Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Discovery

Post by aTOMiC »

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Discovery

After ultimately being burned by Star Trek: Enterprise (started off pretty good then got crushed by a misguided an extended time travel plot, Xindi War, that took the place of genuinely exploring the history of Star Trek like I had hoped) I am somewhat wary of Discovery and the distinct possibility of the show messing with the established canon as its predecessor did.

After reviewing the details (see link above) I find myself wondering if I will have the enthusiasm required to purchase a subscription to the CBS streaming service in order to watch the show after the free premier that will be broadcast on CBS proper.

A unique aspect of the show is that Discovery will feature a new approach with the POV character not being the ship's captain as is with the previous installments.

Also it is being rumored that a number of interesting guest actors will be involved.

My first impression seeing the design of the Discovery itself was not great but I'm willing to be flexible with the show's aesthetic and its tone provided its entertaining.

Speaking of the POV, I didn't much care for Sonequa Martin-Green's character on The Walking Dead but it had more to do with her actions and attitudes within the story than the actor herself so I'm hopeful I will find her Discovery character engaging and appealing.

I will definitely watch the first episode and form my long term opinions based upon something more concrete than rumor and speculation.

That is if they ever announce a broadcast date. :biggrin:
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Re: Star Trek: Discovery

Post by Sorus »

aTOMiC wrote:
I will definitely watch the first episode and form my long term opinions based upon something more concrete than rumor and speculation.

That is if they ever announce a broadcast date. :biggrin:
Same. I admit that I do not have very high hopes, but I will keep an open mind.

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Post by aTOMiC »

Now we know. September 24th at approximately 8:30 pm since it follows the NFL.
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Post by aTOMiC »

Watched the premier of Star Trek Discovery and I have to be honest and admit that I have mixed emotions about the show's debut.

The aesthetic the show's creators have captured is Trek but the Trek of J.J. Abrams reboot "Kelvin Timeline" not really any of the previous incarnations of the varied television series. If this series is its own thing then it establishes a brand new timeline and therefore isn't bound by existing Trek canon which is troubling to me.

I like new science fiction very much. If this was a brand new show that only had similarities to Trek I would have found it intriguing but since it insists on being the next Trek I have to say that I'm not looking forward to how they explore, distort or re-write Trek canon.

The first and most obvious reference existing in this series that goes way off canon is that the POV character, Michael, is an adoptive daughter of Sarek, Spock's father. She is not Vulcan but Terran and has never been mentioned previously, as was Sybok, Spock's half brother from Star Trek V: The Final Fiasco.

There are other divergences in that the ship designs, uniforms and instruments appear to be far in advance of all other Star Trek series but the series is set in the past before the Original Series demonstrating a lack of interest in connecting to previous Trek which is liberating for the storytellers and infuriating to existing Trek fans.

The acting is sketchy at times but every show needs time for its actors to fully inhabit their roles. Discovery will be no exception.

The establishing plot of the first episode is a bit convoluted but understandable. A number of the actions taken by Michael during the episode would be forgivable for an established character and would otherwise be a point of sympathetic contact with the audience however in this scenario the character just comes off as unnecessarily defiant and somewhat unlikable. Viewers with knowledge of Trek will instantly side with her point of view but this particular character hasn't as yet earned enough of our loyalty to completely forgive her insubordination.

I believe that this show is specifically tailored for younger viewers that have an interest in Star Trek but do not possess an encyclopedic knowledge of its established canon. Older Trek fans will probably be slightly repulsed at first but will eventually embrace the show. How long that will take depends on how loyal to the past each viewer is.

After watching the 3rd episode of The Orville, Seth McFarland's Trek-like series, I found the experience to be so similar to STNG that I felt the story is interchangeable with that show. Since the Orville uses similar sets and musical cues as STNG it instantly feels familiar where Discovery seems almost as alien as the ship's science officer.

To be fair, I liked the first episode of Discovery but found enough wrong to give me serious doubts. I won't be purchasing CBS All Access but I am sure Discovery will appear on blu ray or other streaming services in the future and therefore it may be some time before I have additional comments on the show.
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Post by Sorus »

I haven't seen it yet. That sounds like about what I expected, which is a bit disappointing, but not really a surprise.

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Post by wayfriend »

"'Star Trek: Discovery' barely achieves liftoff" -- CNN Entertainment
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Post by aTOMiC »

wayfriend wrote:"'Star Trek: Discovery' barely achieves liftoff" -- CNN Entertainment
I read that too.

However I must confess that I have not watched the second episode and have noted that some critics explain that though episode 1 seems lacking, viewing episode 2 gave more clarity and presented a more cohesive story as a whole.

It may be many months before I am free to view more of the show.

I guess the only way I would be able to enjoy Star Trek Discovery, at least at first, would be to think of it as another reboot or another timeline where adherence to many beloved Star Trek norms is not absolutely required.

As Star Trek The Next Generation was a Star Trek for a new generation so Discovery is the Star Trek of its generation. It remains to be seen if long time fans are willing to accept a Star Trek that has been created with their children in mind, not necessarily them.
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Post by wayfriend »

aTOMiC wrote:It may be many months before I am free to view more of the show.
You are mercifully free of the knowledge of the true power of the internet. :wink:

Me: ST:NG was meh, DS9 lost me, and I never went back to the well. This had a chance to lure me back. I guess it won't. (Though I like Jason Isaacs.)

I suppose everyone was imagining that this would be something in the ranks of Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, etc. There's a pretty high bar now.
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Post by Sorus »

aTOMiC wrote:

I guess the only way I would be able to enjoy Star Trek Discovery, at least at first, would be to think of it as another reboot or another timeline where adherence to many beloved Star Trek norms is not absolutely required.

As Star Trek The Next Generation was a Star Trek for a new generation so Discovery is the Star Trek of its generation. It remains to be seen if long time fans are willing to accept a Star Trek that has been created with their children in mind, not necessarily them.
What I don't get is that they have an entire legion of existing fans. They know what we like. (Don't they?)

Taking risks in an attempt to attract new fans works to a certain degree. But it has to be recognizable as Star Trek, or what's the point?

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Post by Cagliostro »

Profits went down in the movies that were like normal Star Trek. So someone tried something new and it was profitable for a time. In the Hollywood breadhead logic, try something new with Star Trek = profit for a bit. Artistic integrity rarely has anything to do with it.
But yes.
And if you want Star Trek, there's always The Orville. Feels like Seth McFarlane wanted to be Kirk, and decided he had enough power and influence to make it so (I know I know...Picard). Plus he can add his sense of humor to not be a complete rip-off (which it is anyway).
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Post by SoulBiter »

I'm not ready to get CBS All Access to watch Discovery. The first episode wasnt great. But you know what, most shows first episodes arent great. So although I love all things Trek, I wont be shelling out the cash to watch this.

On the other hand, I have been watching The Orville and its been fun to watch. Its good enough that I'm looking forward to the next week after this week's episode is over.
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Post by dlbpharmd »

I can't make up my mind about this show.

It really bothers me that they're doing yet another TOS prequel, and retconning shit left and right.

Look at the ship - it's obviously decades ahead in technology from TOS. I know, TOS came out in the 60s, but what's the need of a prequel? Why not do a series in the new ST timeline? It wouldn't be such a big deal that everything looks so much cooler.

The spore drive bothers me a lot. It reminds me of the faster than light technology from DUNE. It's really easy to compare the tardigrave and the navigators from Dune.

Yet another Spock family member. What's the point in that?

Still, the battle scenes have been good. I'm intrigued enough to keep watching, for now. I've certainly made it longer than I did with Enterprise.
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Post by Skyweir »

I agree with every comment. Yes why ANOTHER prequel and yes the technology seems to surpass TOS. But Im in. I know so far its not jumping out at me either.

I agree the first eps are often feeling there way eps. And Im sufficiently committed to the ST Universe that Im well willing to give it plenty of latitude and a bloody good go. I was kinda weirded out by the captain and her no. 2. Its not quite jelling yet. But fingers crossed.

My most cherished memories involve ST, my hubby and I met and married when we were at University and after a day of lectures, tutorials, study in the library, wed reward ourselves one night a week with Star Trek Next Gen, then progressively DS9, then voyager

But even though we persisted with Enterprise, it was never a fave. I think a lot had to do with its prequel status too. But we watched it all, despite more than occasionally being irked by it LOL
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Post by SoulBiter »

Im still not watching.... Any reviews after Season 1?
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Post by I'm Murrin »

It started out shaky but got very good by the end. It took them almost half the season to do an episode that felt like Star Trek, and they didn't get that feeling often, but what they did instead was interesting and twisty and dark. I want to see more of the ensemble, instead of such a heavy focus on Michael.
It's also maybe a bit too reliant on reusing things from the original series, and the end of the finale is not promising on that account.
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Post by aTOMiC »

It appears that Discovery will ultimately be successful however it is already being thought of as Star Trek In Name Only.
I can't say I disagree with that since the show seems to want to have the look and feel of Syfy's BSG as opposed to any classic Star Trek. I suspect Gene Roddenberry would dislike Discovery intensely.

As has been stated before if you crave new Star Trek stories you still have Seth McFarland's The Orville.
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Post by Skyweir »

Noted.

I havent seen beyond the first few eps but am encouraged by Murrins take on it ..
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Post by SoulBiter »

Just watched the first couple of episodes. Except for having to nll pay for CBS all access. It's been very good
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Post by Khaliban »

I'm not sure it will last. Do a search for:

star trek discovery plagiarism


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Post by Skyweir »

Yeah there are similarities .. and if it was plagiarism is the Tardigrade creator suing?

To my mind .. its fundamentally different .. Tardigrade is a point and click game .. this is a significant budget television show .. with its own story line ..

I mean yeah some of the characters "look" similar .. but thats kinda as far as it goes imv. Though I concede I may be oversimplifying the situation.
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