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.