[Serenity]

Um. Well it actually features the Discovery and Captain Lorca And

Spoiler

Harry Mudd

[Nevyn]

Abyss, on 27 September 2017 - 03:26 PM, said:

Counterpoint - big ass spaceships blowing shit up, ramming other big ass spaceships, and using dead bodies as mines, is solid sf tv fun. This is the Federation before it got all huggy and cuddly and prime directivishy... we've had years of that, minus the last couple of seasons of DS9 which were mostly The Dominion war and arguably the bestest seasons of any Trek series ever. So bring on the zappy sploddy I say.

Problem 1: Any old sci fi show can have big ass spaceships blowing each other up. This is the federation 10 years before Kirk (he is alive already in this timeline). And more importantly it is using a brand created by Roddenberry's vision, which was much more exploration adventure and utopian society than action based.

Problem 2: With the possible exception of the cloaked ship ramming the flagship, they didn't really execute any of that stuff well. The ship battle was all wide angle pew pew without much drama. Even the dead body mine (and the dead bodies around the ship for burial was a ridiculous conceit to set that up) didn't have much build up. You know what they are planning and they do it, and there isn't even a race against the clock to get it done.

[Abyss]

Nevyn, on 27 September 2017 - 05:50 PM, said:

Abyss, on 27 September 2017 - 03:26 PM, said:

Counterpoint - big ass spaceships blowing shit up, ramming other big ass spaceships, and using dead bodies as mines, is solid sf tv fun. This is the Federation before it got all huggy and cuddly and prime directivishy... we've had years of that, minus the last couple of seasons of DS9 which were mostly The Dominion war and arguably the bestest seasons of any Trek series ever. So bring on the zappy sploddy I say.

Problem 1: Any old sci fi show can have big ass spaceships blowing each other up. This is the federation 10 years before Kirk (he is alive already in this timeline). And more importantly it is using a brand created by Roddenberry's vision, which was much more exploration adventure and utopian society than action based.

Problem 2: With the possible exception of the cloaked ship ramming the flagship, they didn't really execute any of that stuff well. The ship battle was all wide angle pew pew without much drama. Even the dead body mine (and the dead bodies around the ship for burial was a ridiculous conceit to set that up) didn't have much build up. You know what they are planning and they do it, and there isn't even a race against the clock to get it done.

Not saying it was brilliant - there are all kinds of flaws to eps 1 and 2 - rather, that i don't have a problem with it.

This isn't any old sf show, it's Trek, and, for me, Trek has been at its best when the conflict was high. Not 'we do not understand this aliens and must rise above our human limits to something something sex with aliens something Federation yay', but 'holy fuck these guys are going to wipe the Federation right the fuck out'. The Borg episodes of TNG and Voyager. The Dominion War. Pretty much every Trek movie that didn't suck with the notable exception of The Voyage Home because Whales and a great cast can in fact hold an audience's attention.

I get it, Gene wanted a brighter future. He set the stage admirably. Thank you Gene. But TOS succeeded in part because The Shat ripped his shirt off and threw himself sideways at giant lizard men every other episode. The tricorders were very nice but so were the great big papier mache rocks he would periodically beat someone's head in with.




So if STD (yes, i am going to use that acronym every chance i get and snicker like a 12-yr-old) is set during a war and has a bit more action than previous series (when they weren't doing successful fan-loved season-long war storylines), i'm good with that.

[worry]

I watched ep 2. Like the first one, I liked it but didn't love it. I too hope the season isn't so war-focused, but I didn't mind it as a historically significant starting point, and frankly the battle was pretty cool for tv sci-fi. And as far as it being a prologue, I thought it was akin to the BSG miniseries.

I'm actually a little sad that

Spoiler

T'Kuvma died. He was pretty great as an adversary. I wonder if the albino is gonna be paralleled with Burnham -- both witness to their leader's death, both semi-outsiders, etc.

It definitely feels different from the other shows (note I've only seen TOS and TNG, but have some sense of the other shows via osmosis), but there's room to strike a balance as more faces become familiar.

[Tsundoku]

Abyss, on 27 September 2017 - 06:08 PM, said:

So if STD (yes, i am going to use that acronym every chance i get and snicker like a 12-yr-old) is set during a war and has a bit more action than previous series (when they weren't doing successful fan-loved season-long war storylines), i'm good with that.

Puts Start Trek: Insurrection in a new light.

[QuickTidal]

Episode 3...and I'm out. I'm not just out...I'm out walking through the door with my two middle fingers up flipping off production.

This show is not STAR TREK. It's not even trying to be STAR TREK. It's basically any other grim, negativity-focused serialized tv show with an unlikable lead, telling dark stories...slapped with Delta logos and sounds associated with the fanchise. That's it.

That they expect us to follow a lead character who is essentially a mutinous jerk, who is uninteresting and delivers lines in a clunky way attempting a Vulcan "logical" speech and failing, is quite tone deaf of them...

The ONLY thing going for the show is that the Discovery set is a lot better than the Shenzou...but still doesn't feel Trek-y enough.

And I don't know who decided to cast Anthony Rapp...but I think in the dictionary next to "mansplain" is that smug bastards photo.

And for what it's worth, THE ORVILLE is still nailing its STAR TREK TNG homage this past week on ep 4. I think I'm going to stick to that show, as that is at least attempting to be STAR TREK. Also, THE ORVILLE this past week had a Liam Neeson cameo...and that's never a bad thing!

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 October 2017 - 02:00 AM

[Tsundoku]

Watched the first 2 eps on Netflix.

Klingons need dental work so they can speak clearly. That plus maybe lay off the heavy chest costuming so they don't need to take a breath. Every. Goddamn. Word.

Main character is ... not interesting.

Will give it a few more because most series are shaky at the start until they find their groove.

[worry]

I liked ep 3 quite a bit. Not perfect, but I'm reassured. Even though I still don't like the idea of a prequel series at all, since they are, this is a decent period to tackle.

1. Fortune cookies are some of the best snacks on earth.
2. Some truly gruesome body horror. Loved it.
3. A few of the more interesting characters from the pilot are mainstays.
4. Burnham's still not the ideal protagonist, but this episode gives her some long-term purpose.
5. It's cool to see Rekha Sharma again. I guess she's had steady work since BSG, but all in stuff I don't watch.
6. Cool monster. Couldn't help but be reminded of that TNG episode where everyone devolves, which also had some good body horror.
7. Jason Isaacs is fantastic in these kinds of roles. He had the best take on Capt. Hook, and there's lots of good ways to go w/ that character. He has an unassuming face but icy eyes.

[worry]

She is regular supporting cast afaik (a high-ranking crew member on the Discovery).

[Tsundoku]

Ep 3

OK, that just became a bit more interesting. Not your typical Trek. I think I prefer this Burnham character as a seeker rather than a know-it-all.

Poor Jason Isaacs, so typecast.

[QuickTidal]

Oh, and that's my other complaint.

Not letting Jason Isaacs keep his British accent. I mean WTF?

[QuickTidal]

Huh. Just stumbled across this online, and it explains A LOT....

The USS Discovery’s designation is NCC-1031

…

And I only just put this together.

The black ops of the Federation in Star Trek is called "Section 31” right? As the name comes from the Federation Charter, at Section 31.

1031.

The story on Discovery is part of the genesis of the Star Trek Black Ops squad, Section 31…(Article 14, Section 31, which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat.)

It also makes the design of the ship, with the saucer separate from the middle bubble area make more sense. Quarantining portions of the ship easily.

That puts everything into a TOTALLY different perspective...hmmm....I'm not sure it's enough to make me watch...but it changes my view on the whole thing so far...

[Una]

I liked the 3rd episode.

My general reaction by the end was "The Captain is a madman! Interesting..." Michael is suitably chastened, for the moment. I knew they would have to bring her back as some sort of lame, "But you're so smart and special, we need you even though you are a mutineer and can't be trusted" thing. But it's more like the Captain is some degree of crazy and I'm sure the reason he brought her back is not the reason he gave her, which makes it easier to swallow and sets up a mystery. If they do this series as an exploration of the dirty black ops stuff that's necessary to bring about (or even maintain, afterwards) the utopia that we are used to seeing, there's plenty of neat ways you can play that.

Also, the nostalgia of settling into the couch with my blanket and my cup of tea, preparing to watch an all new episode of Star Trek with my father. I haven't done that since the first season of Enterprise, and it was a regular occurrence for me in high school and undergrad. It was so nice. I felt 16 again.

[Morgoth]

I actually quite liked the 3 ep, unlike the first two. I was a little dissapointed to find that Jason Isaacs once again is a villain of sorts, or maybe not, but I do enjoy the idea of a Star Trek with somewhat less of a heroic, wonderful captain.

[Serenity]

It was an improvement over the first two, but I found my mind wandering at a couple of points, so it wasn't really keeping my attention. It wasn't helped by two of her fellow prisoners being played by actors who have appeared in The Expanse, which made me start thinking about that show instead of this.


Sticking with it, though. I want to give it time to find its feet.

[Morgoth]

And that poor redhead being cast into the least interesting archetype in popular culture.

[Tattersail_]

Started watching this yesterday, and really cannot get enough.

[Tsundoku]

Maybe the director etc thought that Jason Isaacs with his British accent would have come across as just too stereotypically evil?

I mean, does anything sound quite so delightfully evil as an upper class educated British accent, dripping with disdain and superiority?

Damn, now I'm going to think of him as Captain Lucius, even with the mid-Atlantic accent. I dare everyone here to try NOT to now.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 03 October 2017 - 08:55 AM

[Serenity]

QuickTidal, on 02 October 2017 - 01:59 AM, said:

And for what it's worth, THE ORVILLE is still nailing its STAR TREK TNG homage this past week on ep 4. I think I'm going to stick to that show, as that is at least attempting to be STAR TREK. Also, THE ORVILLE this past week had a Liam Neeson cameo...and that's never a bad thing!

I just saw the first episode and enjoyed it. Shame it got slammed by the critics. But it's got Adrianne Palicki in it, so I don't care.

[QuickTidal]

Serenity, on 03 October 2017 - 11:28 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 02 October 2017 - 01:59 AM, said:

And for what it's worth, THE ORVILLE is still nailing its STAR TREK TNG homage this past week on ep 4. I think I'm going to stick to that show, as that is at least attempting to be STAR TREK. Also, THE ORVILLE this past week had a Liam Neeson cameo...and that's never a bad thing!

I just saw the first episode and enjoyed it. Shame it got slammed by the critics. But it's got Adrianne Palicki in it, so I don't care.

The 2nd and 3rd episodes are better than the first. And this week is a Charlize Theron guest spot!