S02.E01: The Broken Circle

[paulvdb]

Quote

A distress call from Lt. Noonien-Singh compels Spock to disobey orders and take the U.S.S. Enterprise and its crew into disputed space, risking renewed hostilities with the Klingons in a bid to aid their shipmate.

Premiere date: June 15, 2023

[AnimeMania]

Rong Fu as Mitchell
Abbas Wahab as Ror’Queg 

[Tachi Rocinante]

Ehh.  No Pike, too much M'Benga and Chapel.

Carol Kane's character was as I feared - bad accent and pointless. She can go anytime.

[rtms77]

Badly directed,and edited along with bizzarre writing. 

Im already tired of the “Klingon War”, which apparently happened during DISCO 1st season. I don’t even remember that storyline since it was a blip among the Micheal Burnham must be Redeemed! Plots. But now we are hit over the head with it constantly . Ortega seems to have built her current career on it,  same with Mitchell. Now MBenga and Chapel. 100 million died yet DISCO  rarely mentioned it.

MBenga and Chapel and the green liquid of courage was just plain bad writing. I was like WTF?  I’m assuming MBenga created it, because it goes against everything Starfleet opposes, including the current storyline with Number 1. If this is found out, it may explain why he was demoted and under Dr McCoy later on. MBenga could be headed for prison. The slow mo hallway fight was just atrociously shot. 
 

The new engineer is batty and uninteresting. So she’s long lived or immortal? Either way not the best first impression.

Spock! What a mess now. How does this guy go from crying over Chapel , to the almost pulse is dead eyebrow raising Spock of TOS? For me it’s just bad writing. I find the writers have no idea how to write this character. And what is with this idea of sticking Spock with any and all human females? First Uhura in the movies and now Chapel. The Chapel thing has got to be jettisoned, I can’t see these two working together for 20 yrs as just “friends” after all this.

The Kingons are over done, the Borg as well, but now we have the Gorn to mess with. The Romulans really got screwed over in the villan dept. The one alien race earth and the Feds were legitimately challenged and scared of, never developed beyond the boogie man.

 

An Aside, I really don’t care about the Klingon appearance. To me advances in makeup and costuming etc from the 60’s  was just natural. I really don’t understand why Star Trek etc made it such an issue. 

Edited June 16, 2023 by rtms77

[magdalene]

I liked it.  I am kind of shipping Spock and Chapel.  I prefer him with her over the one he is supposed to be with. I did miss  Captain Pike. 

[marinw]

2 hours ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Carol Kane's character was as I feared - bad accent and pointless. She can go anytime.

Grating. She sounds like a bad imitation of Chrisjen Avasarala. (God I miss her)

I forgot why these Klingons look like Klingons and not sort of Human due to the convoluted retconning back in Enterprise

Spock is SO out of character. I want cold logical Spock!

"For Nichelle" at the end was a nice touch.

[paigow]

14 minutes ago, marinw said:

"For Nichelle" at the end was a nice touch.

The only thing they wrote properly... the actual episode was a horrible gift / dedication

[rtms77]

A  positive , like last season I am loving the ship battles. This Enterprise is so maneuverable. Unlike so many other shows these ships actually move out of the way of fire. Kudos to whoever is doing the choreography for this. 
 

im hoping we get More Amanda this season. I would love to see the backstory of how she fell for a Vulcan etc. Sarek had his time on Disco. 
 

 

[QuantumMechanic]

3 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Spock! What a mess now. How does this guy go from crying over Chapel , to the almost pulse is dead eyebrow raising Spock of TOS?

Spock wasn't "almost pulse is dead, etc." in "The Cage" so you can ask a similar question about that too, I suppose.

Edited June 16, 2023 by QuantumMechanic

[cdnalor]

1 hour ago, rtms77 said:

A  positive , like last season I am loving the ship battles. This Enterprise is so maneuverable. Unlike so many other shows these ships actually move out of the way of fire.

I don't find it believable that a ship that size could move like that.  It doesn't look right.  It would be like an aircraft carrier dodging torpedoes by swerving like a speedboat.  A more realistic space battle would be like the one between Kirk and Khan in "The Wrath of Khan."

[QuantumMechanic]

That first scene on the mining planet had to be a callout to Raiders of the Lost Ark, right?

Unlike many here I generally enjoyed the episode.  And Kane's character.  Though I was quite disappointed the episode was essentially Pikeless.

[Starchild]

Well that was...bad. Plot progression was confusing. Too many people doing too many things. Everyone was in groups of 2 and 3. Could have cut the principals in half and achieved the same.

When Chapel and M'Benga went berserker on the Klingons I actually got bored. I prefer cerebral Trek.

I didn't realize how much this show owes to Anson Mount's charisma. Please, show, don't make that mistake again.

[Guest]

On it’s own, I enjoyed the episode. Within the larger context of the series and franchise, I thought it was a mess. Really weird choice for a season premiere. It felt like something Discovery would have done which is never a good sign.

No Pike is always going to be a mistake but I did like seeing the other characters. 

[marceline]

7 hours ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Carol Kane's character was as I feared - bad accent and pointless. 

So was Deanna Troi at the beginning. 😃 

Kidding aside, I kept thinking about Troi when Carol Kane's character was on screen. Marina Sirtis created this whole accent for Troi. An accent that apparently no other Betazoid has. Not even her mother or father. (How does that make sense?!) Sorry, I digress....

Whatever my issues with Commander Pelia (that's the name of the character. I looked it up), I'm heartened by the fact this role is being played by a 70-year-old actress and I'm willing to see where this goes. Hemmer pissed me off when he first showed up but by his death I was weeping for him.

I did find it confusing that when Pelia said it's been 100 years since she went out into the field, Ortegas was like "One hundred years? Impossible!!" We already know that Vulcans have a long lifespan. Tuvok was in his hundreds on Voyager. Hell, even humans in this era commonly live into their triple digits.

Edited June 16, 2023 by marceline

[TVbitch]

Oof... That seemed like an entire episode of stitched together OTT fan fiction moments. I hope they aren't going to push these characters into soap opera territory. I enjoyed the more subtle character tones of last season. I was hoping for a simple, more profound episode focusing on Uno's predicament and PIke trying to help her. Can't believe they even threw in a La'an outdrinks a Klingon scene, straight out of Raiders of the Lost Ark! 🙄

[thuganomics85]

Pike: "Well, I guess I need to go off and find the only person who can apparently save Una, but hey, that leaves Spock in charge!  Nothing too weird can happen, right?!"

(few minutes later)

Spock:  "Gang, we are going to steal the Enterprise!"

 

Glad the show is back, but it was kind of a weird premiere.  The absence of both Pike and Una for the majority of it kind of put a hamper on things, I think.  While I generally think the entire ensemble is strong overall, I felt like it was noticeable that not having either one of them here kind of made things awkward and odd.  And, yeah, it did feel like the majority of the crew was just paired off and doing their own things.  Probably why the highlight was the earlier scene with everyone (baring Pike, Una, and La'an) together and plotting a good old spaceship heist!

Probably also didn't help that the Klingons have kind of been played out now.  I know they were the series main antagonists in the early years of this timeline, but they need to find more ways to freshen things out.  Maybe the possible return of the Gorn will help out in that front?

La'an outdrinking a Klingon was such an obvious set-up, but I loved it.  Christina Chong continues to be a highlight.

Surprised that they are really ramping up a potential romance between Spock and Chapel.  If it happens, that's pretty much going to vaporizing all of the original canon, right?

Yeah... not sure what kind of accent Carol Kane was going for.  Looks like she's the new engineer, but I'm hoping a certain Scotsman makes his appearance soon!

Interesting that the co-pilot, Mitchell (I think?), seemed to be treated almost like part of the main crew now.  The actress is still billed as just a guest, but I wonder if they're trying to make her more prominent.

Hey, another former Expanse guy shows up!  The inspector giving Uhura a hard time was the guy who played Josep on that show!

Hopefully Pike won't be gone for too long and they'll get Una out of her cell soon as well, because I definitely think the show is at its best when the entire group is together, getting into some classic "mission of the week" escapades.  I guess we will see how this goes!

[meira.hand]

I feel like they forgot this show was supposed to return to TOS premises of exploration (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds). Instead they keep bringing up old enemies and acting like a fighting unit. Hated it.

[marinw]

8 hours ago, Starchild said:

When Chapel and M'Benga went berserker on the Klingons I actually got bored. I prefer cerebral Trek.

Agreed. That I could not buy. Klingons must be trained to deal with beserkers. I was again reminded of The Expanse where a character's beserker powers came at a huge cost.

Edited June 16, 2023 by marinw

[marinw]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

The inspector giving Uhura a hard time was the guy who played Josep on that show!

I though he looked familiar.  Thanks,

[marinw]

IMO, one of the finest examples of Emo Spock was in---wait for it---TAS's "Yesteryear". Spock revisits an emotionally difficult chapter in his childhood and is utterly logical about it. Not unfeeling, yet contained. That is Spock. As for whatever is going on with Chapel in SNW, to be fair in TOS Spock does become emotional about another person he loves, namely Kirk.

If Spock is in love with Chapel in SNW, it makes his treatment of her in TOS all the more cruel. 

Edited June 16, 2023 by marinw

[marinw]

On a positive note I do like the dude playing Robert April. This is one TOS canon character we know almost nothing about, which provides the actor with the opportunity to create this character from whole cloth.

[Starchild]

Yeah I think he only appeared once in TAS.

[Starchild]

I think mostly I just missed Pike.

[Good Queen Jane]

So Pelia is a different species than Guinan? How many long-lived alien species have been hiding on Earth and are they all coming out now?

There was no suspense regarding Chapel and M'Benga's survival since we know that they live through the Kirk era. That's the problem with using TOS characters in this show. I really wish they had a different nurse character that Spock falls in love with rather than Chapel. There is no way I can believe this badass Chapel turns into wimpy Chapel as portrayed in TOS or that Spock would treat her the way he did. If Spock had loved and lost a different woman, it would go a long way in explaining why he cut himself off emotionally from Chapel.

Edited June 16, 2023 by Good Queen Jane

[rtms77]

10 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

So Pelia is a different species than Guinan? How many long-lived alien species have been hiding on Earth and all they all coming out now?

There was no suspense regarding Chapel and M'Benga's survival since we know that they live through the Kirk era. That's the problem with using TOS characters in this show. I really wish they had a different nurse character that Spock falls in love with rather than Chapel. There is no way I can believe this badass Chapel turns into wimpy Chapel as portrayed in TOS or that Spock would treat her the way he did. If Spock had loved and lost a different woman, it would go a long way in explaining why he cut himself off emotionally from Chapel.

Something must have happened, you don’t go over 7 yrs of being an emotional mess as Spock is now to being almost completely detached as he is during Kirks time. Yet he still has loyalty to Pike to try and help him out. That act is loyalty and respect for Pike with controlled emotions. But yeah his treatment of Chapel in the Kirk era is weird. How do these two stay working colleagues ? 

[kirinan]

While this wasn't Mr. kirinan's or my favorite episode, we both enjoyed it. It had enough good moments to keep us entertained. Agree with everyone that Pike and Number One (in our case) were sorely missed, but it was enough to tide us over until the next episode, in which I hope everyone's back together and things start humming along again.

And I also have to admit, I liked Carol Kane's character! I agree, the accent was jarring at first, but by the end, I was used to it and I am interested to see more of her story. (Still miss Hemmer, though. He grew on me.)

1 hour ago, Good Queen Jane said:

There is no way I can believe this badass Chapel turns into wimpy Chapel as portrayed in TOS or that Spock would treat her the way he did. 

I'm not replying to start an argument or discussion or to say anyone's wrong. I just want to comment on the theme of these characters not being able to become the TOS characters, which has run through a fair amount of the posts on the ST:SNW forums since this series started. I completely respect those who hold that view, but to me it just seems like a recipe for never-ending frustration. I'll preface my points below by saying that I'm in my 60s, and have seen all of the series (except Discovery; I made it through the first episode and never went back) on their original runs and multiple times in reruns over the years. Collectively, they're probably my favorite shows ever.

First, I don't view TOS Chapel as wimpy. Well, I suppose by today's standards she could be considered so, but I just see her as a product of the mid-1960s, maybe because I grew up through that era. In that context, Majel-Barrett-as-Chapel behaves the only way she possibly could, given the restrictions of the times. So in my head, I just dissociate the TOS timeline from any of the timelines with the same characters, like the ones in this show or the Kelvin timeline of the movies (which I love).

I wouldn't want this show to be a moment-by-moment retread of the original episodes, and I think it's safe to say no one else would, either—because let's be honest, it wasn't always great (Spock's Brain, anyone?). The TOS writers had no way of knowing what a cultural touchstone Star Trek was going to become, so short of going back in time and forcing Gene Roddenberry to retool the series, there's simply no way to reconcile the characters in this show with something that was written half a century ago.

Chapel and Spock in a relationship basically negates the way Chapel and Spock behave in TOS, or the Uhura/Spock relationship in the movies. To me, that's a "So what?" kind of thing. Different timelines, different details. I'm perfectly willing to go with the individual series' flows within their own universes and block out the inconsistencies that thinking of them together as one timeline creates. I know for a lot of people, one of the big pleasures of being a fan is debating those inconsistencies, but like I said, it's also a frustration that can't ever be resolved. 

Anyway, just wanted to mention that. Thanks for reading, if you did, and keep posting those inconsistencies and debates—I really do enjoy reading them! 

Edited June 16, 2023 by kirinan

[paigow]

TOS!Chapel was a wild card with no history of serving on NCC-1701 until partway through S1. That is why TOS!Spock never seriously  considered her a romantic interest... although she was infatuated with him. Retconning her backstory is ridiculous.

[marinw]

4 hours ago, rtms77 said:

But yeah his treatment of Chapel in the Kirk era is weird.

I see it as something that existed in the 1960's and leave I there. I would like it better if Jess Bush played a different character, she is an engaging actor who has good chemistry with the Ethan Peck and the rest of the cast.

Did anyone notice the new Transporter Person? Who are they?

Edited June 16, 2023 by marinw

[jah1986]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Interesting that the co-pilot, Mitchell (I think?), seemed to be treated almost like part of the main crew now.  The actress is still billed as just a guest, but I wonder if they're trying to make her more prominent.

 

I thought that was interesting too. But I think she'll fade back once Una returns to the ship, that's her chair.

I didn't love this episode, but I'm glad to have the show back. I think a lot of the pairings were because they were still dealing with Covid precautions while filming this episode. I watched the Ready Room and Ethan Peck mentioned that they had started filming season two before season one even aired so they didn't know what worked for viewers or what didn't.

I'm really not loving the Spock/Chapel pairing but I guess I'll have to live with it. I hope the show goes back to being more of an ensemble piece. The absence of Pike and Una (number one) was really felt.

I don't dislike Carol Kane but I thought she was just talking like Carol Kane, especially after her interview in the Ready Room. I think I will like the character.

[paigow]

Will this Mitchell character magically morph into Gary Mitchell when Pike runs into the Galactic Barrier????

[TVbitch]

My disappointment with the episode wasn't so much about how it fits into established Trek. Just taking it on its own, there were too many OTT character moments. Let's just take Spock, for instance: He is hooked up to the vitals' monitor when Chapel walks in and he has a nerdy phrase to take the Enterprise out. Cool. But I mean, really, in Spock's very FIRST time as captain he is going to steal the Enterprise, ignore an Admiral's orders, possibly end his career, and not even think about reaching out to Pike? And of course, he is going to have to give the order that he thinks will kill Chapel. Of course, Chapel will miraculously survive, and Spock will have to give her manual CPR while weeping and yelling over her artfully dead and bloodied body. Of course, he will bring her back to life, and of course, she will have a quip ready to flirt with him the moment she regains consciousness. It was just all too much, and I just appreciate more subtlety and not taking a sledge hammer to every possible character beat.  

[marinw]

I do like the costumes in this episodes.

[Starchild]

Just now, marinw said:

I do like the costumes in this episodes.

Actually I do recall wondering why there are two sets of uniforms, the Enterprise-style primary colours and the Discovery-style blue and silver/gold.

[ofmd]

Oy, this was bad. Weird direction, mindless boring action scenes, and more Spock/ Chapel soap.

I'm so over the Klingons. And probably over Trek as a whole, at least with the direction it's recently taken.

Edited June 16, 2023 by ofmd

[Guest]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

I'm not replying to start an argument or discussion or to say anyone's wrong. I just want to comment on the theme of these characters not being able to become the TOS characters, which has run through a fair amount of the posts on the ST:SNW forums since this series started. I completely respect those who hold that view, but to me it just seems like a recipe for never-ending frustration. I'll preface my points below by saying that I'm in my 60s, and have seen all of the series (except Discovery; I made it through the first episode and never went back) on their original runs and multiple times in reruns over the years. Collectively, they're probably my favorite shows ever.

First, I don't view TOS Chapel as wimpy. Well, I suppose by today's standards she could be considered so, but I just see her as a product of the mid-1960s, maybe because I grew up through that era. In that context, Majel-Barrett-as-Chapel behaves the only way she possibly could, given the restrictions of the times. So in my head, I just dissociate the TOS timeline from any of the timelines with the same characters, like the ones in this show or the Kelvin timeline of the movies (which I love).

I completely agree with you. Kirk and Spock had the characterization the TOS writers wanted them to have but Chapel’s characterization was greatly limited by gender politics at the time. And I think the way her position within Starfleet progressed in the movies shows that they never intended her to be a “wimpy” character. 

 

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

Chapel and Spock in a relationship basically negates the way Chapel and Spock behave in TOS, or the Uhura/Spock relationship in the movies. To me, that's a "So what?" kind of thing. Different timelines, different details. I'm perfectly willing to go with the individual series' flows within their own universes and block out the inconsistencies that thinking of them together as one timeline creates. I know for a lot of people, one of the big pleasures of being a fan is debating those inconsistencies, but like I said, it's also a frustration that can't ever be resolved. 

Yep. Also we don’t know where the show is going. They might have a plan to explain how the character go from what we are seeing to who they are in TOS. It doesn’t bother me that there are inconsistencies based on shows and movies set further down the timeline. 

What does bother me is that I felt the show didn’t do a good job bridging between Spock at the end of season 1 and Spock in this episode. I felt like there were episodes missing. But I am expecting that we will get some kind of explanation. I can’t see the writers writing a character famous for his lack of emotions as obviously emotional without a plan. Particularly because it was so blatant and became a plot point when dealing with the Klingons. 

[marinw]

2 hours ago, Starchild said:

Actually I do recall wondering why there are two sets of uniforms, the Enterprise-style primary colours and the Discovery-style blue and silver/gold.

Sorry, I should have been more clear: I was also referring to the civilian clothes worn by the crew on the Klingon-occupied planet.

(The uniforms on Discover are weird in general)

Edited June 16, 2023 by marinw

[wanderingstar]

What a fantastic premiere! 

The crew stealing the Enterprise to go rescue La'An was very on brand! I really liked the partnership of Chappell and M'benga. I kinda want to know about their time in the war.

I've been meh on this version of Spock, but I enjoyed him a lot in this episode. Ethan Peck did a great job of portraying Spock's turmoil.

So, the Federation is secretly on a war footing. That should be an interesting thread this season.

[historylover820]

I just watched. I read parts of your posts. Haven't read the other parts yet.

I thought this was a mixed bag. Mostly I wasn't into it.

1. I badly missed Pike. Next week's episode better show what he was up to.

2. They really need to cool the Spock/Chapel thing. In TOS, which isn't that far in the future of SNW, Chapel had the badly unrequited crush on Spock. Absolutely not the other way around. Everyone who's watched TOS knows that this ain't happening. So, why are they pushing it so strongly?

ETA: I've caught up on your posts. For the record, I like this characterization of Chapel. Have her be a feisty, badass character. Just like Uhura. I'm down with it, because I recognize that they were limited the female characterizations in the '60s. I'm just talking about this weird romantic thing between Spock and Chapel. This aspect needs to stop.

3. Like all prequels, it's hard to really get worked up if legacy characters are in danger. You know Chapel and M'Benga are in TOS. So, their jump through space did not affect me at all.

4. I did laugh at Spock's "I want this ship to go. Now." Hey, it's better than Michael's "Let's fly."

5. I do understand Spock's hesitation at command. In TOS, he didn't like the thought of command. In the movies, he was seldom in command, although he was a captain. Heck, even his Mirror counterpart didn't like the idea of command because it put him in danger of assassination. So that rang true for me.

6. Spock disobeying orders rang true, although I do question it being for La'an. Heck, he'll do it several times in the future, notable for Pike in The Menagerie.

7. Maybe Chapel will do that two month sabbatical thing she was talking about and come back engaged to Korby. Heck, I'll even welcome a time jump. "Christine, how was the archeological trip?" "Great! I met someone! His name is Roger Korby, we just hit it off, and, look! I'm engaged!"

8. I don't want to see a war with the Gorn. In TOS, which, again, isn't too long in the future, the Federation didn't even know what the Gorn looked like. Just like Romulans, everyone was shocked to see a Gorn in Arena. Wouldn't fighting a war with them kind of make people know what they look like in 10 years time?

9. So far, not feeling Carol Kane. To be honest, she's hit or miss with me anyways. Taxi? Fine. The Princess Bride? Loved her, but she's also working with Billy Crystal. I don't really like her in anything else, but I haven't seen a lot of her work. Apparently, she's supposed to be a Guinan-type character? Eh. So far, not enthused.

10. To Nichelle. That just kind of hits you in the feels, doesn't it? I thought it was a beautiful dedication. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by historylover820
Thought of something

[historylover820]

Oh, yeah, I'm not going to edit my post again, but I'll post a new one--

I can't tell you how much I didn't like M'Benga and Chapel's action scenes.

I don't watch Star Trek due to John Wick-style action. I watch John Wick to see that. I was strangely bored during those action scenes. It may be because I know they'll be fine -- their characters are on TOS. 

This episode kind of fell into the biggest problem I have with nu-Trek in general -- it's dark. It's moody. It's oh so serious. Which is why I absolutely loved first season SNW -- it was episodic, it was goofy, while it had dark episodes, it wasn't dark and moody. I'm positive after this episode, it will go back being what I like. I have no doubt on that.

Also, can anyone explain that weird camera flip when Chapel and M'Benga went through the trap door thing to a lower deck? At first, I thought there was some sort of gravity glitch that I thought I missed. Now I don't know what that flip was about. It just made me go, "OK. I'm watching a show." And that when I kind of checked out of that plot.

Edited June 17, 2023 by historylover820
Thought of something

[Starchild]

30 minutes ago, historylover820 said:

I can't tell you how much I didn't like M'Benga and Chapel's action scenes.

I don't watch Star Trek due to John Wick-style action.

Not to mention, this is a doctor and a nurse. I think they did more asskicking in this one episode than every other Trek series' (and movies') medical professionals combined. Given the Hippocratic oath, it didn't sit right.

It's like they said to the producers, "listen I know we're medical and medical doesn't fight, but we want to do something more exciting than administer hyposprays." 

Ironic, given how boring it was.

[marinw]

7 hours ago, Starchild said:

I think they did more asskicking in this one episode than every other Trek series' (and movies') medical professionals combined

Beverly Crusher kicked - or crushed- a lot of ass in Season Three of Picard, but there was a context for that. Just because you are a doctor, nurse, or some other medical person doesn't mean that you can't or won't fight. There are a few Docs in my Karate dojo. I do agree that it was out of character for both of Chapel and M'Benga. And they were fighting freaking Klingons!

Edited June 17, 2023 by marinw

[paigow]

TOS!Gorn were not a kidnapping horde. They would have remained unknown if The Federation had not built an outpost in the Cestus System.

Bring a rock to a knife fight...

Edited June 17, 2023 by paigow

[marinw]

Gorn! Klingons! I’m waiting for the Borg to show up because why not. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Gorn! Klingons! I’m waiting for the Borg to show up because why not. 

Somebody must have photoshopped Gorncutus...

[rtms77]

4 hours ago, marinw said:

Gorn! Klingons! I’m waiting for the Borg to show up because why not. 

Well they found their way in Enterprise soooo….

[Affogato]

I am going to suggest that, while Chapel carries a torch for Spock into the future, Spock realizes he thinks of her as a sister--a substitute for the one he lost-- and that he keeps away from her because he doesn't want to hurt her by leading her on. 

So far I'm not seeing him as becoming Nimoy's Spock without more trauma, but I can see Quinto's Spock in him.

I think the Gorn could have been kidnapping space pirates (maybe a faction?), but why doesn't Kirk know about them?

As for the fighting medics, we established in the show that M'benga was a veteran of a particularly horrible war, and no reason to assume he was a medic in that war, either. We've seen Chapel fight before.

I'm tired of the space battles and endless wars to begin with and find they become tedious. You can write stories against a backdrop of war, but these are stories to showcase the exploding ships.

Pike is not my main reason for watching the show, but I assume this is a PikeLite episode because we will have heavyPike episodes later, as he tries to free Una.

This seemed in line with the rest of the show, though. We gathered our characters, set up the pike/una arc again...but yes, I think it will be less episodic this season, if only because of that storyline.

Edited June 17, 2023 by Affogato

[Affogato]

26 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I am going to suggest that, while Chapel carries a torch for Spock into the future, Spock realizes he thinks of her as a sister--a substitute for the one he lost-- and that he keeps away from her because he doesn't want to hurt her by leading her on. 

So far I'm not seeing him as becoming Nimoy's Spock without more trauma, but I can see Quinto's Spock in him. I should add that I believed Quinto's Spock, so it may be a matter of time.

I think the Gorn could have been kidnapping space pirates (maybe a faction?), but why doesn't Kirk know about them?

As for the fighting medics, we established in the show that M'benga was a veteran of a particularly horrible war, and no reason to assume he was a medic in that war, either. We've seen Chapel fight before.

I'm tired of the space battles and endless wars to begin with and find they become tedious. You can write stories against a backdrop of war, but these are stories to showcase the exploding ships.

Pike is not my main reason for watching the show, but I assume this is a PikeLite episode because we will have heavyPike episodes later, as he tries to free Una.

This seemed in line with the rest of the show, though. We gathered our characters, set up the pike/una arc again...but yes, I think it will be less episodic this season, if only because of that storyline.

 

[paigow]

3 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Well they found their way in Enterprise soooo….

You mean Archer!Mirror!Gorn??? That were field-stripping the TOS!Prime!Defiant ??? Completely plausible... WTF!!???

[paigow]

TNG!Troi had a human father. Her Farpoint accent was an odd choice

[Joimiaroxeu]

I liked the new opening.

Juiced up Chapel and M'Benga kicking ass and taking Klingon names. I thought it was hilarious.

Yeah, nice homage to Nichelle Nichols before the end credits rolled. I teared up.

Okay season opener, needed more Pike IMO. And I think a little bit of Carol Kane's character goes a long way. A way long way. I'm already tired of her.