Fair cop. Though all those were part of how the “oh we are all now so much better and more enlightened” thing was always rather something set up to be knocked down. (OK, ok, there were times in TNG Season 1 it sounded like they meant it. They got better.)
Given that the Federation is on a campaign to get former members to rejoin politics are bound to factor into Academy admissions. Hence the President of Betazeds kids getting admitted after the start of the semester. BTW hosting the capital of the Federation is a horrible idea; Starfleet was constantly leaving Earth underprotected.
It’s a bit too Discovery for me: turgid melodrama, visual frenzy (is it too much to ask to actually see the spaceships?) and unearned emotional crescendos. Everything out of everyone’s mouth is either feelings or exposition. I liked the eyebrow girl, though - she’s obviously the most competent student there and the group’s natural leader, which means that she’ll probably end up playing second banana to the juvenile delinquent.
I’ll keep watching, under protest.
I hope so, but I genuinely do not see how you could possibly have enough data to come to that conclusion.
I don’t think it’s that weird a Doper who likes Star Trek hopes that it’s not going to be spreading real life woo. I expected a lot more agreement here.
And, yes, a lot of people assume the sciency talk on smart people shows is accurate, unless it’s clearly fictional. Copying from real barefoot sites suggests the author really believes, unless it is contradicted in some way.
The third episode is not going to win over people already determined to hate the show. But I’m still not hating it, it has a tinge of humor to it (though not quite as much as Lower Decks or The Orville) so it is to me better than if it played the teen drama super seriously: they are aware that they are playing with cliches.
It probably helps that I saw Discovery first and got perspective on what really bad Star Trek looks like.
Also, the haters are really going to love the revelation (maybe suggested earlier? I didn’t notice) that Tig and the Jemhalingon are a couple.
I saw the first two episodes and like the show.
It has too much Discovery preachiness to it, but I watched every episode of that series so I can stomach it.
It’s not bad. The beginning of the first episode was pretty good I thought. The story of the mom being subjected to Federation law because she helped a pirate in exchange for food, and was an unwitting accomplice to murder, and Holly Hunter’s character being stuck and wanting to help the orphaned kid felt real. It took a major downturn when it leapt ahead in time and turned into Space Hogwarts.
I wish it kept that earlier feel which was very much like Strange New Worlds (which is my favorite Trek show). But it still doesn’t suck.
I was very relieved by Jett Reno’s appearance in the second episode. They need more of her. She feels like the only real person on the show, and the way she cut through the main protagonist’s pouty act was great. I also love how she asked him what one his classmate’s names was, and talked about how everyone there needs to stop focusing on themselves and start working with other students because relying on and supporting colleagues is what Starfleet is all about. More Reno, dammit!
I also liked the resolution to the second episode. I thought it was a clever and realistic solution to the problem, though it was sabotaged a bit with the “everyone stands up silently in heroic support” crap. They just didn’t need that. Not everything has to have such weight that everyone basks in the glory of the spirit of wisdom or whatever the heck that’s supposed to be. Just be relieved that you reached a compromise and maybe clap a bit like real people do.
My favorite new character is the Klingon guy who wants to be a doctor and avoids violence, but insists that he wants to honor his culture in his unique way. Such a smart choice and that seems like the exact kind of Klingon that would want to join Starfleet. And I also like that he’s not too over-the-top and “Worfy” about being a Klingon either.
Just watched the third episode. I won’t give anything away, but I will also say that I don’t think I’m going to make it through this series. I get where they are coming from, but as a lifelong ST fan, it just isn’t for me.
Script writers meeting:
Some people might start calling this ‘Hogwarts in Space’, how should we counter that?
How about we introduce quidditch, but with transporter tech?
I’m waiting for Dobby the Starfleet Elf to show up.
And in a related note… Holly Hunter’s character, Captain Ake, is basically a Hobbit, isn’t she? Half the height of everyone else, informal, barefoot?
Is Hobbiton a member of the United Federation of Planets?
Just watched the first episode and I found it interesting. Not sure if it is for me, I grew up on TOS in the 70s and have been a fan since. What I like is the idea of rebuilding the Federation after much decline. Also, I will say I like it taking place in the future and not looking back, for the most part. I don’t want any legacy shows, Star Trek needs to look to the future, not the past.
Caught up.
Overall I think it is fine for what it is. Not a show to think deeply about. Agree that to the degree it is fun it is because it is not taking itself seriously. And it isn’t relying on recognizing Easter Eggs or lore for its humor or plot, also important for a show trying to appeal to new younger viewers.
I’m actually most curious about where they are going to go with Kyle - War College cadet who is good humored, curious, and open - wanted to hear the second Klingon joke, and reacted to the prank without fear but approach. His mismatch with that college’s stereotype is going to be a story point.
They also hinted that we may hear more of Protostar’s story by The Doctor’s reaction. That cartoon (Prodigy) btw definitely got better end of S1 and all of S2, as it became more Trek and less Star Wars like to me. I would have watched more of it.
Rumor has it that Kyle will be Jay-Den’s love interest.
I hope not.
One, not everything of interest has to be teen drama love story.
Two, it sort of bothers me that the sensitive Klingon guy has to be gay. If you’re going to have a gay Klingon guy have them be against that coded stereotype.
That character really stood out in the episode, and I very much want to see more of him.
Agreed with this. I really like how Jay-Den defies stereotypes (at least those established within the Star Trek universe) and I’d like to keep it that way.
Also, the “sensitive gay medical officer” trope was done in Discovery with the character of Hugh Culber, and while I liked that character just fine in that show (quite a bit actually, although a big part of that might have been because I love Wilson Cruz as an actor), it seems like it would just be recycling from its predecessor too much.
To me, the Jett Reno/Lura Thok romance came out of nowhere and I loved it. When Jett called Lura “Kitten” and they started debating dinner plans, and bickering like an old established couple, that was one of my favorite moments of the episode. Jett was my favorite character in Discovery, I am overjoyed that she is in the new show, and I am so excited that she had so much screen time in the third episode. And now they’ve established a relationship for her, which serves to both develop her character more, and suggests to me that she will be one of the more featured faculty members in this series.
Also love their established couple dynamic. Not enough established enough to comfortably bicker in public couples in the Trek universe. I get that service in Federation makes being a couple together enough to bicker about dinner in public challenging, but it is so very rare! And yes Jett Reno, more please!
Given Thok and if Jay-Den then I guess the new thing is how often Klingons (even half Klingons) are gay! Albeit not coupled with those of their culture …
Seriously though I could be interested in a Klingon couple that happen to be gay and how the current Klingon society deals with that.
Mostly though I want gay and diverse characters that just happen to be those things, not diversity as the point, the key reason for the character.
My eyes aren’t what they once were, but it seemed to me that a lot of the shots of Holly Hunter were digitally smoothed, or something. Her lower lip and chin look odd to me. The effect seems to shift from scene to scene, but it seems like they’re editing out fine lines around her mouth.
I could well be wrong. Does anyone else see that?
I don’t. I think the lighting is sometimes weird on the show though, and that might be what you’re seeing.
The lack of want thing was, basically, Gene Roddenberry. He really believed that if humans would stop fighting with each other all other problems would be solved. So, in his 23rd century, all problems were solved, at least in terms of that kinda stuff.
It is of course famously the case that during the beginnings of The Next Generation,” Roddenberry absolutely wanted it forbidden that any of the Enterprise crew would have any conflict at all with each other - I don’t mean just that they wouldn’t kick the shit out of each other, I mean ANY conflict. No arguing or disagreement, of any kind. This is, of course, not just bizarre, but effectively impossible to write a story around.
I love Star Trek but they made decisions that either required basically giving up and slowly accepting reality (no money, no conflict, etc.) and decisions that required endless plot conveniences to get around (transporters.)