Jump to content


Photo

Star Trek: Discovery. Series talk and discussion


  • Please log in to reply
981 replies to this topic

#721 Alteran195

Alteran195

    Their ACTION FIGURES, not dolls!!

  • Members
  • 3,461 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Minnesota

Posted 17 January 2019 - 08:37 PM

That was a hell of a premiere, what a solid start and awesome episode.

Im very intrigued by this new storyline, and cant wait to see where it goes.

Also gotta say that every character seemed more like able and better to me, including Michael.

Pike is great, and I gotta say I think Mount is nailing it.

#722 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 17 January 2019 - 08:49 PM

So... just some quick thoughts. 

 

1. I'm digging Anson Mount as Pike. Its a great fit.

 

2. As expected the production value on S2 is fantastic.

 

3. quite frankly I think it proves that they really don't need to ever in vest 200 million in another movie ever again.

 

4. Too early to tell, but this really seems like more classic trek story telling... non dystopian, we have some mystery,,, some problem solving, but overall very upbeat. 

 

5. The red shirt doesn't get it for a change ;-)

 

Overall, it I think it was a decent season opener, and shows some promise. 

 

Edit

 

Lol... looks like I was writing much of the same at the same time Alteran!



#723 Alteran195

Alteran195

    Their ACTION FIGURES, not dolls!!

  • Members
  • 3,461 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Minnesota

Posted 17 January 2019 - 09:06 PM

Indeed, season 2 is an improvement in every possible way over season 1.

We even got some proper technobabble too.

#724 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 18 January 2019 - 05:46 AM

I agree. Its off to a way better start than S1. Mount's Pike really pulled the crew together quickly... and in a way that made you feel good to be on that bridge... or maybe more importantly made you *want* to be on that bridge. 

 

Spoiler



#725 VulcanFanatic

VulcanFanatic

    Leonard Nimoy fan

  • Members
  • 3,165 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Southeastern North Carolina

Posted 18 January 2019 - 05:47 AM

If they are getting away from the dystopian crap and actually trying to make the characters likable, maybe there is hope for this series after all.

#726 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 18 January 2019 - 01:58 PM

Yeah.. I think the opener was a home run... Mounts Pike left an impression of a starfleet captain that quite frankly I dont think weve seen scince TOS.

I see AA is doing a free week promotion... if you can take advantage of it.... wait for season 2 to get into it ... stack up and consider it... especially if they build on what they laid the ground work here.

#727 Whirlygig

Whirlygig

    Dances with Toys

  • Members
  • 1,431 posts

Posted 21 January 2019 - 09:14 AM

I'm going to go ahead and give the first episode of S2 a couple of critiques....though I may get tarred and feathered...

 

It was a flashy episode with a cinematic feel.  And it was better than most of S1.  I'll give it all that.

 

I've watched the episode twice now.  I feel it was a bit of a mess, like an episode designed in committee.  I feel like the script (and Pike) did a piss poor job explaining what was going on with 1701 (and don't tell me it was intentionally ambiguous, Pike still could have given a clear cover-up explanation) and why they came aboard, the episode was all over the map pacing wise, and some guy on the committee just kept insisting that the episode had to have that "pod" sequence (or whatever they are called).

 

I can't point to specifics as to what was off about it, for me, but it just kind of felt like an episode of ideas thrown in a blender.

 

Remember back when things followed a clear, logical progression and you had time as a viewer to think about whether things made sense or whether you would do the same thing in that situation?  We don't have that anymore.  Full speed ahead and just let the what-ifs roll off your back, it won't matter anyway, we'll have a new exciting episode next week.  Also missing was a well defined subplot.  Instead of characters getting nice little arcs of their own to help us get to know them, they all get roughly 3 minutes of a micro-plot scene (e.g. Stamets in this one) which cumulate into far less development than we deserve over the course of a season.  It still feels largely like a show solely about Burnham and yet Burnham still hasn't managed to do enough to earn that right IMO.  You said it seems like a bridge crew you'd want to be with, and yet, the only bridge crew we know anything about are Saru and Burnham -- the others are just background dressing -- the writers can't even give a single answer on what's up with the droid-like character yet.

 

Also the pod sequence was just kind of ridiculous.  There's absolutely no reason whatsoever those pods couldn't just fly out of the shuttle bay like every single other shuttle-like object in Star Trek history.  Instead they waste deck space with an elaborate series of launch tubes that for some reason all have to come together into a single tube?  I think whoever came up with that is no longer interested in making the starship design make any practical coherent sense whatsoever.  And that will probably be the first and last time we see those used, and yet, it was so important as to make a rotating elevator platform for it.

 

Lastly.... I think it kind of makes Burnham's character look weak that over, and over, for some reason we are now going to be subjected to tormented "but why doesn't Spock love me" themes.  It feels cheap to me that the crux of this season is so far etched out to be what feels not unlike a Mary Sue "Spock loves me, Spock loves me not" situation.

 

Yeah I'm griping I know but that's what we're supposed to do, or we just wouldn't be Trek fans.

 

Again I am on board, don't get me wrong, but I'm not just going to take the medicine and not report to the doctor if it gives me any momentary nausea.



#728 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 21 January 2019 - 01:30 PM

It certainly has a The search for Spock vibe. Sure youve got some valid points... just about all of which I might say apply to S1 as well... but I still think its a vast improvement from S1. And since were looking at a seasonal story arch... Im waiting to see if they sort some of the issues out.

We do know there was continuing chaos in the production show runner s replaced and new writers brought in etc. so it shouldnt be a big surprise I the writing still isnt as clean and tight as it should be.

But a few of the biggest issues with season 1 may have been solved.

1) a solid character in Pike that I can relate to and might want to be

2) a lighter atmosphere that would make me want to actually be on that ship.

#729 Alteran195

Alteran195

    Their ACTION FIGURES, not dolls!!

  • Members
  • 3,461 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Minnesota

Posted 22 January 2019 - 04:06 PM

New Eden episode trailer:
https://streamable.com/4kd7v

Looks like some proper Trek with this episode.

#730 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 22 January 2019 - 09:22 PM

Yep. I can see Thursdays are gonna be all about DISCO, which is a tough slot because CBS has some of my Fav sit comms on Thursday nights... oh wait I have commercial free AA... I can watch them Friday now!



#731 Alteran195

Alteran195

    Their ACTION FIGURES, not dolls!!

  • Members
  • 3,461 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Minnesota

Posted 24 January 2019 - 08:15 PM

Wow.

That’s all I can really say, episode 2 was amazing.

Discovery definitely seems to have grown its beard.

#732 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 24 January 2019 - 08:46 PM

I'm liking the overall story arc... I might say it feels very Roddenberry-esk. Do't know if anyone noticed but E2 was directed by Frakes.

 

A slower paced episode than the 1st, some editing choices I didn't care for..  I think Martin-Green tends to overact... which makes her character a bit less relatable...   but I'm still loving Mount. 



#733 Alteran195

Alteran195

    Their ACTION FIGURES, not dolls!!

  • Members
  • 3,461 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Minnesota

Posted 24 January 2019 - 09:02 PM

Yep, the red angel storyline is very interesting.

Im much more invested in it than I expected to be.

Anson Mount is definitely awesome, I didnt expect to like Pike more than I did Lorca.

Imagine if Jason Isaacs came back? Prime Lorca and Pike on the same show.

#734 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 25 January 2019 - 07:07 AM

Imagine if Jason Isaacs came back? Prime Lorca and Pike on the same show.

 

Yeah... this is what I think is odd about Discovery... technically its Martin-Green's show. She's supposed to be the Star... but it doesn't feel like she is to me... she feels like a troubled No. 1.... because thats how they wrote it. So as a viewer... I gravitate towards Mount and Issac because their characters are written as more decisive leaders... and its not that I think Martin-Green couldn't pull off the lead... but I think they wrote her character into a corner a bit... I'd contrast the style to BSG where Starbuck isn't the Capt, and is deeply flawed, but they establish all that from the offset and allow her to grow out of it... whereas Burnham is billed as a shining star and the next best thing... but fails and falls hard immediately in S1... and now we are just supposed to accept that she's been redeemed?

 

Still, I'm liking the overall direction its going. 



#735 Whirlygig

Whirlygig

    Dances with Toys

  • Members
  • 1,431 posts

Posted 25 January 2019 - 07:23 AM

I agree with this reviewer on the quote and most other points in the review. But I also agree with many commenters including positive and negative ones. The whole way so far I have felt good and bad for a net "ambivalent". When will that change??

https://tv.avclub.co...sely-1832023560

Sounds exciting, no? And yes, Discovery remains an exciting show. A little too exciting, to be honest--much like last week, the episode rockets from point to point as though so terrified of losing our attention that it cant bear to stand still for more than half a second before throwing out something new. The result is an hour that works on the surface, but only on the surface; think about anything in it for more than five seconds and it all starts to fall apart. Its a ride, but thats more or less all it is, and while theres nothing wrong with a good thrill ride, the shows refusal to let us get to know its characters and their circumstances is starting to wear thin. Discovery doesnt build stories so much as it offers us ideas it knows well like, and hopes well do the rest of the work of filling the space between them.


We will chalk it up as a step toward the right direction with a long way to go yet. Spore drive apparently not an ethical dilemma or fabric of spacetime risk anymore?

#736 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 25 January 2019 - 11:41 AM

The Saru and Tilly shorts did a nice job of giving us more depth to the characters... but I do agree the show its sekf is rather uneven.. as I was saying thy seem obsessed with Burnahm... but I cant even recall the names of the rest of the bridge crew... let alone tell you of any of their back story ... robot girl and borgafied girl look interesting, but are they always going to be background filler?

#737 Alteran195

Alteran195

    Their ACTION FIGURES, not dolls!!

  • Members
  • 3,461 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Minnesota

Posted 25 January 2019 - 01:07 PM

We've learned some small bits of backstory about Detmer (helm) and Owosekun last episode, not much, but I don't expect full backstories to be laid out for these characters at once. We even got some good Pike backstory. 

 

This episode also didn't seem to focus on Michael, it was more of a mix of her and Pike. Even Owosekun had a good amount of screen time on the away mission, especially compared to last season. It wasn't all Michael solving all the problems this time either. 

 

We don't know much about Ariam (Cyborg lady), Bryce (Communications/Operations), or Rhys (Tactical) yet, but hopefully that'll change as the season/series goes on. 



#738 VulcanFanatic

VulcanFanatic

    Leonard Nimoy fan

  • Members
  • 3,165 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Southeastern North Carolina

Posted 26 January 2019 - 10:37 PM

The Discovery season 2 premiere is on YouTube presently.I watched it to see if there was any improvement since the the few episodes of season 1 that I saw. This show is so fast paced that you don't even get any time to think about what is happening on screen. I still have the same problems with this series, unlikable characters, it doesn't look like the time period they are in Star Trek history. I think they realize that they screwed up on Season 1 and are trying to make some changes on season 2 that will make it more successful but I don't think they could do that without just scapping the whole series and starting over.

#739 Gothneo

Gothneo

    Knows Paul Bunyan

  • Members
  • 5,753 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Land of sky Blue Oxen

Posted 27 January 2019 - 06:31 AM

Glad you were able to see E1. I think Whirlygig made a point about the inconsistent pacing... and he's right about that w/E1 the entire pod scene Think is an effort to give the season premier some juice.

 

For sure they weren't going to revert the aesthetics, and I don't think were going to see anything like that... its the rational for why you don't try and go backward in Trek history... which is a core complaint of many fans... a valid one I think, but you have to decide to get past it if you want to watch DISCO.

 

I'm surprised you didn't care for Mounts Pike at all... I felt his character was right in line with Roddenberrys Idea of a Captain... I found him to be very likable. 

 

I hope you get to see E2, the pacing and even the story was much better IMO, but E1 was necessary to set up the "Angle" arch. 



#740 VulcanFanatic

VulcanFanatic

    Leonard Nimoy fan

  • Members
  • 3,165 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Southeastern North Carolina

Posted 27 January 2019 - 07:30 AM

The Captain Pike character was okay,much closer to what a Starfleet Captain should be than the horrendous Lorca was.He seemed a little too impulsive like Burnham. The pacing WAS awful in that episode.Makes me wonder what kind of drugs the writers take that write something like that.




2 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 2 guests, 0 anonymous users