Star Trek Discovery premieres tonight

[eelw]

The Tribble purring in the captains ready room was soothing

 

[ViRGE]

After getting the J.J. Abrams-esque pilot out of the way, I'm trying really hard to like DSC. I'm trying and I'm failing.:|

I'm very glad this episode is finally focusing on the titular ship and its crew. Even if not every last thing is explained right away, it's heading in the right direction.

However the entire time I'm watching this episode, I feel uneasy. The fact that the second-to-last act was a survival-horror sequence really didn't help with this either, but that's not the root cause. I was feeling uneasy before we got that far.

All of the officers are so nasty to each other. And Captain Lorca seems like that cool uncle that comes around every once in a while, but the family never leaves him alone with the kids or the valuables. About the only person on the level is Tilly, the over-enthusiastic redhead.

It's the same feeling I got watching BSG (though without the immediate dreariness, thankfully) and I don't like it.

On the plus side, I like that the focus of this episode itself isn't war, or even battle for that part. And while space spores seems to be a bunch of non-scientific gobbledygook - even by the standards of a series known for its technobabble - I'm willing to see where it goes. Though it's one more element of the show that really calls for it to be set in the future and not in the past; for one reason or another it's going to have to get buried to keep the timeline intact. That means either it fails, or it's deemed so powerful that it can't be used.

Oh and hey, someone found a phaser with a continuous beam this week! Also, I'm liking that Discovery's transporter effect doesn't look like you're actually being disintegrated (I found that very unnerving last week).

 

[MtnMan]

I'm not paying CBS $10/month for a single show, when that $10 will allow me to stream all that Netflix offers.

They are dooming the series to one year, if that, and it will probably be on Netflix next year anyway.

 

[Newbian]

The Tribble purring in the captains ready room was soothing

At least the klingons have not killed them all yet.

 

[Elixer]

"Submit breath scan for entry" ...

I see security hasn't improved in ~200 years.

That whole ship scene, reminded me of A vs. P, marine gameplay, without the scanner pinging.

 

[Malogeek]

They are dooming the series to one year, if that, and it will probably be on Netflix next year anyway.

And already is everywhere else but USA.

"Submit breath scan for entry" ...

lol what. They didn't?

 

[Newbian]

Oh and hey, someone found a phaser with a continuous beam this week! Also, I'm liking that Discovery's transporter effect doesn't look like you're actually being disintegrated (I found that very unnerving last week).

Remember they talked about that ship using an older version of transportation technology so that would be my guess.

 

[Elixer]

lol what. They didn't?

It actually was worse.
Used a cloth to 'soak up the drool' from the person, then take said cloth to the scanner, and use a aerosol gizmo on it.. and you're in!

 

[edcoolio]

I'm not paying CBS $10/month for a single show, when that $10 will allow me to stream all that Netflix offers.

They are dooming the series to one year, if that, and it will probably be on Netflix next year anyway.

I agree.

I think they know this and have assumed they will produce it at a loss before either selling it out to Netflix/Amazon or make the previous year episode available on their own CBS free/open app (with a cable subscription, of course).

As for the show: Unfortunately, I suspect that it will turn more heavily into the "Political Correctness Social Engineering Star Trek". That is not why I watch Star Trek.

I hope I'm wrong.

 

[JEDI]

Is this on Netflix?

 

[shortylickens]

Is this on Netflix?

Do you know how I know you didnt read this thread?

 

[OutHouse]

Is this on Netflix?

Wtf

 

[crashtech]

I do like this one better than the Orville, which just doesn't do anything for me at all. The focus is definitely on style over substance, but one can accept it as such and be entertained; the visuals are beautifully done.

 

[PeterScott]

I do like this one better than the Orville, which just doesn't do anything for me at all.

Hell Yes.

I think you have to be a diehard Seth MacFarlane, to the like The Orville, which is some kind of Sitcom/TNG parody.

Heck I like Ted/Family guy, but the humor in The Orville falls flat for me, and since they made it a sitcom, that totally deflates any dramatic value the series has.

 

[paperfist]

Just curious, Star Trek is about as huge as Star Wars, right? So why is Star Wars so much 'huger'?

 

[JEDI]

Just curious, Star Trek is about as huge as Star Wars, right? So why is Star Wars so much 'huger'?

the mouse has better PR than Gene R

 

[Charmonium]

I've been avoiding this thread until I watched the premier.

It was ok. I was a little surprised that that they had 2 female leads. I can't say it really bothered me but it definitely broke with the traditional ST mold. I'll have to see how I feel about that.

Not sure what was up with the Kligons' appearance. I know that in one of the series they explained that they engaged in some sort of genetic engineering to change themselves from being mostly human looking to more alien but here they look even more alien than in STNG so I'm not sure what's up with that.

Also I don't remember any of the previous series dealing with the unification of the Kligon empire. I'm sure it's been dealt with before at some point but I can't recall. I know Kahless was an important philosophical figure but it wasn't really clear from the episode how his philosophy fits into this reunification. It also wasn't clear what the importance of this particular mausoleum/outpost was. It seems like there are a lot of open/unanswered questions. I assume that's by design.

I can't say that the first episode really hooked me though. i didn't really like any of the supporting characters except maybe Sarek. They were all pretty nondescript except for the science officer who was just an annoying pussy.

If this is supposed to be a couple of hundred years before STNG, the tech actually seems more advanced so again, not sure what's up with that.

I'll probably try to catch the future episodes but I don't know if I'm really going to go out of my way to do it.

edit: apologies to the all - I just realized that I've only watched the first episode and we're on episode 3 - d'oh. Will get back here once I'm caught up.

 

[Vivendi]

And already is everywhere else but USA.

Just checked Netflix Canada and it's not available here either. It's available on Cravetv though which I've been thinking about subbing to since it also has Seinfeld which I've been thinking about rewatching.

 

[JEDI]

e3:
1) Klingons were on the Glenn but where was their ship?

2) what was that creature?
a product of the spores research?
or from the spore dimension?

3) why did her fellow prisoners try to kill her?!?!

4) how far from Capt Archer's Enterprise is the Discovery's time line?

 

[ViRGE]

e3:
1) Klingons were on the Glenn but where was their ship?

Cloaked? Or they ran off after their boarding party was eaten. It's never shown or stated.

2) what was that creature?
a product of the spores research?
or from the spore dimension?

From the looks of it, a giant Tardigrade. Presumably made large as a product of the spore research?

3) why did her fellow prisoners try to kill her?!?!

Burnham is a very unpopular person.. And she was the only ex-Starfleet among the group, whom in turn was being held by Starfleet. It's the equivalent of what happens when a police officer is sent to jail.

4) how far from Capt Archer's Enterprise is the Discovery's time line?

101 years. ENT ends in 2155 with the Coalition of Planets talks. DSC starts in 2256. This is 9 years before TOS (2265), but is after the Enterprise has already entered service.

 

[Newbian]

.

From the looks of it, a giant Tardigrade. Presumably made large as a product of the spore research?

It could also had been something the other ship picked up during their "travels" with the spore method as it showed at the end with the captain surrounded by various alien skeletons that they must had transported from the other ship.

 

[shortylickens]

Just curious, Star Trek is about as huge as Star Wars, right? So why is Star Wars so much 'huger'?

Star Wars was always about the classic good vs. evil and epic storytelling. Its space opera.
Star Trek was about more grounded issues set in the not-too-distant future. Realistic problems and such, reflecting current issues on TV with a sci-fi twist.
It was NEVER about big splosions in space and it should not be.

Thats why I didnt love the Abrams movies and I didnt like the pilot for Discovery. Many episodes of DS9 and Enterprise had the same problem. The Orville, interestingly enough, actually seems to be closer to real Star Trek than Star Trek. Kinda sad.

 

[Insomniator]

This show has a lot of cringe moments just like every other ST series in the past. The problem is that TV has gotten MUCH more competitive which just makes this show look silly at times. Some of the writing is downright embarrassing. I hope there is less 6th grade level Klingon story telling involving race and honor and more on interesting topics like the discovery ship and mission.

I'll keep watching, I'm actually impressed by Sonequa Martin-Green (she was terrible in TWD) and the acting in general is pretty good compared to old ST series!

I'd say its just good enough so far that I wouldn't say its on the SyFy channel if someone asked me to guess. Definitely has potential! Also LOL at paying for a subscription for this (or anything on CBS). Downloading every episode.

 

[Charmonium]

OK, I'm caught up and wtf, do they really expect us to take that spore/microbe bullsh** seriously? OMG. My eyes rolled back so hard at that I think I gave myself a concussion. That has GOT to be the GD stupidest f***ing idea I have EVER heard. That doesn't just insult our intelligence. That makes the plot of a Michael Bay movie look like an exposition of quantum chromodynamics. Holy f***ing shit.

Alright, let me calm down now and gather my thoughts. Deep breath. In . . . Out . . .

The only possible way I can justify that bs is if it was just a bogus cover story to get Michael to go along with Lorca's plan which really is some sort of bioweapon. That makes infinitely more sense. He saw that she wasn't going to take the bait so he pivoted and made up some bs story to rope her in. The only problem with that is that you had that science geek going on and on in the shuttle about filaments connecting all of space. So if you go with that explanation, you're being more than generous.

Putting that issue aside, I actually liked the episode. I didn't find the electricity eating bugs too over the top since such creatures do exist. OK, they use electricity to metabolize minerals but they do live on pure electricity (https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25894-meet-the-electric-life-forms-that-live-on-pure-energy/). Of course what they were doing floating around in empty space is another problem but . . . well . . . f*** it.

There were some other issues too, like why they didn't rescue the shuttle pilot but overall I was ok with how they handled the away mission and I didn't have an issue with Lorca being given special authority to reinstate Michael. It did seem like a cheap short cut but, whatevs.

 

[Sonikku]

The CGI for the "monster" seemed kind of bad.