PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY THE NEW STAR TREK: DISCOVERY SERIES

[von Boom]

I wasn't offended by the f-bomb, but it came across like a 4 year old saying to show how grown up they are. It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

[Magnetica]

Anyone notice the list of Captains include Jonathan Archer and Christopher Pike!

Yes.

I guess Pike just about works with the timeline.

Not sure Mudd does though - he looked too old compared to what he should be in TOS.

[TordelBack]

And we got Robert April on that list too, from TAS, and Matt Decker from The Doomsday Machine, father of Will Decker from TMP.

 Nice work. Really nice work.

Thought that the whole thing with freeing the tardigrade was great.

And D9 is probably a broad Starfleet category rather than a specific class - old Trek RPG material used to say it referred to the number of decks, IIRC. Much like the movies' and TNG's 'Bird of Prey' referred to half a dozen ships of different size.

[Tiplodocus]

Really liked that. Better ensemble feel. And playful is exactly the way to describe the swearing. It was an f-tickle rather than an f-bomb.

[Banners]

Pretty livid about the F-word. Really disappointing. Trump, Brexit – Star Trek represents and allows a brief sojourn into utopia. I don't want it to reflect the real world, I want it to project the future, the brilliant potential of the human race.

Another thing I can't enjoy. Thanks for that.

[JamesC]

I really enjoyed that episode. I thought Mudd was great and I'm quite intrigued by what the Klingon lady is up to. What was the deal with her having the hots for human men?
I wasn't really bothered by the swearing, just a bit disappointed. It's 2 words in about 5 hours worth of TV so far though - no need to over react.

[TordelBack]

I tend to agree with Banners on this, it doesn't fit with what Trek should be: I still cringe at Data's "oh shit" in the woeful Genetations. It moves the show into a different viewing category, entirely unnecesarily.

Other than that, two thumbs up, which is what makes it stick out.

[TordelBack]

Ugh, lurching bus spelling, apologies.

[JamesC]

I tend to agree with Banners on this, it doesn't fit with what Trek should be: I still cringe at Data's "oh shit" in the woeful Genetations. It moves the show into a different viewing category, entirely unnecesarily.

Other than that, two thumbs up, which is what makes it stick out.

Yeah, I do agree with you. I'm just determined not to let it ruin something that I'm enjoying so much otherwise. There are so many positive things to say about this show and I'd rather concentrate on those.

[Mardroid]

I really enjoyed that episode. I thought Mudd was great and I'm quite intrigued by what the Klingon lady is up to. What was the deal with her having the hots for human men?

Actually, in other Star Trek series klingon women are renowned for a bit of... sexual experimentation. Particularly shocking considering its kinda rape in this instance (assuming the guy didn't intentionally attempt to seduce her to find a way of escape, which is possible, I guess).

I wasn't really bothered by the swearing, just a bit disappointed. It's 2 words in about 5 hours worth of TV so far though - no need to over react.

I agree. That language has no place in Star Trek although  it was kinda amusing and cute coming out of her mouth. But I won't get hung up over it, and I enjoyed this episode just fine.

Much as I like the klingon ship designs I'm not keen on them as klingon ships and wish they'd stick with the traditional style. The larger ships, not so much. They're different but mostly fit the overall shapes we know. Those little raider things from this episode look like something from another race entirely, however.

[TordelBack]

In Voyager B'Elanna's mother is Klingon, her father human; Worf's main squeeze K'Ehleyr had a human mother and a Klingon father, both loving relationships (at least initially), so despite incorrect numbers of organs (I choose to believe this refers to a Klingon's secondary backup spinal cord!) and human fragility, it happens.

Obviously the context in Discovery is distinctly unpleasant, and may have more to do with power than actual attraction.

I really liked the Klingon starfighters, BTW.  There were never enough fighters in Trek, even the Jem H'adar ones looked bulky and sluggish.

[JamesC]

The fighters really reminded me of the Nova fighters from Guardians of the Galaxy. I didn't mind the overall shape of the fighters but wasn't keen on the big bubble canopy. Klingon ships always seem so dark and claustrophobic and I thought the fighter cockpit should have a similar feel.

I really liked the scenes featuring the Admiral. Her no nonsense relationship with Lorca was great and I hope we see more scenes between the two of them.

[Professor Bear]

If that Starfleet chap isn't a spy it would be more of a surprise.  I did like when the Klingon lady gets shot in the face with a gun that makes an armored soldier turn into red paste seconds earlier and she only gets a bit of a burn - Kylo Ren ain't got nuffink on that.
The production design was pretty garish, tho.  A lot of ugly sets and ship designs with no clear unifying themes apart from grime and high saturation.  I appreciate that it's attempting to differentiate from the Ikea organic pastels of TNG, but this is starting to feel like overcompensation (see also: the f-bombs and cannibalism).

[TordelBack]

If that Starfleet chap isn't a spy it would be more of a surprise.

Oooh yeah.  My money's on him replacing Lt. Looney Tunes, the unmourned Security Chief.

I did like when the Klingon lady gets shot in the face with a gun that makes an armored soldier turn into red paste seconds earlier and she only gets a bit of a burn ....

Wasn't it just collateral damage from a near miss? A hit on her plot armour, maybe?  Did like those disruptors in action though, and the fact that the Klingons spoke Engrish for once. Nail polish on yer wan's armour was a bit much, maybe, but in general I thought the Klingon interiors were in line with what we've seen before, and thus distinct from T'Kumva's Trump Towers.  All the Starfleet interiors seem pretty sweet to me, bit too much going on in the corridors, but far less outright visual pollution than the Abrams Enterprise.

But I would be happier if the adolescent unpleasantness was dialed back. It's not big and it's not clever.

Also on my wish list, some focus on the Ops officer (or is it still Navigation in this era?).  She has the coolest of cool haircuts. 

[von Boom]

We're a third way through the series now and I have a feeling that with the introduction of characters like Harry Mudd and this new fellow that characters we think we'd like to learn more about are going to be nothing more than place holders.

I want to know more about that semi-robotic commander myself.