S01.E02: Children of the Comet

[salaydouk]

16 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Chief engineer is interesting. Given that in his society I doubt he would have been allowed to live given his blindness, I’m curious about his eventual story. 

So Pike is honestly struggling with his fate. Such mental issues would be flagged immediately by any competent doctor. The guy needs to fess up and talk to a counselor. 
 

Like someone has already stated... Aenar a subspecies of Andorian and live in even more extreme climate areas of the planet as a result are all  blind.  But from what we were told on ST:Enterprise is that the Aenar seclude themselves from the general Andorian population and are total pacifists. From the episode "Aenar" it was implied that once an Aenar left and joined the greater society that they were no longer able to return, no?  And even if an Aenar could return as long as the pacifism was maintain, I would not think that applied to Hemmer since he became a member of Starfleet and presumably had taken part if the Federation/Klingon war.  So either they are planning on telling a great background story for why Hemmer left the Aenar/Andoria or TPTB are going to ret-con the Aenar.  🙄

As for Pike, you totally right he is not in the correct mental state to be in command. However given that the events surrounding his last command are classified to all but the highest echelons of Starfleet and the fact that Pike might not have disclosed the personal items, ie the knowledge of his future accident, of what happened on Borath to Starfleet, no is likely not aware of the gravity of the problem.  If Pike simply informed Adm April that he needed time to decompress because the last mission was "difficult" and requested leave.  Once the request was granted on one would have questioned Pike further.  But what IS interesting is obliviously Una and Spock know all the details and both need to be questioning if Pike is fit to command.   So I am wondering if they both are "holding on to this card" for now and if a future episode is going to involve Una as XO attempting to relieve Pike of command. Also I am wondering if M'Benga knows the details as well - I would think so since he is the CMO - but it could be that Una will need  "read him in" at some point.

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by salaydouk

[millennium]

11 hours ago, starri said:

I'm having the opposite reaction.  During his talks with Uhura, I was gobsmacked by how much Ethan Peck sounds like Leonard Nimoy.  It was ridiculously impressive.

My impression is "not even close."  Everything about Nimoy's characterization felt organic.  He could have been born looking, talking, acting like Spock.  IMO, everything about Speck seems prosthetic -- costumey, a put-on, and not a very good one at that.   He's better than he was in Discovery, but not by much.

[salaydouk]

3 hours ago, millennium said:

My impression is "not even close."  Everything about Nimoy's characterization felt organic.  He could have been born looking, talking, acting like Spock.  IMO, everything about Speck seems prosthetic -- costumey, a put-on, and not a very good one at that.   He's better than he was in Discovery, but not by much.

I am not sure how I feel about Ethan Peck as Spock yet - sometimes I see it and some times I don't.   But to be fair I think part of my issue is that I think Zachary Quito is a better match to Nimoy both visually and behaviorally.  So he is fighting not only Nimoy's iconic portrayal but also the portrayal done by a contemporary who, imo, "nailed it."  He is the only actor on this show facing that kind of massive uphill battle, so I am going to give him some leeway to see if "settles in" to the role before I get a bit snarky on him. 

What I am really having a hard time with is the hair/makeup for Spock. Because his bangs/fringe seems different from scene to scene even within the same episode. Also they are not doing a very good job, especially in this episode, with covering Peck's human eyebrow downslope section and it is visible to me at the same time as the makeup supplied Vulcan upslope section.  Overall not a big deal but it is distracting enough for me to see the actor and not the character.   

[paigow]

TNG cleverly split Kirk & Spock among several characters. Data & Troi got super logic & mind reading. Riker & Picard got swashbuckling sex god & diplomat

[Colorado David]

15 hours ago, salaydouk said:

What I am really having a hard time with is the hair/makeup for Spock. Because his bangs/fringe seems different from scene to scene even within the same episode. Also they are not doing a very good job, especially in this episode, with covering Peck's human eyebrow downslope section and it is visible to me at the same time as the makeup supplied Vulcan upslope section.  Overall not a big deal but it is distracting enough for me to see the actor and not the character.   

I am totally distracted by the long sideburns tapering to a point. I guess it's my personal opinion but it just looks weird and needlessly decorative (unless it grows like that?? who knows.) 

Also, the captain does his own dishes by hand. Have sonic dishwashers not been invented yet? I could understand where water ones might not be practical. It just seems the captain might have a steward or something to do them, so his/her valuable time isn't wasted. Are we going to see him vacuuming and dusting at some point???

[starri]

Honestly, this show is hitting the sweet spot:  We've got the best part of TOS/TNG ("Find a problem, fix a problem") and the best part of DS9 (characters that don't reset after every episode) together.

[marinw]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

 Riker & Picard got swashbuckling sex god & diplomat

Picard was both those things.

Spock was First Officer and Science Officer. I think that is the only time that happened

Edited May 15, 2022 by marinw

[salaydouk]

2 hours ago, Colorado David said:

I am totally distracted by the long sideburns tapering to a point. I guess it's my personal opinion but it just looks weird and needlessly decorative (unless it grows like that?? who knows.) 

Also, the captain does his own dishes by hand. Have sonic dishwashers not been invented yet? I could understand where water ones might not be practical. It just seems the captain might have a steward or something to do them, so his/her valuable time isn't wasted. Are we going to see him vacuuming and dusting at some point???

Yeah... I was re-watching and agree those long sideburns are just weird especially since to me it looks like make up and not real hair. Which if true is made all the more comical because Spock constantly looks like he has a five o'clock shadow so it doesn't have to be makeup.  And it just looks childish in comparison to the very awesome, imo, sideburns that Anson Mount is sporting.   But I just keep saying to myself if these are my complaints so far with this series, I can deal.... 

I would have thought he would just place the dirty dishes back in the replicator.  ;)  And yes in current times the captain would have a steward responsible for meal prep while at sea.  But with replicator technology that position was probably eliminated.  So if the Captain wants to cook then it would follow that he has to clean up after himself.  

2 hours ago, starri said:

Honestly, this show is hitting the sweet spot:  We've got the best part of TOS/TNG ("Find a problem, fix a problem") and the best part of DS9 (characters that don't reset after every episode) together.

Agreed... it certainly appears that they are going to go this route.  But if they go the route to use characterization to drive long term story arcs embedded into/through several standalone episodes and then have those long term story arcs converged into one or two episodes I will be totally on board! 

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by salaydouk

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Colorado David said:

Also, the captain does his own dishes by hand. Have sonic dishwashers not been invented yet? I could understand where water ones might not be practical. It just seems the captain might have a steward or something to do them, so his/her valuable time isn't wasted. Are we going to see him vacuuming and dusting at some point???

Archer had a personal chef... What do Roombas look like after 300 years of development?

[Llywela]

1 hour ago, Colorado David said:

Also, the captain does his own dishes by hand. Have sonic dishwashers not been invented yet? I could understand where water ones might not be practical. It just seems the captain might have a steward or something to do them, so his/her valuable time isn't wasted. Are we going to see him vacuuming and dusting at some point???

I think the purpose of those scenes was to indicate the kind of person Pike is. The fact that he likes to physically prepare a meal himself (or with his dinner guests as a bonding activity) and then wash the dishes afterward, it tells us something about him, about who he is, his down-to-earth nature, that he likes to get his hands dirty, enjoys the physicality of such work. It's a character note. A feature, not a bug. 

[Colorado David]

28 minutes ago, Llywela said:

I think the purpose of those scenes was to indicate the kind of person Pike is. The fact that he likes to physically prepare a meal himself (or with his dinner guests as a bonding activity) and then wash the dishes afterward, it tells us something about him, about who he is, his down-to-earth nature, that he likes to get his hands dirty, enjoys the physicality of such work. It's a character note. A feature, not a bug. 

Yeah I got to thinking about it - maybe for special occasions he does his own cooking thing to show comradery with his senior staff. Tho were I captain, i'd be happy to cook and bartend but I am NOT doing the cleanup. and he was wiping the plates, which make me think they use water - which seems wasteful (maybe they conquered conservation with the replicators. ARG so many ifs in this series thus far.)

Lol Kirk of course bumbling in recklessly and touching the giant egg-thing - i guess laying ground work for his reckless nature.  Tho again, I'd think any away team would have a medical technician for emergencies as it is unknown environments - and not the head doctor as a previous poster stated, just a trained med tech with a suitable medkit.

Also liking the maneuverable Enterprise as opposed to the TOS submarine style movement. While I'm not sure how feasible it is (has anyone ever explained how the impulse engines actually work? they are pushing around a LOT of mass and inertia in those maneuvers), it is definitely exciting to watch. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by Colorado David

[Catfi9ht]

With all these new Trek shows popping up at once, I've spent some time thinking about whether or not I'm a Star Trek fan. If you asked me post-Voyager, I would have said, "Absolutely!" Today, I'm not so sure. 

All the JJ Abrams movies gets thumbs' downs from me. Abrams writes for nostalgia not story.

Enterprise was really sexist; the entire point of T'Pol's character was to be Angelina Jolie-esque eye candy. I tried watching Discovery and Picard and didn't like either of them. I couldn't muster up any emotional attachments to any of the new characters. I found Michael in Discovery to be completely unlikeable, and the twin that lived in Picard to be tropely naive (I forgot her name).

Since this show just started, I figured I might as well give it a shot since it's not much of an investment. 

What an excellent surprise. I really liked it. I thought Pike has a similar Kirk vibe  but he's not doing a Shatner impersonation. I liked the crew alot. Lots of interesting personalities and each character got a chance to shine. The general thesis of this show feels very retro without being rehashes of the same ideas.

I thought the first episode was a good setup with showing how Starfleet's mistake can adversely affect an undiscovered planet.

Anytime music is math is highlighted is a win for me so I really liked this episode. It also kind of knocked Pike's ego down a bit for being judgmental about the comet monks.

For me, trying to analyze Star Trek canon is an exercise in disappointment and frustration. There have been too many fingers in the pie and no head chef in the kitchen. At this point, I think I'm content with, if it looks to exist in the Star Trek universe, it works for me instead of quibbling about character details and events.

I found everyone in the show to be interesting and likeable so far. I look forward to seeing where things go.

[salaydouk]

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

I think the purpose of those scenes was to indicate the kind of person Pike is. The fact that he likes to physically prepare a meal himself (or with his dinner guests as a bonding activity) and then wash the dishes afterward, it tells us something about him, about who he is, his down-to-earth nature, that he likes to get his hands dirty, enjoys the physicality of such work. It's a character note. A feature, not a bug. 

In addition, I think this scene was also intended to show just how past Pike and Una are from a standard CO/XO the relationship.  It is already canon, both stated here and in Disco, that she was his long time XO but there has not been much beyond that. ( I believe all the non-platonic stuff is non-canon.)  This scene shows just how much of a personal friendship two of them have - when it is just the two of them the formality of the CO/XO relationship is dropped, first names are used, and items of more personal nature are discussed - though I will say they _are_ walking a very fine line here.  

In fact the whole dinner scene also confirmed what we saw on Disco and showed us that Pike runs his ship like a "family"- Una/Ortegas were making drinks, Hemmer was cutting vegetables, and Spock was setting the table.  Which was apparently taken from Mount's own personality from him encouraging group discussion and inclusion during table reads/rehearsals.  

Edited May 15, 2022 by salaydouk

[cambridgeguy]

Questionably close relationships between officers in the same chain of command is hardly anything new.  Kirk and Spock were besties.  Kira saw Sisko as a religious icon.  Janeway and Chakotay were incredibly close, although at least there they didn't really have a choice.  For the mildly military Starfleet that's OK.  There's the perception that all of the main characters in a TV show should be pals (both on and off screen) to the point where some fans seem stunned when actors aren't overly fond of each other.

And as for Pike and his valuable time, if there's no immediate crisis then it seems like Starfleet officers have a fair amount of downtime, even the captain.  By the TNG era all of the officers had plenty of time to goof off in the holodeck, perform in concerts, etc. 

[paigow]

3 hours ago, marinw said:

Picard was both those things.

Only after the Arbiter Of Succession arc...

Picard never could top this...

[salaydouk]

32 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Questionably close relationships between officers in the same chain of command is hardly anything new.  Kirk and Spock were besties.  Kira saw Sisko as a religious icon.  Janeway and Chakotay were incredibly close, although at least there they didn't really have a choice.  For the mildly military Starfleet that's OK.  There's the perception that all of the main characters in a TV show should be pals (both on and off screen) to the point where some fans seem stunned when actors aren't overly fond of each other.

Don't disagree, especially about the actors relationships off screen - hello Shatner and Takei and Ryan and the entire Voyager cast.  However regarding on-screen relationships and there being no conflicts/interpersonal relationship issues - this was an explicit desire of Roddenberry's and is the very thing for which DS9 was derided.  On screen I am personally okay with TPTB showing the characters running the whole gambit from loathing to BFF as long as they don't flip flop from one episode to the next. As for off screen I couldn't care less what goes on... 

But regarding mentions of other CO/XO relationships, it was extremely rare for Spock to reference Kirk by first name( I believe it could only be a handful of times with the most obvious being the end of Amok Time), I am pretty certain that Kira never called Sisko "Ben" and rarely even called him the Emissary directly to his face( and if you flip it I don't believe Sisko ever called her Nerys), and I don't think Chakotay ever used Janaway's first name as well but I am not so sure about this one.   So while all of those relationships were close the formality was never dropped.   Here the CO/XO formality is explicitly being shown to be dropped under certain circumstances which is interesting from a characterization standpoint and it will be interesting where they go with it. 

[marinw]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

Only after the Arbiter Of Succession arc...

Picard never could top this...

IDK, Picard's PJ's were epic

[Llywela]

10 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Lol Kirk of course bumbling in recklessly and touching the giant egg-thing - i guess laying ground work for his reckless nature. 

Although, of course, this isn't the famously reckless Kirk of TOS fame, but his brother. Guess it runs in the family!

[Colorado David]

6 hours ago, Llywela said:

Although, of course, this isn't the famously reckless Kirk of TOS fame, but his brother. Guess it runs in the family!

ah! i always thought father. my bad!!

Edited May 16, 2022 by Colorado David

[kirinan]

20 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Also, the captain does his own dishes by hand. Have sonic dishwashers not been invented yet? I could understand where water ones might not be practical. It just seems the captain might have a steward or something to do them, so his/her valuable time isn't wasted. Are we going to see him vacuuming and dusting at some point???

Maybe he actually likes to do dishes and putter around? Captains gotta relax, too, and when you don't HAVE to do dishes all the time, it can be a relaxing activity. I like those touches; they make him more relatable to me. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by kirinan

[Affogato]

22 hours ago, paigow said:

Archer had a personal chef... What do Roombas look like after 300 years of development?

Data

[Ottis]

22 hours ago, Catfi9ht said:

For me, trying to analyze Star Trek canon is an exercise in disappointment and frustration. There have been too many fingers in the pie and no head chef in the kitchen.

Great observation, and like all good Trek, it echoes today's society. Everyone has their pet cause or belief, and they each have to be different than what others believe. So are all the Trek shows during what should be a new golden age of Trek, and yet they seem like they were produced by different interpretations of what Trek is.

11 hours ago, Llywela said:

lthough, of course, this isn't the famously reckless Kirk of TOS fame, but his brother. Guess it runs in the family!

But Sam kept his shirt on, at least.

4 hours ago, kirinan said:

I like those touches; they make him more relatable to me.

I do, too, but also, it raises questions about why we didn't see that continue in any other Trek that happened, within the franchise, after Pike's Enterprise. It seems like a huge change to make. Maybe one day the change will be explained after Pike starts a fire cooking?

Edited May 16, 2022 by Ottis

[Joimiaroxeu]

"Unburdened by conversational boundaries." Gotta save that one for future use.

Pike is jacked. Dang.

Did Ridley Scott produce this episode? I was getting quite an Aliens/Prometheus vibe when the away team was first exploring the comet. I was waiting for a face-hugger to bust out of that egg onto Kirk.

Spock deliberately laughing after a tense moment. Could that have been telegraphed any harder? 😑

Ehh, trying to navigate the future is a dangerous path, Pike. Live your life.

Quote

Anson Mount/Christopher Pike seems to make everyone around him feel comfortable, including the viewers. It's an element that has long been absent in the Star Trek universe.

Yep. However, some viewers have criticized Pike's use of sarcasm as too much like those guys in the MCU. We'll see how it goes I guess.

[Llywela]

6 minutes ago, Ottis said:

I do, too, but also, it raises questions about why we didn't see that continue in any other Trek that happened, within the franchise, after Pike's Enterprise. It seems like a huge change to make. Maybe one day the change will be explained after Pike starts a fire cooking?

Because it is a personality quirk of Pike specifically? I'm pretty sure I remember seeing other characters cooking in Trek from time to time, though - on special occasions, sure, but it happened.

On VOY, of course, Neelix had a whole mess hall going on!

[MissLucas]

Nobody-touches-my-peppers Sisko

The-secret-of-a-good-souffle Sisko

Paprikash-Sisko

Scrambled-Eggs Riker

 

 

 

[salaydouk]

4 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Nobody-touches-my-peppers Sisko

The-secret-of-a-good-souffle Sisko

Paprikash-Sisko

Scrambled-Eggs Riker

 

 

 

Don't forget

I will make for you his famous Aubergine Stew - Sisko  or 

You don't like Beets -Sisko

And though she had to have replicated it, I just have to give an honorable mention to 

Kelp buds, plankton loaf and sea berries - Keiko O'Brien 

 

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

However, some viewers have criticized Pike's use of sarcasm as too much like those guys in the MCU.

Easy on the eyes with a side of snark.  He had me at "hit it!"  ;)

[salaydouk]

10 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Easy on the eyes with a side of snark.  He had me at "hit it!"  ;)

Side?!? Whole snark works for me! 

Edited May 17, 2022 by salaydouk

[paigow]

16 hours ago, salaydouk said:

Side?!? Whole snark works for me! 

 

17 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Easy on the eyes with a side of snark.  He had me at "hit it!"  ;)

Seems like you would prefer Star Trek: Fifty Shades Of Pike

[benteen]

On 5/13/2022 at 10:40 AM, Affogato said:

Making Pike a rancher made me roll my eyes.

 

Pike talks to Dr. Boyce about growing up on a farm or a ranch in The Cage so they were just sticking with the character's backstory in that case.

Really good episode which I think was better than the the first episode. I really liked the aliens of the week (and Pike's reaction to the name Shepards ws funny and glad we got the universal translator acknowledgement too). I liked the fact more that the Shepherds turned out to be right. It's not often that the heroes on ST are wrong like this and I liked that Pike acknowledged that.

Ortega pranking Uhura was fun and I liked dinner at Pike's. But did we really need the whole dead family storyline for Uhura? Didn't they do this on Discovery? Why can't she have just joined Starfleet because she wanted to and not have a BSG misery backstory fostered on her?

I'll excuse Spock laughing because Spock smiled in the original pilot but I wish they would stop with the emotional Vulcan portrayal. That being said, I liked Peck's performance a lot better in this episode than last week's. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

5 hours ago, benteen said:

But did we really need the whole dead family storyline for Uhura? Didn't they do this on Discovery? Why can't she have just joined Starfleet because she wanted to and not have a BSG misery backstory fostered on her?

People's mileage will vary, but I will certainly be interested to see where they take the character. Despite being around for what, 60 years, this is probably the first scrap of canon backstory she has ever gotten.

Not to take away from the previous iterations of the character, but despite appearing in 3 seasons and 9 movies, how much do we know about Uhura? That she is a lieutenant who manages the communications station, that she doesn't mind being called a "charming negress," that she had her mind erased but somehow rebuilt it, that she likes singing and is pretty good at it, that she speaks Swahili, that she's pretty quick-witted (one of the underrated lines in Trek was when she was called "fair maiden" and she responds, "Sorry, neither!"), that she is good with languages in general (although the TOS movie Uhura apparently can't carry on a brief conversation in Klingon in a scene for laughs), and that the JJ Trek Uhura has a relationship with Spock. Heck, we only found out her first name was Nyota in the first JJ Trek movie.

I'm happy to wait and see what they do with her backstory, though I dunno if I think this Uhura actress is at all reminiscent of Nichelle or Zoe.

[aemom]

On 5/13/2022 at 12:06 PM, historylover820 said:

So, I entered SNW both with excitement--I loved, loved, loved Anson Mount as Pike on STD, and I actually didn't mind Ethan Peck as Spock. And the little bit I saw of Rebecca Romijn was Number One on STD, I enjoyed--and with trepidation (I mean, look at my first paragraph).

So far, I love this show. To me, it feels like old school Star Trek, a prequel to TOS, but with much better special effects. I was worried about season long story arcs that drag on and on, giving its viewers a little piece of the puzzle but then raising more questions than it answers until the season finale. But I'm digging the episodic feel, because that's one of the reasons why it feels like old school Star Trek. And I don't mind the stable through line of Pike worried about the vision of the future he saw, because that's relatable and feels real. And, frankly, even feels like Jeffrey Hunter's take on Pike--he's first introduced brooding about a mission than went wrong and some of his crew was killed, and he's brooding about having the power to determine who lives and who dies.

But Anson Mount's version of Pike, for me, puts Pike just under Kirk as my favorite Captain. I love his warmth and his humor.

Me too!

When I saw these characters on Disco, I  loved them and said "I would watch the shit out of a show with them."

And when I heard that I was going to get my wish, I was really excited, more excited than even for a show about Picard. And so far, I am very pleased. It also doesn't hurt than Anson Mount is VERY easy on the eyes! 😉

On 5/13/2022 at 2:46 PM, Ottis said:

Also, why bother putting colors on the exo suits that match the colors of the uniforms? That seems like an excessive detail. Can you not wear an exo suit just because it is the wrong color?

I'm thinking that perhaps they each have their own suit that has been customized to fit them perfectly?

On 5/15/2022 at 6:51 PM, salaydouk said:

... and I don't think Chakotay ever used Janaway's first name as well but I am not so sure about this one.   

I forget which episode it was, but Chakotay and Janeway were left together on a planet and were going to have to live there for a long time, possibly forever, and she told him, (paraphrasing) we're not in Starfleet here anymore, so call me Kathryn.

From that point on, even after being rescued, he did call her Kathryn from time to time.

[ML89]

On 5/12/2022 at 8:15 PM, marinw said:

Who else was remnded of Close Encounters of the Third Kind? I am very old.

Me!

On 5/13/2022 at 2:46 PM, Ottis said:

BTW, I think Sam Kirk's moustache is utterly ridiculous. He looks like Crewman Guy on Galaxy Quest.

THANK YOU - I thought the same. Even as goofy!

I wish someone would make Pike add Lawrence of Arabia to his old movie rotation - nothing is written.

I am onboard with Nu Uhura. I liked her at Pike’s Supper Club.

Also, the Enterprise is not the Millennium Falcon although I think Ortegas would definitely grab a drink with Han Solo.

I join those who hate Spock’s hair and marvel at Pike’s. 

I also have to say that as another old line fan who hated JJ’s movies and couldn’t get into Disco (while enjoying the people not the plots of Picard), I’m getting into the groove of this one, even if Spock’s characterization still makes me nuts at times. I’m so glad there’s not some season long plot too. I’m definitely enjoying the characters and they are certainly showing us why Spock would have done what he did for Pike in TOS. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rwlevin]

On 5/17/2022 at 7:22 PM, benteen said:

But did we really need the whole dead family storyline for Uhura? Didn't they do this on Discovery? Why can't she have just joined Starfleet because she wanted to and not have a BSG misery backstory fostered on her?

I have a feeling that the writers decided to try to incorporate part of the actress’s own tragic background. Not as sad as Uhura’s, of course, but still really sad.

[statsgirl]

On 5/17/2022 at 7:22 PM, benteen said:

But did we really need the whole dead family storyline for Uhura? Didn't they do this on Discovery? Why can't she have just joined Starfleet because she wanted to and not have a BSG misery backstory fostered on her?

We had just had La'an's misery backstory. And then of course there is Spock's problems with Michael Burnham and how he felt left out and ran away

Spoiler

and Una's in the next episode.

At this point, I'm kind of expecting a tragic back story each episode on this show. Will we find out that Hemmer went blind in an accident? or a genetic disease?

I have to say though, I think Uhura may be my favourite character on this show.

[paigow]

22 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

We had just had La'an's misery backstory. And then of course there is Spock's problems with Michael Burnham and how he felt left out and ran away

  Reveal spoiler

and Una's in the next episode.

At this point, I'm kind of expecting a tragic back story each episode on this show. Will we find out that Hemmer went blind in an accident? or a genetic disease?

I have to say though, I think Uhura may be my favourite character on this show.

Lot of explaining why Kyle, Uhura & Spock are the only people staying when Kirk takes over... Did everybody else quit? Were most of them already dead?

[Affogato]

21 hours ago, paigow said:

Lot of explaining why Kyle, Uhura & Spock are the only people staying when Kirk takes over... Did everybody else quit? Were most of them already dead?

Or gotten their own commands. Or departments. 

[Llywela]

20 hours ago, lora said:

But I don't like the fact that except for Pike and Spock all the main crew on the bridge are women.

Is there any particular reason they shouldn't be?

[Llywela]

13 hours ago, lora said:

Don't get me wrong, I just don't think it is realistic.

Realistic? This is Star Trek, a franchise about spaceships in the far future in which people have been de-aged, accidentally cloned, travelled through time, survived having their brain removed, swapped bodies, and come back from the dead...and you think having women on the bridge is unrealistic? That's hilarious. 🤣

No, what is unrealistic is that TOS didn't have more women in responsible positions on the bridge, but that was because the show was made in the 1960s and it showed. SNW is not restricted in the same way. You think a show made in the 2020s should impose the same sexist restrictions upon itself as existed 60 years ago, instead of taking full advantage of the greater creative freedom that exists today, just because it is set in a world that was first portrayed in 1966?

I ask again, in the universe of Strange New Worlds, in a future in which racism and sexism no longer exist in the way we know them, why shouldn't there be women on the bridge?

Edited June 13, 2022 by Llywela

[Llywela]

5 hours ago, lora said:

I did not say there shouldn't be women on the bridge. I said there were too many women. Also, I am not saying that it should be the same way it was in the 60s. All I ask for is balance.

If the gender ratio of Enterprise's bridge was reversed, no one would bat an eyelid, still less complain about it being unbalanced. Why should the one be more acceptable than the other? In the rarified future of the Enterprise, why shouldn't there be more women on this particular bridge than men?

ETA - besides, is there really such a gender imbalance as all that? Let's break it down. Enterprise's senior bridge crew is comprised of Pike and Spock (male) plus Una, La'an and Ortegas (female). Are we saying that three women to two men is too grossly imbalanced to be credible? Really?

Uhura (female), let us remember, is only a cadet and is not permanently assigned to the bridge. Elsewhere on the ship, the chief engineer (Hemmer) and chief medical officer (M'Benga) are both male, with Chapel (female) also working sickbay in a junior role as nurse. Recurring characters in the show also include Chief Kyle and George Kirk, both male.

So the regular and recurring crew is comprised of: Pike, Spock, Hemmer, M'Benga, Kyle and Kirk, plus Una, La'an, Uhura, Ortegas and Chapel. Six men, five women overall (or four men, five women if you want to discount the two recurring characters), of which two men and three women are senior bridge crew. Where, exactly, is this terrible, unrealistic imbalance? I'm just not seeing it.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Llywela

[paramitch]

First off, I ran over here after enduring two seasons of ST: Discovery and I just could not take anymore. I wanted so badly to love it. Aghgh. But I did love Pike and crew, especially Mount's Pike (he has effortless charisma) and Rebecca Romijn, who I've always thought was an incredibly underrated actress. 

On 5/12/2022 at 8:46 PM, Frozendiva said:

Is there a greenhouse on the ship, along with some animals, or a freezer filled with frozen meat or do they pick up supplies from Starbase or a planet that has cattle and other forms of agriculture? A really good replicator? Pike is likeable, funny, has a wit and charm that has been missing from most of the new series.

To me, it's pretty logical to assume that starships have pretty vast storerooms including a greenhouse and a big, airy, and humane area for livestock.

I mean, the whole inspiration for Star Trek was, in part, as an homage to the ancient grand seafaring adventures of old during the Age of Sail, and at the height of the British Navy's ascendancy, so when you compare a 1700s ship of the line and what it could store in supplies and men -- many of them holding as much as 600-800 men, hundreds of thousands of pounds of bread, beef, pork, cheese, butter, peas/beans, spirits, etc. Plus whole herds of cattle and sheep, and flocks of ducks and chickens. And that's on a finite vessel with none of the technological amenities or abilities of the Enterprise.

My take is that the Enterprise easily has room for the plants/veg, materials, and humanely raised food-source animals/fish in specific areas of the ship, we just don't see it. It's not even a stretch, it's just logistics.

Further, as the Enterprise seems to have around 400-ish in crew, and with a much, much bigger area in which to work and live (in comparison to warships of old), I don't have a problem with Pike's quarters being bigger. I just figure Kirk's were depicted as too small, honestly, so it's a corrective retcon.

On 5/12/2022 at 8:54 PM, millennium said:

IMO Ethan Peck was not a good choice for Spock, however I do believe the writers are doing a capable job when it comes to Spock's dialogue.   His remarks seem plausibly characteristic of TOS Spock as a younger man, especially the dry humor.

I love Peck. I think he's terrific, charismatic, and walks the line on Spock's human/vulcan legacy really well. But I totally get YMMV.

On 5/13/2022 at 10:28 AM, Sandman said:

I’m still working out why and how the captain has a full bar in his quarters. “Number One, please report to my Rumpus Roo — er, Ready Room.”

Having spirits, wine, port, etc., in the captain's quarters is routine. The captains of warships and ships of the line would need to have that on hand as they would routinely entertain officers, crew, and visiting captains and dignitaries. It's not a stretch to me at all that Pike has a bar in his quarters.

On 5/13/2022 at 4:45 PM, cdnalor said:

Pike is like the Don Draper of space with a bar in his office.  Star Trek: Mad Men.  I'd watch it.

Honestly, I found Don Draper to be so absolutely drippy and charisma-free that I would be thrilled with a Pike Mad Men. I loved the show, and the acting was fantastic, I just intensely disliked Don and thought he was a total black hole in terms of charm. 

On 5/14/2022 at 3:42 AM, starri said:

I'm having the opposite reaction.  During his talks with Uhura, I was gobsmacked by how much Ethan Peck sounds like Leonard Nimoy.  It was ridiculously impressive.

He really does. I love him, and he's been a terrific asset to the show for me.

On 5/14/2022 at 5:09 AM, MissLucas said:

Yeah, I thought so too. I'm pretty sure one of the main reasons Peck was cast is his voice/timbre while Quinto was visually the better match. I remember how Peck's voice stood out in the short-lived tv version of '10 Things I Hate About You' coming out of a 'teenager' (Peck was 23). The writers even had other characters crack jokes about it.

I honestly think Peck is better than Quinto (who I love, I just think he's too soft-featured to be a perfect Spock).

On 5/14/2022 at 9:25 AM, WildPlum said:

Another reasonably good episode, nothing particularly deep - although the underlying assumption that western music is the basis for ALL music and alien technology would respond to music in a 12 tone system was pretty amusing. I just pass it off as some hand waving (like the other semi-sciency hand waving) and let it go. Star Trek is an action-adventure-"problem of the week" show that happens to use scifi props and settings but doesn't rely on heavy science for explanations or even, really, facts.

Yeah, this. I'm a songwriter and lyricist with just enough music theory to be dangerous, so watching Uhura "solve" the mystery was a little frustrating -- I basically turned off my brain for that part and just headcanoned that the Comet Thingy was responding to her in general and not in her specific notes and melodic choices.

Edited August 13, 2022 by paramitch
oops, human and humane are two different words

[Sandman]

On 8/13/2022 at 12:17 PM, paramitch said:

The captains of warships and ships of the line would need to have that on hand as they would routinely entertain officers, crew, and visiting captains and dignitaries. It's not a stretch to me at all that Pike has a bar in his quarters.

Sorry — just to be clear, I didn’t mean “a full bar” in the sense of a well-stocked liquor cabinet. I meant the crew could stage a revival of Cheers in there. His quarters appear to be enormous — and look to me a little like a hotel bar. All that’s missing are the ferns.

[ouinason]

Maybe Kirk made his quarters in a different room and that particular set of quarters was refitted for something else by TOS.  Captain's quarters are where he says they are.

[Captain Stable]

On 5/15/2022 at 5:43 PM, paigow said:

TNG cleverly split Kirk & Spock among several characters. Data & Troi got super logic & mind reading. Riker & Picard got swashbuckling sex god & diplomat

I'd even add Worf into the Spock-Split category, as the "Alien living among others, trying to keep their racial intentions in check, yet using them for the benefit of the team when required"
So, while Spock battled his Human half, Worf is full Klingon, but raised in the human way. IMO, of course.

[Raja]

On 5/12/2022 at 11:13 AM, paigow said:

Who is actually Number One- i.e. XO - of the ship??? Is Pike going to make them fight for it with Lirpa?

In its Royal Navy root the "Number 1" or the First (senior)Lieutenant  is not always the second in command or executive officer (XO). Number 1 normally would be XO on lessor vessels commanded by a commander. That the TOS rank insignia for Captains look like present day Commanders does give a visual feeling of the lower ranked the first Lieutenant of the commander root that folks familiar with their naval services would see.  By TNG when Number 1 was resurrected for Trek the Captains where in the 4 pips instead of 3 stripes

On larger ships commanded by a full Captain, 4 stripes or eagles in the US services a Commander would be the second in command or XO. With "Number 1" being a department head, assuming the ranks of those positions  had not inflated to a commander rank.  As used by Captain's Pike and Picard though the informal term is used for the XO. It would be like US Army First Sergeants are informally "Top", from the top soldier in a company. In Pike's TOS crew but not Picard's case the rest of the crew would also use the informal "Number 1"

[lucindabelle]

Late to the party!

I actually think the standalone plots of the Orville so far were better. more  thought provoking and related to current issues. Enjoyed this, but it didn’t take me anywhere. I didn’t expect to go.

One thing that made Leonard Nimoy so amazing as Spock is he never seemed to be Trying. I honestly feel like they might get a performance out of somebody who was just a tall, thin, kind of accountant-looking professorial type actor than someone trying to imitate her Nimoy and trying to be grim. Spock Nimoy played him was never grim. He was curious, even wide eyed, a bit supercilious logical, but not entirely, always serious, and even friendly in his way. I think of Sherlock Holmes.  I have been enjoying this Spock, but it has no relationship to the character as I knew him. 
 

I cannot be the only one who thought that that egg was just responding to the music because it thought that Uhura was mommy. Especially when the egg started singing it too. And then I thought it was going to hatch.

Also, I feel like we’ve seen alien eggs before and I thought surely they know enough not to mess with it

[SmithW6079]

On 5/12/2022 at 4:52 PM, Sandman said:

:: secretly wonders how a culture as logical and pragmatic as Vulcan society, even in its most savage era, could have come up with a weapon as ungainly as the Lirpa, surely the most unwieldy, victory-proof weapon in the known universe ::

The Klingon bat'leth has entered the chat. 😉

 

Also, why bother putting colors on the exo suits that match the colors of the uniforms? That seems like an excessive detail. Can you not wear an exo suit just because it is the wrong color?

It may be a way of identifying the person wearing the suit. In Ben Bova's "Mars," the first astronauts to Mars all have their own EVA suits so others can tell who they are.

 

 

Edited February 21 by SmithW6079

[John Potts]

Fun! OK, not sure how Uhura knew what notes to sing and it seems that they have a similar appreciation of the musical scale as we do (Spock was not singing the same notes as Uhura, he was singing an octave lower – yes, mathematically that’s half the frequency and it’s the same letter on the diatonic scale, but it’s not the same note). Did like Pike putting the comet between him and the antagonists because that was smart thinking. Also liked how, while the Enterprise dodged most of the incoming shots, it still took a couple of hits.

On 5/12/2022 at 11:01 PM, thuganomics85 said:

I actually enjoyed the idea of seeing a character who isn't all ride or die, "Starfleet for life!"

For all there IDIC* philosophy, members of Starfleet generally seem to think the only choice of career should be to join Starfleet.

On 5/13/2022 at 3:12 AM, jcin617 said:

so did the [Prime Directive] get changed between Pike and Picard

Most likely between TOS and TNG. Kirk was pretty cavalier about violating the Prime Directive, although Picard got a fair few breeches of his own (according to The Drumhead, Picard had racked up nine PD breaches by the end of Season 4). 

On 5/14/2022 at 8:45 PM, TV Anonymous said:

So how did putting heat shield close to M'hanit nudge him off collision course, even before he came with the premonition?

Ablating/evaporating part of the comet will provide a slight nudge to alter its trajectory. Done early enough, even a tiny nudge will be enough to turn a collision into a miss (this is how astrophysicists suggests we might avert asteroids from hitting Earth IRL). Given how close it was to the planet I doubt it would make enough of a difference, but the physics is inherently sound.

*Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations