess I have been too spoiled by the expanse, and even Dark Matter and Killjoys I find rather more enjoyable. Don't mind the grim und gritty thing at all. Battlestar reboot proved it could work, all the others mentioned followed that line, and clean space adventure does seem to have fallen somewhat by the wayside.

If it lumbers on then it will be because Star Trek, standing on its own merits I don't know. I would not be surprised to see budget cuts (as it stands it is quite high at around 8 million per episode, lot of very good TV gets made for half that and this is set to be 15 episodes for the first series) and then it fading quietly.

Some said Mary Sue and while I don't know about that, or at least is stops a bit short of that, I could see this being the fan fiction of characters from a better show or writers saw plot devices in other shows and clumsily inserted them*. That or "designed for binge watching but could still be self contained" and as such still suffers quickly resolving arcs.

*


Spoiler: really a minor spoiler



The death of the head of security in whatever episode that was. While I appreciated the attempt to give her a bit of character beforehand it still did nothing when it hit.


----------



## Cyan (Oct 27, 2017)

Thanks for explaining the series order, and saying I could skip some.
I like to watch in order, but release order is probably the best choice. I'll give another try but I might skip TOS 

I liked The expanse and Dark matter. I didn't watch killjoys yet.
I never had the chance to watch battlestar either. I hope to fix that one day.

(but this weekend, I'll watch something else, something more strange  )


----------



## FAST6191 (Oct 31, 2017)

I once saw a discussion about when TV shows and film franchises, the basis of which was when they have a plot arc featuring amnesia that they have run out of ideas. I think I shall have to amend that for sci fi/fantasy to include time loops (or a functional equivalent) where such things are not the central theme under exploration. Most seem to wait at least a couple of series before it happens though.

and so as to at least have something amusing going on in this post


----------



## FAST6191 (Nov 13, 2017)

Was the mid series finale today/last night.

As before I find it to be a zero stakes show (any one in which problems get handwaved can not really be anything else) with some soft sci fi themed episodes. Makes for an amusing enough light show though.


----------



## Proust (Nov 13, 2017)




----------



## FAST6191 (Jan 16, 2018)

Anybody been watching it since it came back?



Spoiler



So they are in a parallel universe, here star fleet is a xenophobic(?) empire and they are trying to pass on their ship and another Mary Sue happens to be captain of. She claims it is hard but "show, don't tell" was all that went through my head there. If I was being a complete nerd I would contemplate quantum randomness as well -- they have a necessarily paranoid authoritarian government and no impersonator/ID protocols based on some prebaked randomness list? Also a surprising amount of stuff that would be solved with security cameras and life sign monitors, maybe that is still too futuristic.


----------



## LightyKD (Jan 23, 2018)

Three more episodes to go this season and it has been one hell of a ride! It starts off as a slow burn then halfway through we just get this explosion of awesome! BTW if you haven't watched it yet, the little things matter. You will be happy to have watch through the parts that seem not as important.


----------



## FAST6191 (Jan 23, 2018)

You reckon? Any real promise for me faded about 6 episodes in and now it is a dull slog for me. The science has been bad and getting worse, the writing and direction not much better.

I probably will finish this series which is better than I did for stargate universe and the last attempt at a TV reboot of startrek. I don't even think it is that the expanse did for me what the wire did for crime shows.


----------



## Veho (Jan 23, 2018)

FAST6191 said:


> I don't even think it is that the expanse did for me what the wire did for crime shows.


What did it do?


----------



## FAST6191 (Jan 23, 2018)

After watching the wire (13 or so episodes a series, one main case for the entire thing, slow and methodical and quite detailed, not so far off the expanse so far) trying to watch a case of the week crime drama like CSI or something became quite hard and I have not really bothered with such things since.


----------



## Veho (Jan 24, 2018)

I see what you mean. 

The problem with series with an ongoing story is that they run a very high risk of turning into genre-flavored soap operas. Very very few have a full story with an ending in mind at the start, and then just tell it. The rest just meander away.  

The monster/alien/murder-of-the-week format is usually formulaic but it's more flexible in the way of story arcs and avoiding writing yourself into a corner, and I also appreciate the fact I can just jump in anywhere and watch without missing a beat or needing to watch two seasons of buildup to be able to pick up the story. 

And as for Star Trek, I'm a TNG baby and expect them to "explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations" and not just mooch around the same backyard for years, meet one new civilization and then turn into space-flavored Dawson's Creek. This is why I disliked Deep Space Nine (AKA "Star Stay-In-One-Place").


----------



## FAST6191 (Jan 24, 2018)

I mostly only ever saw TNG and some of Voyager (never saw the start, saw the middle few ones, not from about three quarters, and then the finale arc before now). Saw a few in my post wire days as well, still did OK.

Possibly also a problem is I spent the last however many months listening to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFipeZtQM5CKUjx6grh54g

That said as mentioned I can still go in for a bit of fluff like Dark Matter and Killjoys.

I think in some ways the science is a bit too soft for me. I does not all have to be Shane Carruth (guy that did Primer) but something at least attempting some measure of consistency. The former star trek things I did see seemed like they did better.



Spoiler: for end of last episode and thus fairly big reveal



End of last episode. Ignoring that somehow comms protocols don't use quantum randomness for signing and thus they can fake it like an old timey pirate ship running a false flag there is apparently "a single biological difference of a fairly notable sensitivity to light in humans, presumably species wide" and that would somehow not change civilisation notably? Have you not seen ginger people?



The last thing this happened to me in, sci fi show wise anyway, was Stargate Universe. Love me some stargate and atlantis was not bad either, could not do universe. Was better than infinity though.

As far as "jump right in" I am not sure this is suited to it either.

If this seems disjointed it is because my thoughts on it are somewhat. It is like monster hunter -- on paper I should really like it but the reality is not something which gels for me and unlike most other times I am struggling to articulate exactly why.


----------



## Lemmingz (Feb 7, 2018)

I've watched a few episodes, not sure if I'm really into it yet


----------



## MisterSteak (Feb 12, 2018)

I've been pretty pleased with it so far. It's no DS9, and it honestly doesn't feel super Star Trek overall to me, but I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

It has its corny moments, but I'm going to continue watching it for sure.


----------



## LightyKD (Feb 14, 2018)

MisterSteak said:


> I've been pretty pleased with it so far. It's no DS9, and it honestly doesn't feel super Star Trek overall to me, but I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
> 
> It has its corny moments, but I'm going to continue watching it for sure.



I'm loving Discovery. You're right it's no DS9 and right now my top in order are

- Enterprise (I know it gets a lot of hate but it captures the soul of Trek the most)
- DS9 (If I can be half the dad that Sisko is, that would be an accomplishment. As a kid Sisko was MY captain)
- Discovery (I Absolutely  LOVE Burnham and Tilly)

...all stated, Discovery shows a lot of promise. I love that every episode is connected. Sure some elements of the first season was rushed but these things can be fixed. I really hope that we get the actors for Kelvin Spock and Pike next season for no more than three episodes. i'm sure the actors have other projects that they are working on but , Discovery shouldn't have too much focus on the 1701 anyway. Ugh! 2019 cant get here fast enough lol!


----------



## Smoker1 (Feb 14, 2018)

Going to love to know when Season 02 will come out. Hopefully not the end of the Year. LOVE how the Enterprise looks 
Seriously want the Model when/if it comes out


----------



## LightyKD (Feb 14, 2018)

Smoker1 said:


> Going to love to know when Season 02 will come out. Hopefully not the end of the Year. LOVE how the Enterprise looks
> Seriously want the Model when/if it comes out
> View attachment 114178



Agreed. I was considering getting the classic Enterprise but I really hope Diamond Select makes 1 foot models of Discovery, the 1701 and the Shenzhou. It would be even better if hey could scale the three ships based on their model of the NX-01 (which I have). It might make the 23rd century ships bigger but well worth the price!


----------



## Smoker1 (Feb 14, 2018)

Well, I would want to rig it with Lights  . Did these Years ago. Only thing I did not like is the Enterprise D Model had differences. The Impulse Engines are supposed to be Red on the Saucer, but the Model has them as Blue. Also, the Section in front of the Captain's Yacht, there is supposed to be Windows, but the Model does not have it.


----------

