S02.E09: Subspace Rhapsody

[starri]

Quote

 

An accident with an experimental quantum probability field causes everyone on the USS Enterprise to break uncontrollably into song, but the real danger is that the field is expanding and beginning to impact other ships — allies and enemies alike.

 

[RachelKM]

I didn't hate it. I'll have more thoughts, I'm sure. But for now, I'll just say that, however I end up feeling about this episode when it settles, it was worth it for the Klingon number.

[NeenerNeener]

I just can't with a musical episode of this particular genre.

[ofmd]

51 minutes ago, RachelKM said:

I didn't hate it. I'll have more thoughts, I'm sure. But for now, I'll just say that, however I end up feeling about this episode when it settles, it was worth it for the Klingon number.

Same.

I will say that this could have used better lyrics, catchier tunes, and better story/ conflicts. But yeah, the Klingon number was perfect. And their intro about only being hailed when there's silly drama! LOL.

More later.

[baldryanr]

Well, that was certainly something.  Not a great episode for fans of romance, that's for sure.

They should just make Spock ambassador to the Klingons.  Yeah, he'd die of liver disease in a few years, but think of all the good he'd do.

So Batel's probably screwed next week, right?  Going on a priority one mission doesn't bode well since next week is the finale and they have to do something with the Gorn threat.

[ofmd]

16 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

So Batel's probably screwed next week, right?  Going on a priority one mission doesn't bode well since next week is the finale and they have to do something with the Gorn threat.

Yep. Too bad, I like her.

Funny, in my view they are obsessed with romance this season.

Edited August 3, 2023 by ofmd

[Chicago Redshirt]

I enjoyed it alright, but don't think that there are numbers that will resonate with me like the ones from the Buffy musical. I did like that they gave that a couple shoutouts, including talking about Bunnies and Uhura saying "I've got a theory."

I like that Uhura saved the day, which is appropriate because TOS Uhura is very musical oriented. Would have liked to have Spock jamming his Vulcan lyre at some point. 

[wanderingstar]

Oh, that was FUN! But then I love musicals, and the way they wrote and structured this just like a broadway musical delighted the hell out of me. The songs were fantastic; I don't think I can actually pick a favorite. And while the episode was whimsical, it also had a lot of deep emotion (poor La'an! poor Spock!) The finale was excellent. I loved Spock's "won't miss singing" and "Not exactly" response to the prime directive line. 😆 Just a joyous hour of television. This show really is a delight.

I really, really want to hear Admiral April's surprisingly beautiful baritone 😁

Edited August 3, 2023 by wanderingstar

[starri]

Man, Celia Rose Gooding has an incredible voice. I actually rewound to listen to their solo number a second time before continuing the episode. 

[Zaffy]

Well, at least it had a good sci-fi / strange new world case.
Now, the musical part...ermmm..well... none of the numbers was strong enough for me, when they danced on the bridge was so much cringy I fast forwarded.
I admit the Klingons  number made me laugh. The rest was..well.. boring? 
And Pike cooked. Again!

Poor Batel.. your future has been telegraphed and I am not sure it is a bright one.
I hope I am wrong, I hate more angst for Pike.

 

[tennisgurl]

I am always partial to musicals and musical episodes, so this was an absolute win for me. What a fun episode, you could really tell that the cast and crew were having a great time really going for all of the classical musical tropes, including the big song at the end. The cast has a a surprisingly high number of talented singers in it, I think my favorite songs were the private conversation song and the big finale, although by far the most epic and instantly iconic moment of the episode was the K-Pop Klingons. I mean, how are you going to top that? 

You have to love the many tones of this season. Its a wacky cartoon crossover! Its a dramatic examination of war and PTSD! Its a musical! 

I enjoyed the brief shout outs to the Buffy musical episode, which this episode clearly got inspiration from, with the "I've got a theory" and the references to bunnies. This one wasn't quite as good as that episode, but still quite up there as far as musical episodes of non musical shows go. 

A bit disappointed that we didn't get to see Spock rocking out with his Vulcan Lyre, but I loved his reactions to all of the singing, he was not having a good time at all. 

Did I mention the K-Pop Klingons?!? Spock should be put in charge of all Klingon diplomatic missions, he's got a real gift for it, even if the poor guy will end up with a lot of hangovers. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

26 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I enjoyed the brief shout outs to the Buffy musical episode, which this episode clearly got inspiration from, with the "I've got a theory" and the references to bunnies. This one wasn't quite as good as that episode, but still quite up there as far as musical episodes of non musical shows go. 

I was inspired to rewatch "Once More With Feeling" for the first time in a while after watching "Subspace Rhapsody." It held up pretty well, even after knowing that Joss Whedon has...issues.

I don't think years from now, I'll randomly quote to myself lines from any of the songs in "Subspace Rhapsody" like I do "OMWF" ("Bunnies aren't just cute like everyone supposes. They got them hoppy little legs and twitchy noses. And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyways?") or put on "Subspace Rhapsody" and want to sing along with any of the numbers like I may or may not have done with "OMWF" in the past.

[MissLucas]

Show's giving me emotional whiplash. And I agree, even if you hate musical episodes the Klingon number all alone is worth watching the whole episode. I wonder if they checked everyone's singing talents before writing and assigning numbers. That said nobody gave me Brosnan flashbacks.

My favorite was La'an's version of not quite 'Let It Go'. Christina Chong has a great voice, I wish she had gotten another big number but this was Uhura/Celie Rose Gooding's episode. But at least we got a good resolution of the Kirk/La'an plot. I liked Kirk in that scene - so far I felt more or less neutral towards the character.

But man, this Enterprise racks up quite a reputation. After last week's major diplomatic incident they now infected the whole fleet with -ahem- singing and nearly caused a renewal of hostilities with the Klingons.

[RachelKM]

6 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

My favorite was La'an's version of not quite 'Let It Go'.

I really liked that song and her whole arc in this episode.  I liked Uhura's solo as well. As for the rest, it was fun.

And, because I cannot say it enough, Kling-Pop was ACES. Absolutely Perfect; no notes.

the only substantive plot/character that has been rolling around in my head was Spock's reaction to Christine's apparent ending their relationship (that wasn't as clear to me as it seemed to him). Are they using this as the thing that snaps him back to Vulcan remoteness? 

[paulvdb]

I've mentioned once in a forum for another show that I generally don't care for musicals. Exception are shows that add humor to their musical numbers like Galavant and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So this was one of my least favorite SNW episodes. I did like the musical status reports at the beginning. And I disagree with Pike about singing Klingons. I would have liked this episode better if it had more singing Klingons.

[MissLucas]

9 minutes ago, paulvdb said:

I would have liked this episode better if it had more singing Klingons.

Agreed! For a moment I thought they'd go completely bonkers and have the Klingons do opera (since that's the only Klingon music genre I can remember) but this was so much better. Especially combined with the Klingons' outrage about their 'dishonor'.

[starri]

I can conclusively say that Paul Wesley is a better signing Kirk than Shatner. 

[Zaffy]

 

2 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Agreed! For a moment I thought they'd go completely bonkers and have the Klingons do opera (since that's the only Klingon music genre I can remember) but this was so much better. Especially combined with the Klingons' outrage about their 'dishonor'.

The moment the Klingon captain stopped talking in this deep heavy angry voice and started singing in this very higher pitch voice was HILARIOUS!

[baldryanr]

18 minutes ago, Zaffy said:

The moment the Klingon captain stopped talking in this deep heavy angry voice and started singing in this very higher pitch voice was HILARIOUS!

Fun fact - that was actually Bruce Horak (i.e. Hemmer) as the Klingon captain.  While it's a shame he was killed off last season, at least the actor still gets to have some fun in the Trek universe.

[thuganomics85]

Ah, we finally get the infamous musical episode!

Like most musical episodes, I imagine this will be divided amongst fans, but as someone who tends to get a kick out of them, I really enjoyed this.  Sure, I don't think any of the songs will be having a lasting impact on me, but to quote Uhura, most of them were good "ear worms", and I was enjoying the ride that went along with it.  It helps that I felt like the cast in general seems to have stronger vocals than some other shows and were able to pull off most of the numbers.  Wasn't too surprised that Christina Chong was great since I knew she had some music background, but Celia Rose Gooding really brought down the house with that big number and stole the show.  Also thought Ethan Peck put his deep voice to could use!  No one really embarrassed themselves though, but I did notice Babs Olusanmokun and Melissa Navia mainly stuck to the ensemble bits or opposite others, so maybe they had the weaker voices out of the cast.

The actual mission itself was solid enough, but they definitely focused more on the relationship aspects here with the music driving characters to finally open up.  Definitely some tragedy here.  La'an finally confess her feelings towards Kirk and he doesn't deny something is there, but reveals that this version is apparently in a serious relationship with Carol (Marcus, I'm assuming) and even might be a father soon.  Meanwhile, Chapel is accepted to a program that will have her gone for three months but thanks to a big song number revealing that she'll always prioritize her career over any form of relationship, Spock seems to be going back into the emotionless Spock we are familiar with.  At least Pike fares better by learning to communicate more with Batel, but yeah, her going a "priority one" mission definitely is concerning...

I get why La'an cut off the transmission, but I so wanted to hear the end of Pike and Batel's song.  Especially since it looked like Pike was preparing to go full ham on this joint.  Bless Anson Mount!

K-Pop Klingons might bring "dishonor" to the Klingon community, but this humans thinks they might be the best kind of Klingons besides Worf!

Favorite spoken line was Pike's "We need to do an ensemble?!" and his reaction following.  He was so thinking "They did not train us for this at the Academy..."

Continuing to warm up to Kirk.  If nothing else, these bits are probably showing why he will be comfortable in the Captain's chair, because by the time he goes back to the Enterprise, he will know exactly what he is getting into!

Can't believe the finale will be happening next week already!

[rtms77]

Ok so put me on the cringe side with this ep. I’m not a fan of this type of musical, more Sound of Music , Sister Act kinda thing. I will say this is a talented cast, with Celia blowing it out of the ship!

The whole thing with Chapel and Spock is a mess, and does not put a very good light on Chapel. She pretty much wanted the forbidden fruit, pursued it then dump it once she got a bite. It looks even worse when you realize 7 yrs from now she’s going to keep trying to get that back. No wonder Spock is cold to her.

Spock  I guess is going to toughen up, and go into extreme mode for yrs to come.  It’s interesting because I think he uses that Vulcan excuse to run away from these  emotional attachments and even personal attachments. He gets dumped by TPring for being a workaholic. 
 

For once Kirk reminded me of TOS Kirk, though he seems a bit more subdued this series. I’ll have to go back to the movie but I can’t remember if Kirk did know Carol was pregnant and she asked him to leave or if he didn’t know .  I actually hope we see her next season if she’s on Starbase 1. I liked Kirk teasing Spock about the mumbo jumbo tech talk. Ironic that is the one relationship Spock can count on.

This has been Urhura season as she works out her place on the ship and her life in general. I have to ask though, given we have tiny ear buds for phones and zoom etc, why use that big honking ear piece? I get it’s from TOS but come on, we have better ear pieces in this age, 200 yrs from now we shouldn’t even need that.

La’an was way more loose than I expected her to be. I figured she’d storm in when the singing started with either an angry song and throw things around in frustration lol. Glad she worked out her feelings about Kirk.
 

The ending song was good, and goofy especially with the Klingon boy band lol.

Oh Batel, why are they fridging her just to make Pike hurt? The guys going to get wrecked enough in a few yrs, we don’t need his man pain to push him forward. Sheesh let the guy be happy, his future sucks.

[paigow]

30 minutes ago, rtms77 said:

Oh Batel, why are they fridging her just to make Pike hurt?

Most of these characters SHOULD NOT be around when Kirk takes over. So death or exile are the only choices. 

[marinw]

To quote Pike: well that happened.

Edited August 4, 2023 by marinw

[historylover820]

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.

Edited August 4, 2023 by historylover820
Thought of something

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm glad y'all liked the Klingon number, but I really wanted some Klingon Opera.  LOL.

I enjoyed the episode - I enjoy musicals a LOT.  Some of the songs reminded me of Sondheim's wordplay. 

It's only fitting that Uhuru has that great voice, considering the multitudinous talents of Nichelle Nichols. I take it as a salute to her any time Ms. Gooding sings.

I absolutely LOVED the choral opening title sequence.

(And I still see Sam Kirk as "Wacky Sidekick Dude" from Galaxy Quest.)

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I guess I'll have a seat at my table for one, because this episode did pretty much nothing for me.  Was a real slog, in full actual honesty.

Not to mention, the placement.  A musical eppy in the penultimate episode of a 10-ep season?!  Really???

I must be going to a faux Paramount+ site, because I keep getting these Orville-like episodes every other week - or more.  Honestly, The Orville comes off like a lite knock-off version of itself compared to some of these SNW episodes.  Even though I have never watched Discovery, I've learned enough to gather what its like.  I'm not saying I want constant doom/gloom and grimness like that, but this particular series seems to see itself as a parody version of Star Trek for at least close to half its season, in both that have already aired. 

Can this be the end of Spock/Chapel now, officially?  That, along with all the other constipated romantic relationships, this show comes off as a daytime soap on a starship most of the time.

And they couldn't have broadcast the upcoming death of Captain Batel any more if they tried with the "have to put the vacation on hold for a Priority One mission".  And I guess it is time to touch on the Gorn threat again, at the season finale, seeing as it hasn't even been barely mentioned since the very end of the first episode of the season.

Sorry for being such a 'downer', but I turn on Star Trek to watch Star Trek.  Not something that seems to want to compete with The Orville - if The Orville was crossed with a daytime soap - in terms of style, themes and presentation. 

I've come this far so I'll keep watching, but I hope the future episodes & seasons are different than most of the first 2 seasons/20 episodes.

[magdalene]

They are all better singers than the Buffy cast. And some of them obviously have had real training. Uhura's voice is wonderful.

Pike's girlfriend is doomed.

[marinw]

I did like Uhura's song.

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by marinw

[marinw]

More singing Klingons please. A lot more.

[QuantumMechanic]

I...liked that quite a bit more than I thought I would.  But then again, I also am a huge fan of Schmigadoon!

And I agree that Betal will either be pushing up daisies or held hostage by the end of the S2 finale.

[CarpeFelis]

2 hours ago, rtms77 said:

For once Kirk reminded me of TOS Kirk, though he seems a bit more subdued this series. I’ll have to go back to the movie but I can’t remember if Kirk did know Carol was pregnant and she asked him to leave or if he didn’t know .  

I could swear I remember from the movie that Kirk didn’t know right away that David was his son, so I was surprised when he told La’An that Carol was pregnant.

Singing, dancing Klingons threatening death: the laugh I never knew I needed!

When La’An was singing in her quarters I thought she was going to change her hairstyle to something less severe.

I enjoyed the episode but I’m pretty sure my husband will hate it. (I always watch first and then watch it again with him, because he’s so ADHD he constantly asks me to explain what’s going on. If he’d just put his damn phone down…)

[QuantumMechanic]

So was that the first time we have seen Spock gazing into his sense-oar periscope thingy on SNW?

[HelloooKitty]

So I’m not halfway in yet but I’m very pleasantly surprised by the vocal talents of the cast. 
 

do we think the “bunnies” thing is a Buffy reference?

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

36 minutes ago, QuantumMechanic said:

So was that the first time we have seen Spock gazing into his sense-oar periscope thingy on SNW?

Pretty sure he's done it a few times, just don't ask me for specific timestamps in specific episodes for those said times.

.... or I could just be imagining that I've seen him do it before, multiple times.

Edited August 4, 2023 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[dwmarch]

That was a fun episode. As others have said, not quite as great as Once More With Feeling but not bad either and it could have been really cringe. I have read an interview that said they were trying to do a musical during Picard and I shudder to think of how that would have turned out. But the SNW cast did an admirable job here and had some great songs.

La'an missed out on an opportunity to bust out her Roots leather jacket during her ballad. If DTI let her keep the watch, they certainly let her keep the jacket.

I liked how the crew speculated that because the anomaly looked like a zipper it would also function like one and they were just plain wrong. That does not happen often in Star Trek. Usually it is "we understand this new thing to be similar to something we are familiar with therefore they function identically because the plot requires them to".

The Klingon boy band was hilarious. I would have also enjoyed a rap battle. The Epic Rap Battles of History guys are still around and they've come a long way since Captain Kirk vs. Christopher Columbus.

Edit: I just rewatched the Klingons singing and there is a half-second shot of Uhura looking over at Sam Kirk... who is grooving away to the song.

Edited August 4, 2023 by dwmarch
Sam Kirk

[driver18]

I read that Kirk did know about David Marcus; it was David who didn't know about Kirk. Also, I know it doesn't fit with the TOS timeline, but I'm personally still holding hope that we're gonna get something more with Kirk and La'an because I think that Wesley and Chong have some great chemistry and I love their vibe and the story set up so far.

Besides, I disagree with the poster above who said we found out in this one that Kirk and Carol are in a serious relationship. What we found out is that Kirk and Carol have an on-and-off relationship and are currently "on" and that he just found out she's pregnant. That doesn't sound like it's particularly serious. Plus, in the final scene when Kirk walked in, he and La'an *still* exchanged a flirty look, so I'm all OK then!

As for the overall episode, I loved it. I'm a musical girl and so this was right up my alley. Of course, I've enjoyed all of the swerves that SNW has taken this season so much, using them to explore and enrich the characters has just been wonderful. (And reminds me in some ways of the out-of-the-box tacks that my fave sci-fi show, Farscape, used.)

Instead of just taking each episode as proof that the show is doing the characters that we know dirty, I've been taking each one in stride to see what path they're taking to get us to TOS and it does seem like they have a plan. As good as the show has been and continues to be, I'm more than willing to go along that path with them.

I enjoyed all of the songs and found CRG, CC, RR, EP the best of the bunch. I will say that I have been surprised by the praise I've seen for JB as hers was easily the most auto-tuned and yet she was still off in parts, but the overall song/sentiment was good.

Speaking of, I'm surprised at the number of comments I've read dragging Chapel for her treatment of Spock in this episode calling her cold and awful to him. I feel in that case that people were either a) ignoring what happened last week, b) not paying attention to what happened this week, and/or c) woobifying Spock.

Chapel and Spock basically broke up last week. So, when Chapel got that news about her fellowship, of course, she was not going to rush to tell her ex about it first of all but rather celebrate with her friends. She would let know Spock later once she got her celebrating done and she was ready to deal with the downer conversation that would result in telling him. She and Spoke broke up; the onus is not on HER to think about how the ex will feel about her life choices and how she chooses to celebrate them. It's about HER feelings, not his.

Spock was in the wrong to come and walk in on her celebration and be like: 'Yo, why didn't you tell me?' He made HER celebration about himself rather than about her, ruining her mood, her celebration. Chapel was not in the wrong. Spock was.

So her song in response wasn't cold or unfeeling with her saying that she was essentially putting her dreams, her future, her career first and she was ready to move on because HE had put her in that situation by confronting her in the middle of her celebration. Furthermore, because of the fact that this subspace frequency was making them share their innermost feels in a way that they normally wouldn't do is why she did so openly and in such a clear, brutally honest way.

Which brings me to all of the songs and characters. I really enjoyed how the songs were used to express the innermost thoughts of the characters. Even ones that normally these characters would not express. Except for La'an when she spoke with Kirk. She just spoke the truth because she didn't want to do it in song, and Kirk responded in kind, as did Pike and Batel. Which says something pretty strong about both of those pairs, they can talk to one another honestly. That's a good thing. (And partly why I want to see more explored with Kirk and La'an.)

My favorite numbers were Uhura's and the ensemble number (and Pike and Batel's abbreviated one--Anson Mount was just a treasure, per usual, throughout).

Just a fabulous episode all around.

[DrScottie]

2 hours ago, QuantumMechanic said:

And I agree that Betal will either be pushing up daisies or held hostage by the end of the S2 finale.

She got a first name, Marie, so that can't possibly be good. I think she's a goner too.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. While the cast as a whole was great, Celia was absolutely amazing this whole episode and I really wish Nichelle Nichols were still around so she could have seen it. 

[baldryanr]

6 hours ago, driver18 said:

Speaking of, I'm surprised at the number of comments I've read dragging Chapel for her treatment of Spock in this episode calling her cold and awful to him. I feel in that case that people were either a) ignoring what happened last week, b) not paying attention to what happened this week, and/or c) woobifying Spock.

Chapel and Spock basically broke up last week. So, when Chapel got that news about her fellowship, of course, she was not going to rush to tell her ex about it first of all but rather celebrate with her friends. She would let know Spock later once she got her celebrating done and she was ready to deal with the downer conversation that would result in telling him. She and Spoke broke up; the onus is not on HER to think about how the ex will feel about her life choices and how she chooses to celebrate them. It's about HER feelings, not his.

Spock sure didn't seem to think so, which just illustrates the real problem with their relationship - they're really bad at communicating with each other.  A couple of straightforward talks after the Boimler bomb and the fellowship news would have made things so much simpler.

Pike and Batel seem to have similar problems, although that may not be an issue with the giant bullseye Batel has on her back for the finale.  It does spare Pike having to tell her about his future - seems like your significant other deserves to know that you'll be a complete invalid in less than ten years.  That's especially true when he's already told Una and Spock about it, so it's not something he can't mention for fear of contaminating the timeline (unlike his knowledge of the Romulans, which is something Starflee would want to know).

[marinw]

Although this episode was a head -scratcher for me, I agree that the Klingons were the best part. K-Pop=Klingon pop! The dancing while swingling the Bat'leths was perfection. It was great because we were expecting opera. Klingons are allowed to have more than one musical genre, just like us.

Edited August 4, 2023 by marinw

[Prevailing Wind]

29 minutes ago, marinw said:

Klingons are allowed to have more than one musical genre, just like us.

But I *like* Klingon Opera. LOL

[starri]

The soundtrack is available on at least Spotify and Apple Music now.

[whiporee]

I thought it was a blast. I only wish they had had Anson sing the opening in front of the a cappllas.

It did a couple of things that were important. It shows why Spock went over to the logic side, and why in TOS he's sort of distant with Chapel in TOS. That's the first mention we've ever had of Carol and David -- I always assumed Kirk and she hooked up after he was a captain, because the responsibilities of being a lieutenant -- even a first officer -- don't seem to be enough to justify abandoning a kid for so long. I don't dislike Wesley's Kirk, but I thought that line was just a bit too much. 

Which is why the prequel thing -- which I've loved -- has some issues that are now starting to pop up. Does this Pike really seem like a guy who would just decide to hang out in the Menagerie in seven years? If Uhura is the genius she's being presented as, why does she have the same job at least five years later? If Una is as important a person as she's portrayed, why no mention of TOS or even TNG? How does Chapel go from fellowship-winning researcher and war veteran to handing McCoy instruments in sick bay? Kirk, Spock Chapel and Uhura had intense interactions with La'an -- why wouldn't those have influenced the way they interacted with Khan? I know the REASON, but adding so many elements of TOS into a timeline just messes with the overall. 

Not complaining. Probably my favorite show on TV right now. And the musical was fun, even if the songs didn't really resonate with me. But there's a lot being mingled here, and I wish they had been able to stay away from canon more than they have. 

[wanderingstar]

12 minutes ago, starri said:

The soundtrack is available on at least Spotify and Apple Music now.

Was just coming here to post this. I've already listened to it twice this morning!

[paigow]

48 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

But I *like* Klingon Opera. LOL

You have any Ferengi audio tech support?

[tv-talk]

As someone who does not like musicals I have to say my expectations were in the basement but lo and behold I did like this episode well enough, though I must cop to fast forwarding a little bit here and there. The opening number was fantastic, really like it more than most of the other singing though Uhuru was great and really shined. I do think they completely dropped the ball on the Klingons though, the episode would have been 5x better if the Klingons got a good long number like everyone else. They could have even done an almost Jets/Sharks thing with back and forth between the 2 bridge crews- that would have been great. Instead it almost seemed like they were taking a cheap shot at hip-pop type music.

As to the story itself- ok can Chapel please leave now? I'm sorry but there is something untoward about the hot young woman being one of the 5 chosen out of 10,000 or whatever it was- when we know she is almost immediately romantically involved with the man who did the choosing. And though of course it WAS a musical so had to be done a certain way, what she did to Spock in her number was cruel. I am glad he just walked away from her. Which brings me too...

...are Spock and Uhuru going to be a thing briefly?? They did have that gaze at each other and it would fit with the Abrams Trek...

I'm not sure what to make of this season overall. I wish it was less episodic, find it absurd they big takeaway from Ep1 was imminent war with the Gorn which has then almost literally not been mentioned again rest of the way. Will ep10 be all about the Gorn and setting up S3 as a big war? That's not ideal.

When I look back on the season, with 2 time travel eps, Spock becoming human, the LD crossover, and now a musical ep...too gimmicky. Otoh human Spock. LD, and the musical were pretty good. The M.Benga killer episode was excellent, Lost in Translation was a great classic Trek style ep. Tommorow was the only true stinker...

Guess it's been a solid season?

edit- and last but not least, I can now see this Kirk actually taking lead in show with Uhuru and Spock, reboot of TOS sometime down the road. That could have serious potential if it came to pass. Uhuru is sublime, Spock is great, and Kirk is definitely getting into the role.

Edited August 4, 2023 by tv-talk

[baldryanr]

1 hour ago, whiporee said:

Does this Pike really seem like a guy who would just decide to hang out in the Menagerie in seven years?

Let's see, option 1 was to sit in his wheelchair and pray for a medical miracle (or all powerful being) to heal his crippled body.  Option 2 was to live in a super realistic fantasy with the woman he loves (sorry Batel).  What kind of lunatic would pick option 1 if they could choose the second option without any negative consequences for anyone else?

It is kind of interesting to think about how "I'm going to go all in on my Vulcan side" Spock ends up being such great friends with Kirk.  Una and Kirk do talk about superior officers maintaining distance from the rest of the crew, and that seems like something Spock will really lean into.

[TVbitch]

😬  I won't diss on it too much, since my idea of a musical is Singing in the Rain or Cabaret. This was ..very Disney. The auto-tune was strong in this one. I will credit the cast for giving it their all. 

If we are keeping score on Season 2:

Strange New Worlds Visited: 0 (You can't count Rigel 7.)

New Life and New Civilizations Sought Out: 0 (But I will give partial credit for them running into the Customer Service Agents and the intergalactic Mumblings that were almost destroyed by the refinery. However, the Enterprise didn't bother to learn much about either.) 

[paigow]

13 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

If we are keeping score on Season 2:

Strange New Worlds Visited: 0 (You can't count Rigel 7.)

New Life and New Civilizations Sought Out: 0 

Par for the course, given Season 1... Children Of The Comet...

[Stardancer Supreme]

14 hours ago, historylover820 said:

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.

 

Same. I truly enjoyed this episode and yes, I will probably buy the music to keep singing along to.  Ethan Peck is rising in my ranks of Most Favorite Spock. I loved his singing voice and my heart broke for him as Chapel ended their "situation".  Watching Spock tear up and run out of engineering... Ethan Peck is acting!

There was more TOS canon spread around with the mention of Carol Marcus.  We are getting closer to the start of this great fandom.

I would have loved more Kling-Pop, myself.

[Zaffy]

I counted 3 encounters...with something... new: the ones communicating with Uhura, the ones that changed Spock to Human and whatever causes the musical frenzy (I fast forwarded a lot so I might miss something here).

But indeed, I think the show does not justify its title.
Maybe Star Trek: Chef Pike & Friends could be more appropriate.

Edited August 4, 2023 by Zaffy