Watched this morning. If this is going to be the mood of this version of Trek, I doubt I'll watch. Low light and lotsa stylized, fast-moving violence. And I've never ever been interested in the anthropology of Klingons—worse, presenting their dialogue wholly as subtitles! Let's just pretend the viewers have universal translators, 'k?—so the yada yada blah blah about honour and combat, etc is tedious. However, I do like the idea of focusing on a human trained in Vulcan ways and is motivated by redemption. And I really dig having the main character be a black woman, better reflecting pluralism and sending the angry racist and sexist nerds into paroxysms of despair. But I did get an uncomfortable Enterprise vibe that this is about satisfying hardcore Trek fans first and foremost.
I'm with you on the probably won't watch very much, or wait until I can torrent the whole thing. It certainly doesn't merit getting CBS's new streaming platform to watch.
Ironically, I felt that this show forgot what Star Trek was about. There was no sense of wonder except for that brief scene where the lead was in her own space suit zipping along through the asteroids. But to set up a conflict right away, to make it about battle...that's learning all the wrong lessons from the JJverse.
FWIW, Wendy - who has never seen an episode of Star Trek in her life and isn't a genre fan - enjoyed it. That already differentiates it from Voyage or Enterprise, I think.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Ironically, I felt that this show forgot what Star Trek was about. There was no sense of wonder except for that brief scene where the lead was in her own space suit zipping along through the asteroids. But to set up a conflict right away, to make it about battle...that's learning all the wrong lessons from the JJverse.
I tend to agree, there isn't a sense of wonder or the appeal of the frontier in this set-up. The environment seems more to confirm the Klingon perspective—this is about violence and death. And maybe that's also a necessary reflection of where Western societies see themselves now, less confidently looking towards the future than seeing the present as a struggle to survive. But I'm less certain I want to go along for that ride. If the show manages to keep me, it's because the Burnham character begins with the best initial back story and purpose since Sisko. I really do like the idea of a human trained in Vulcan ways but whose sense of logic fucked up badly. That's a rich canvas to work with.
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
I tend to agree, there isn't a sense of wonder or the appeal of the frontier in this set-up. The environment seems more to confirm the Klingon perspective—this is about violence and death. And maybe that's also a necessary reflection of where Western societies see themselves now, less confidently looking towards the future than seeing the present as a struggle to survive. But I'm less certain I want to go along for that ride. If the show manages to keep me, it's because the Burnham character begins with the best initial back story and purpose since Sisko. I really do like the idea of a human trained in Vulcan ways but whose sense of logic fucked up badly. That's a rich canvas to work with.
I am 100% certain that the arc of the show is going to be to move Michael (and the show) to align with Star Trek's "classic" sense of wonder and humanity. The first two episodes seemed like they were screaming that setup.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
I tend to agree, there isn't a sense of wonder or the appeal of the frontier in this set-up. The environment seems more to confirm the Klingon perspective—this is about violence and death. And maybe that's also a necessary reflection of where Western societies see themselves now, less confidently looking towards the future than seeing the present as a struggle to survive. But I'm less certain I want to go along for that ride. If the show manages to keep me, it's because the Burnham character begins with the best initial back story and purpose since Sisko. I really do like the idea of a human trained in Vulcan ways but whose sense of logic fucked up badly. That's a rich canvas to work with.
I am 100% certain that the arc of the show is going to be to move Michael (and the show) to align with Star Trek's "classic" sense of wonder and humanity. The first two episodes seemed like they were screaming that setup.
I hope so—I'm very susceptible to redemption stories. The set up, however, screams WAR WITH THE KLINGONS!
Also, it's pretty odd that a show about a vessel called DIscovery isn't present in the pilot. I'm sure there's some kind of writer's rule that says if it's in the title, you need to introduce it before episode 3.
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Loved episode 3. I'm sold. And I'm more convinced than ever that DSC is setting up a big embrace of Starfleet optimism when all is said and done.
Speculation: Lorca is going to end up as a villain (the Starfleet captain gone Ahab is one of the all time classic storylines after all). At the very least, he's being set up for his methods to be rejected at some point.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
My initial reaction is to wonder whether extreme serialization actually is a thing. I don't watch GoT or Walking Dead, but are they that problematic or normal in terms of these shows?
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
My initial reaction is to wonder whether extreme serialization actually is a thing. I don't watch GoT or Walking Dead, but are they that problematic or normal in terms of these shows?
I don't watch those two either but I did watch Breaking Bad, and thought it was great. The problem with episodic television is that it becomes formulaic, or (as one of the commenters pointed out), nothing has any meaning because you're back at square one by the next episode. Serialization is what TV should be doing—it's the pinnacle of the form. I think we can all agree that the best show that existed before the "Golden Age" of television is Twin Peaks—a serial. BOOM.
I think the only thing that really benefits from episodic storytelling at this point is animated shows. Unless I'm so tired right now that I'm forgetting some excellent example.