historylover820

You'd think that TOS didn't know about Spock/Chapel :D Everything else in SNW, I'm completely fine with in terms of TOS canon. I don't care if they want to introduce JTK before he takes command of the Enterprise. I'm fine with this. I'm fine with the little inconsistencies. I'm OK with Spock being more human in this one. But, I can't reconcile myself to Spock/Chapel, except by saying that this is an alternate timeline. The only explanation is that you've got two attractive actors, and there has to be a love story. And there's canon relating to Chapel having an unrequited crush on Spock.

Isn't there a TNG episode where Crusher is concerned that Picard has a headache because headaches are so unbelievably rare? Or did I imagine that? I know SNW is around 80-85 years before TNG, and it would be baffling to suddenly have an outbreak of Smallpox in today's society.

They should at least drop a line about Boyce. But, he's in the events of The Cage, which is in the past in SNW's events (as in, it's already happened). So, since he's not the CMO during SNW, he's not going to be in the future.

I'll come back and read your responses above after I post. But, wanted to get some quick thoughts down. I... wasn't all that crazy about this episode. 1. I don't know what the "To Be Continued" is trying to accomplish. Here's the problem with prequels: you know what's going to happen to some characters, so some tension goes out of it. Of course M'Benga and Sam survive this. How do I know? They appear at least once in TOS. I know she wasn't in the "To Be Continued, and her thing was before this, but I wasn't worried about Chapel. Why? She's in TOS. Clear up to The Voyage Home, in fact. Now, granted, La'an and Ortegas aren't in TOS, so who knows their fates right now. 2. We did Alien last year, so we're doing Aliens 3 this year? 3. Nice to see you, Montgomery Scott. Please replace Pelia soon on the Enterprise, because, interestingly, the accent that Carol Kane has used all season is like fingernails on a chalk board to me. And since he's on the Enterprise, let's get him going as Chief Engineer! 4. So, Scotty, Uhura, and Spock have seen Gorn. Scotty even managed to rig up a trap. Spock killed a Gorn. Why were they strangely silent in Arena? I know Kirk wasn't going to listen to anybody, but they could have at least tried. (Again, the problem with prequels) 5. So, when are we getting Sulu and McCoy to make an appearance? (Chekhov is just an ensign in season 2 of TOS, so he would probably be a teenager in Russia at this point. Although I love the idea that Walter Koenig had as to why Khan remembers him in WoK. Chekhov kept Khan waiting for a bathroom, and when Chekhov came out, he told Khan that it was broken and go somewhere else. Khan swore that he would never forget him.) 6. Batel's so much of a goner that they are going to come up with some miracle to save her, if and when we ever get a third season premiere.

It is. It's the same tune slowed down and in a different key. It's a "dark reprise."

No kidding! Kirk's cabin on TOS is a quarter of the size of Pike's!

Exactly! Klingons singing K-Pop is anything but honorable. I mean, I don't like K-Pop. I'm way too old to understand K-Pop. But, this is beyond dishonorable for Klingons. Opera would be honorable for a Klingon. I watched this episode again just a few minutes ago, because I HAD to see this scene again. Like I said last night, I haven't been very happy lately, and I didn't know that I needed Klingons signing and dancing to K-Pop, but I now do know that's what I needed.

Regarding the TOS canon -- I'm happiest if I think of SNW as part of an alternative universe than TOS. But I did like the sprinkling of TOS canon in this one. It's been a while since I've seen WoK, but I'm very sure Kirk knew about David. David didn't know about Kirk (or he did know about Kirk and didn't want anything to do with him). Carol asked Kirk to stay away due to his career. I think I'm remembering it right. Probably give me an excuse to pull out my blu-ray. Regarding Chapel/Spock's breakup-- This relationship was my biggest issue about tying SNW into TOS. And it still is. But, it's clear that Spock, ironically, was more emotionally invested in the relationship than Chapel was. Chapel seemed to act like it was a fling. I don't think Spock understood that. Spock has kind of been dragged through the wringer this season. Becomes human, broke up with T'Pring (which wasn't emotional, it was logical). What I saw from Chapel is not necessarily cold, unfeeling, or a jerk. She was also told a couple episodes ago that her and Spock don't end up together, and she wanted some time to deal with her feelings about the war, while someone who never experienced war is trying to get her to talk. I also just saw that she's wanting to move on, to take this new opportunity. Interestingly she gets involved with Korby and comes whimpering back to the Enterprise and begins pining for Spock again while pining for Korby (well, for one episode). Although, I haven't reconciled how JB's Christine Chapel leads into MB's Christine Chapel. I can kind of see how CRG's Uhura becomes NN's Uhura, due to Uhura's fleshed out background, wanting to belong, working on the flagship.

Put me on the side of having a blast with this episode. I'm a musical girl anyways. I can't sing a note, but I love musicals. And I'm impressed with those who can sing. I knew Christina Chong had a great voice, but wow, Celie Rose Gooding -- Brava! I think she's the daughter of a big time Broadway star (and she's also done Broadway), so impressive. But, I also liked Ethan Peck's voice. Also caught the shout-outs to Buffy's OMWF. "I got a theory." And of course, bunnies. And I'm so glad La'an maybe can get over Kirk. I still hate that episode, so if we can get over Tomorrow and Tomorrow.... the happier I think everyone can be. I'm glad that Kirk was nixed the idea of a relationship with her in the bud, although admitting that he likes her. Of course, we know his relationship with Carol doesn't work out, and, of course, we know what happens to David. (And, yes, glad Paul Wesley is a better singer than William Shatner). But, I loved Private Conversation. However, the best thing ever was Klingons doing K-Pop. Work has been stressful, and I haven't been very happy lately. Klingons doing K-Pop made me very happy. And I was just down for a fun time and I can just put aside my stress for an hour. But, wow, feeling tonal whiplash again from that trailer.

I do agree with this. And, yeah, police stations have counselors today. Mental health is important in today's society. Heck, even MASH, set in the Korean War, had an army psychiatrist as a recurring character. How did the idea of mental health issues go from today's world where mental health issues are getting more and more normalized to 200 years from now that there's nothing, then back about 75-80 years later to where the counselor sits in the seat by the captain?

I agree with this. Regarding Pike's actions: there really is no right or wrong. I disagree with his actions of making his war vets dine with a person who they will always see as an enemy. But, this is the actions of a flawed individual. M'Benga is in the wrong with his actions of killing Rah, although it really could have been self-defense (which would have made it at least justified). Rah's actions triggered M'Benga's PTSD. I do think Rah was genuinely trying to bring the Federation and the Empire together, although he was probably doing this the wrong way. I agree, I just see this episode as dark and the characters as flawed, not as an indictment of America. Personal confession: I'm ashamed to admit this, but I've suffered from a mild case of PTSD in my past. I still suffer from anxiety. I'm ashamed of my PTSD because I feel I didn't do anything to warrant it. Meaning, I'm not a soldier, I didn't see war, I didn't serve, I didn't see violence. I was traumatized by first a near miss of a car wreck, and I witnessed the driver being killed, and then a couple years later, I got sick to the point where I was in the hospital for a week and was in recovery for 6 months and nearly died. The near miss was 20 years ago, the sickness was 15 years ago. I've had therapy to manage dealing with the trauma. I'm not on any medications or anything, and, usually, things are fine. But, you can't just turn it off. Suck it up. Deal with it. With my anxiety, I've been told to not think about it. If I could stop thinking about it, don't you think I would? So, I can sympathize with the war vets here. OK, maybe they can handle being in the same room as this Klingon general. It's only for an evening. The captain didn't really order their presence, but it's pretty clear that it could become an order. Plus, the captain is a good cook, and they don't want to eat stuff from the replicators. But, it's still not fair that they have to go through that. It's sad that there are no counselors on starships during this time to give the counseling that these war vets obviously need.

Thanks. It's been a while since I've dug out my TOS DVDs and I forgot.

M'Benga is on Kirk's Enterprise as a Vulcan specialist working under McCoy. He's in two episodes, I think. I think he's on the episode where Sam Kirk is on.

I think that's the main problem. I didn't like the season opener, and I hated the La'an/Kirk time travel episode. Those two episodes make up 1/5 of the season's run time, 20% of the season. And, while my obsession with Anson Mount is also mostly tongue-in-cheek, and I understand the real life reason why his decreased time on screen (and I can respect it), he is the leading actor, he is billed first, and his sidelining wouldn't be as evident in a 22 episode season. But it is in a season with half of the episodes. Yeah, there is so much less room for error, and even though this is more of an episodic series, if you miss one episode, you still miss something important.

The ones saying that we're now watching DISCO -- Maybe tone wise. Still every single character is lightyears more interesting and just plain better than Michael, no matter what. And count me in as someone who hopes this musical episode is more like Buffy's OMWF. That was both so funny (They got the mustard out!) but also really hit some dark overarching things, like Buffy admitting that she was in Heaven and not in Hell. Yeah, I want this one to drive the plot and not be a lightweight throwaway episode.