S01.E03: Context Is for Kings

[starri]

I thought the lack of episode descriptions was due to the spoiler embargo, but still nothing for the episodes past the premiere.

[CanadaPhil]

"Burnam finds herself aboard the USS Discovery where she realizes things are not as they seem"

[CanadaPhil]

The FORCE has entered the Star Trek Universe!

Now thats a new twist!

When Lorca was explaining the spores it was as if he was channeling Ben Kenobi's "It surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together" riff.  

Hahahahaha!

Edited October 2, 2017 by CanadaPhil

[marinw]

The first act felt very Battlestar Galactica.

Shouldn’t the Away Team be wearing Hazmat suits?

Captain Lorca freaks me out for some reason. I suspect Michael may mutiny again. Maybe that's her thing.

Nice reference to Amanda and maybe Spock.

Edited October 2, 2017 by marinw

[tessaray]

Does CBS post new episodes at midnight Saturday or at prime time on Sundays? 

[CanadaPhil]

28 minutes ago, marinw said:

....

Captain Lorca freaks me out for some reason. 

I like the idea of this dark win at all costs captain. We sure are a long way from 80's Jeeve's The Butler tooting on a flute.

This series will definitely tread in territory not seen in ST before. 

Edited October 2, 2017 by CanadaPhil

[starri]

8:30 PM EST.  That's across the country, so 5:30 on the West Coast.

23 minutes ago, marinw said:

Captain Lorca freaks me out for some reason.

He's 100% Section 31, right?

[TV Anonymous]

Wow, this show is quite dark, both in story-telling and in cinematography. I know that our knowledge about the universe, our understanding of technology, our own values and our ability to create cinematic experience have advanced quite significantly since 1966, but I feel the in-universe technology, culture and lifestyle differ quite a bit with Star Trek: TOS, never mind that this show is set only 10 years prior and they are in the same continuum.

[Primal Slayer]

I don't know how to deal with an entire crew that is shady as hell. 

The episode was certainly interesting but I am still in the "this is ok" phase of this series. It is very serious and dark which feels strange and it doesn't follow the normal outline for a ST series which takes adjusting to. I don't know how not having characters like a medical officer as part of the main cast will hurt the series or not but having a representation from each field generally helps make things more well rounded?

Michael seems like is to smart, she always has the right answers, can fight, seems to be good at everything but lacks the charisma when it comes to interacting with others.

Maybe if we settle down and get to see the cast all together on the bridge interacting things will start to feel like they are coming together.

I am really waiting to get to be able to get to know the rest of the characters since it isn't really clear who all will be part of the main cast (while watching the show and not having to google it)

[paigow]

The away team seemed like they came from Sunnyvale High instead of Starfleet Academy...

[jcin617]

I’m going to assume black insignia = Section 31... at least until we’re told differently.

[Unusual Suspect]

4 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

I don't know how to deal with an entire crew that is shady as hell. 

Of the main cast, it was only the captain and security chief who really struck me as shady. The cadet is too guileless to be shady, and Lt. Stamets seems pretty on the level, he's a scientist focused on his project. But yeah, what's with the black insignia? Not a fan of Section 31, but that does seem where this is leading.

It's good to finally see the USS Discovery, and she looks good. It's amusing that we had the USS Glenn, made the trailer look super deceiving, seeing "Discovery" blow up.

[CanadaPhil]

I was struck by the appearance of Keyla. It looks like she and Saru will be the only pilot episode cast members to make it into the new main crew going forward.

I assume wounds she received at the Battle of the Binary Stars have resulted in her permanent disfigurement? Off hand I cannot recall another example in ST where a main crew member was depicted with a permanent physical injury?

So much for magical medical fixes??... unless of course you have the Burnham Magical Medical Top Up Benefit Plan.

;P

Edited October 2, 2017 by CanadaPhil

[satrunrose]

Another episode of the Good, the mixed and the ugh.

I liked the nervous cadet. She was the first character I really felt interested in. I have mixed feelings about Stamets. I'm really excited to see Anthony Rapp and I liked him when he was talking about his project and his friend in the shuttle.  The general cantankerousness might get old fast if they don't play it just right, though. 

I'm still not sure about Michael. I liked her at the start of the first episode and at the end of this one, but Michael the closed-off mutineer isn't nearly as interesting. I've also got mixed feelings about spore super-fuel. It's new and interesting and I'd be interested to know if it follows the Star Trek tradition of running with things that people have speculated are possible like anti-matter and warp drive. The problem is, it's just another example of how this show is set at the wrong time. We know this fuel source ultimately can't work because they're still using dilithium in VGR, but it would be a lot more plausible if it was set post-Dominion War (and with need to rebuild after the war, two new quadrants to explore and the dropped plot point of warp ripping holes in space it's perfect for that point in the timeline). 

The part I absolutely didn't like was Alien in Space. I don't care about drooly aliens that jump scare. 

[Frozendiva]

The cadet reminded me of a young Captain Janeway.

I get why the Klingons have an aversion to/distrust of the 'we come in peace' talks with other aliens.

Undecided about the 'dark' captain. Maybe this part of the Federation's space exploration was a bit darker. Found parts of the show very dark - due to the unknown creature from whatever dimension. There may be more mutiny coming about.

Michael still isn't all that interesting.

The book choice of 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' was interesting.

The 'spore' fuel is waaaay ahead of its time and probably has a massive malfunction, as it has never been mentioned in other Trek series.

I still miss the old Trek and its self-contained stories and adventures - no mythology - just a visit to a new world where the crew learned things about themselves. And I miss a sense of humour and a wink and a nod.

[CanadaPhil]

21 minutes ago, satrunrose said:

.....

The part I absolutely didn't like was Alien in Space. I don't care about drooly aliens that jump scare. 

 

Archer had a lil doggie but it looks like Lorca is a "kitty" person. Hope he has a big litter box for whatever the hell that is?

[aemom]

This show is very intense so far and I was also thinking of Section 31 with the black insignia.

I really don't like the retcon of Michael living with Spock and Amanda. We've never heard a word through all the years of everything Spock related (of course). They couldn't pick a different Vulcan family to foster her?

7 hours ago, CanadaPhil said:

 

Archer had a lil doggie but it looks like Lorca is a "kitty" person. Hope he has a big litter box for whatever the hell that is?

Isn't that a Tribble? It was making the same cooing sound and I noticed that it was bigger the second time we saw it in his ready room.

Edited to add: I think you were probably referring to that scary thing they brought aboard

Edited October 2, 2017 by AEMom
Clarification

[Primal Slayer]

1 minute ago, AEMom said:

This show is very intense so far and I was also thinking of Section 31 with the black insignia.

I really don't like the retcon of Michael living with Spock and Amanda. We've never heard a word through all the years of everything Spock related (of course). They couldn't pick a different Vulcan family to foster her?

I think they pretty much want us to ignore any and all other continuity and just want to use the cool kids names to gain some street cred.

[Frozendiva]

6 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

I think they pretty much want us to ignore any and all other continuity and just want to use the cool kids names to gain some street cred.

Just because something has to do with 'Star Trek' does not mean an immediate embrace. The show, and all new shows that I try out, has to earn my viewership.

[satrunrose]

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

I still miss the old Trek and its self-contained stories and adventures - no mythology - just a visit to a new world where the crew learned things about themselves. And I miss a sense of humour and a wink and a nod.

I'm with you on that one Frozendiva. I really wish episodic tv wasn't a dirty word these days.  

[DEM]

I'm not a canon-thumper, but Michael Burnham's Sarek/Amanda connection makes my eye twitch.

I liked Cadet Tilly a lot and was glad she didn't die.

I was disappointed Tilly brought up the 'gender' of Burnham's given name. The action is 250 years in the future, and Starfleet is not the USA. Either of those would be sufficient to ~explain~ her name, so it would have been cool to let it go unremarked.

Didn't Voyager have an episode about harnessing lifeforms for faster-than-warp travel?  I don't see this black-badge project going well. Plus that Captain Lorca dude is Shay-Dee!

It's pretty cool seeing the action from a non-bridge POV.

Edited October 2, 2017 by DEM

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, CanadaPhil said:

I assume wounds she received at the Battle of the Binary Stars have resulted in her permanent disfigurement? Off hand I cannot recall another example in ST where a main crew member was depicted with a permanent physical injury?

Captain Pike,

Still getting used to it, but I like what I've seen so far.

(ETA. In a weird coincidence, I switch from Discovery to the movie Black Hawk Down. In it, Jason Isaacs (Lorca) plays a real life US commanding officer who's career was clouded by ethical controversies.)

[Primal Slayer]

5 minutes ago, DEM said:

Didn't Voyager have an episode about harnessing lifeforms for faster-than-warp travel?  I don't see this black-badge project going well. Plus that Captain Lorca dude is Shay-Dee!

It did and it reminded me of this 100%, right down to the shady captain. Its like we jumped POV lol

[marsdude89]

I'm finding the show just alright so far. "Michael"—worst name ever for a chick, by the way—annoys the crap out of me. She always has the answers, is good at everything, knows kung-fu, quantum physics, biochemistry, etc., etc., until it's time for her to be totally worthless for plot-convenience purposes. She's bland. Lorca simply existing makes the show that much better. I liked Tilly, too. Hoping it gets better.

[Frozendiva]

14 minutes ago, satrunrose said:

I'm with you on that one Frozendiva. I really wish episodic tv wasn't a dirty word these days.  

I would love to see a Trek or sci-fi series with a more anthology focus - self-contained stories - with a nod to the times we find ourselves in.

Right now, I don't find the new characters compelling - show, make me want to watch, intrigue me.

[Peace 47]

46 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

Undecided about the 'dark' captain. Maybe this part of the Federation's space exploration was a bit darker. Found parts of the show very dark - due to the unknown creature from whatever dimension. There may be more mutiny coming about.

I found the show to be literally too dark in places!  I could barely see what was happening on the Glenn, but that might have been for the best, because I am for sure not a gore fan, and from what little flashes I saw of the dead, I knew that I didn't want to turn up the contrast.

This show is super-suspenseful to me, and I'm always sitting on the edge of my seat worrying about what will come next.  So I feel like they are doing a good job of drawing me into the world, even if I am not particularly drawn to any one character.

Sonequa Martin-Green is good, although Michael is very elusive to me still (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). She told Lorca that she stands for Federation principles, which is interesting because she doesn't apparently stand for Starfleet principles in the same way (being willing to mutiny to take an action that would preserve life).  This is a dumb question, but I just don't remember:  Michael didn't get any of those "fire first" shots off at the Klingon ship without authorization, did she?  I didn't quite understand why she is blamed for the war when I thought that Captain Georgiou stopped her before Michael could put her post-mutiny plan into action, and that the Captain had control during the battle.  I understood the whole Discovery crew side-eyeing Michael in this episode for the mutiny, but they blamed the whole war on her, too, which I didn't 100% follow.

I'm a bit of a poseur Star Trek fan:  new to (and fell in love with) TOS just last year, a longtime fan of TNG, and I have superficial familiarity with the other series.  I have seen other fans write about Section 31 in the past year as I've sought out some fan sites and such (some people even said it would make a good basis for a series).  I really don't know that much about it.  But everyone mentioning that Lorca must be involved with it sure seems to be onto something, given how shady this guy is.  Lorca told Michael a story about using the spores for travel.  But the monster at the end, and the fact that we know in TOS, TNG, etc., that they don't have those spores makes me think that he was lying to her still about the purpose of their project. On the other hand, I guess that his speech was supposed to absolve Michael in our eyes over the righteousness of her mutiny?  I'm not on board with that yet.

Saru's arc was very poignant tonight.  I thought that was a good, simple line that he had that Michael was a good officer, until she wasn't.  How does he ever trust her again?

I'm a little sad that Michael is not the first officer on this show.  I was looking forward to a show through the eyes of a female first officer (per the promotional pitch I read months back).  But things change up so dramatically and quickly on this show, that maybe I will see that some time in the future.

[ottoDbusdriver]

3 hours ago, marinw said:

The first act felt very Battlestar Galactica.

You know, they did have a Cylon on board (Commander Landry, played by Rehka Sharma)

Thought it was odd that the Discovery retrieved the shuttle, and kind of forgot to retrieve the pilot.
 

2 hours ago, jcin617 said:

I’m going to assume black insignia = Section 31... at least until we’re told differently.

I thought they looked like they were the current incarnation of MACOs from Enterprise.

I was surprised how big the room is that Burnham and Tilly shared -- it was massive.

In that collection room, was that the skeleton of a Gorn ?

[paigow]

Voyager had living plasma...Neelix infected it with his moldy cheese spores...No other Federation ship had any type of organic propulsion / fuel.

Saru is going to die...or make a career ending mistake...unless this show is about Ensign Burnham...

Did ALL of the Klingon crew board the Glenn? Why did Discovery not detect any other ships in the area? 

[Locutus]

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

 

The book choice of 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' was interesting.

Hmmm.....I wonder if this is a mirror universe foreshadowing? Or....could they already be there, re:shady officers.

Still won't pay to watch it though, but that plot would interest me.

[paigow]

Lorca must have watched Aliens or Jurassic World on SuperHuluFlix....."If we can weaponize these animals...."

[Miles]

The Inhuman pilot put a lot of things into perspective. Discovery doesn't look so bad in comparison, all of a sudden.

So why does everybody think Micheal is responsible for the Klingon war and the destroyed ships? Her mutiny had absolutely no baring on how things played out. There should be recordings of what happens on the bridge and there was enough of the bridge crew still alive. I get why she was courtmarshalled and convicted, mutiny is mutiny, but basically putting the whole war on her isn't exactly the truth.

I guess that new quantum drive explains the rumored

Spoiler

multiple dimensions this show is suppesed to take place in. It might also explain why we have never heard of Micheal, since this isn't actually the prime universe.

(more rumor than spoiler, but just to be safe)

Edited October 2, 2017 by Miles

[Peace 47]

4 minutes ago, Locutus said:

Hmmm.....I wonder if this is a mirror universe foreshadowing? Or....could they already be there, re:shady officers.

Still won't pay to watch it though, but that plot would interest me.

 Some clever person on Tumblr noted that Spock mentioned in "Star Trek:  The Animated Series" that his mother used to read him "Alice in Wonderland".  So not a bad retconning effort here.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

I still miss the old Trek and its self-contained stories and adventures - no mythology - just a visit to a new world where the crew learned things about themselves. And I miss a sense of humour and a wink and a nod.

*coughTheOrvillecough*

[DEM]

44 minutes ago, Peace 47 said:

This is a dumb question, but I just don't remember:  Michael didn't get any of those "fire first" shots off at the Klingon ship without authorization, did she?  I didn't quite understand why she is blamed for the war when I thought that Captain Georgiou stopped her before Michael could put her post-mutiny plan into action, and that the Captain had control during the battle.

Not a dumb question! I was confused, too, so I paid close attention to what Saru said. He never blamed her for the war; his anger all had to do with the mutiny. Everyone else  seemed to be victims of the rumour mill and/or sloppy thinking. The Battle at the Binary Stars is one big blob of Bad Things Happened, and they're content not to be too particular about the details. Burnham makes an easy target. Meanwhile, she is grieving and self-flagellating, and thus willing to take blame for things that weren't her fault.

 

1 hour ago, Primal Slayer said:

It did and it reminded me of this 100%, right down to the shady captain.

Yes, thanks for the validation! Further research tells me I was thinking of Equinox I and II.

Edited October 2, 2017 by DEM

[Emily Thrace]

3 hours ago, satrunrose said:

Another episode of the Good, the mixed and the ugh.

I liked the nervous cadet. She was the first character I really felt interested in. I have mixed feelings about Stamets. I'm really excited to see Anthony Rapp and I liked him when he was talking about his project and his friend in the shuttle.  The general cantankerousness might get old fast if they don't play it just right, though. 

I'm still not sure about Michael. I liked her at the start of the first episode and at the end of this one, but Michael the closed-off mutineer isn't nearly as interesting. I've also got mixed feelings about spore super-fuel. It's new and interesting and I'd be interested to know if it follows the Star Trek tradition of running with things that people have speculated are possible like anti-matter and warp drive. The problem is, it's just another example of how this show is set at the wrong time. We know this fuel source ultimately can't work because they're still using dilithium in VGR, but it would be a lot more plausible if it was set post-Dominion War (and with need to rebuild after the war, two new quadrants to explore and the dropped plot point of warp ripping holes in space it's perfect for that point in the timeline).

I wonder if it doesn't end up working as propulsion but actually turns out to be holodeck technology.  That demonstration reminded me of a holosuite  Although it does actually sound a bit like the transwarp used by the borg. With emphasis on tunnels and high speeds.  Maybe they do make a breakthrough but end up assimilated when they pop into the wrong part of  Borg space. Or this is the Omega particle experiment mentioned in Voyager.  The one that actually jacks up a large section of federation territory.

[KimberStormer]

So I am OK with the show more or less, but they make it really hard to like their main character.  (I know that is all the rage these days, but it's not something I'm super interested in.)  I thought she'd be humbled somewhat by the events of the past episodes, but no, she's still a totally arrogant jerk who is also The Best At Everything.  She's dictating to people, breaking in to things, lecturing people, rolling her eyes, it's crazy!  She's supposed to be in disgrace!  I can't believe anyone put up with her shit this episode, Lorca, Tilly, science officer guy, anyone.  The only interaction that felt right to me was with Saru.  Why do I feel like, if the situation was reversed, she would not say anything good about him?

Lorca being a shady asshole is ok because I'm not supposed to like and identify with him, I guess.  Like, when Burnham says "I live by the Federation ideals!" it's completely unconvincing because we have never ever seen that, even from the moment she came on board with Sarek in that flashback she was being an arrogant jerk.  Whereas when Lorca says "I want you because you live by Federations ideals!" it's completely unconvincing and I think it's supposed to be because obviously he is lying, so I don't mind it. 

Really, really disappointed that the three other convicts were put on a shuttle and sent off.  They were the best part of the episode.  Frankly it's already thrown away much of what seemed interesting to me about the premise.  I wanted that blue-collar viewpoint on Starfleet and Federation affairs.  I do like Tilly, Shady Security Chief, and Science Officer Guy (though they did not sell the fact that he just lost his best friend in a hideously terrible manner...no tears?  Not much of anything at all?)

2 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

This is a dumb question, but I just don't remember:  Michael didn't get any of those "fire first" shots off at the Klingon ship without authorization, did she?  I didn't quite understand why she is blamed for the war when I thought that Captain Georgiou stopped her before Michael could put her post-mutiny plan into action, and that the Captain had control during the battle.  I understood the whole Discovery crew side-eyeing Michael in this episode for the mutiny, but they blamed the whole war on her, too, which I didn't 100% follow.

She did kill the Klingon guy on the Torch of Kahless or whatever it was, though I'm not sure that actually mattered.  I sort of think this is one of those failures of nerve, like they couldn't bring themselves to make her actually kill people and start the war, but it was the plot of the show, so....

[thuganomics85]

At long last, the actual Discovery arrives!

Still not all there, but I thought it was decent improvement over the first two episodes, now that they have established the ship and its main characters, and what is Michael's roll in all of this.  I doubt she'll remain an ensign/on the outs for long, but I don't mind the idea of a main character who has to work herself back up the ranks after committing an act that soured everyone on her.  Granted, Voyager had something like that with Tom Paris, but I never felt like it fully did that idea justice (of course, that could be said about a lot of Voyager's plots.)  I'm still finding Michael to be unlikable at times, but I did feel like Sonequa Martin-Green was more comfortable this go around and didn't have any flat-out bad moments, like she did in the pilot, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

Lorca is.... well, he's something!  Jason Issacs was great as always, and this is certainly a different kind of captain for Trek!  I definitely don't think he's flat-out evil or anything, but he will clearly break rules if he deems it necessary, and I suspect he is keeping a lot of things from his crew and maybe even has a few skeletons in his closet.

We got a few other editions like Tilly, who seems to be one of those classic Trek rookies who is earnest to a fault (Bashir, Kim, etc.), the head of security (who was Dr. Lorlei in The 100), who will hopefully not get her ass kicked as much as Worf did on TNG, and Stamets (Anthony Rapp!), who got the grumpy, crusty "I have everyone and everything!" kind of tude, that would probably even make Bones and Odo raise an eye.  I found them pretty fun.

Kind of bummed the other prisoners were already gone, since all three were played by various Canadian-based actors that I've seen in a whole bunch of stuff.

Glad Saru is around (and even the first officer none the less), and I really hope the show continues to explore the issues that will no doubt be there between Michael and Saru.

Show more or less confirms Michael grew up with Spock.  A bit of a stretch, but I do remember he never talked much about his family unless he had too, so I can buy that he really doesn't like bringing her up to his co-workers for whatever reasons.

Still unsure how it will all play out, but I'll stick with it.  At least it had one classic Trek moment: an away party with a bunch of regulars and one extra and like any good redshirt, the extra went bye bye!

[marinw]

5 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

You know, they did have a Cylon on board (Commander Landry, played by Rehka Sharma

That's where I've seen her before! Thank you.

Edited October 2, 2017 by marinw

[starri]

"Is [the Klingon] shushing you?"  Best laugh I've had in a while.

Buncha little TOS Easter eggs tonight, from the food slots in the mess hall, the sound of Tilly's tricorder, Michael getting her work on a record tape, not from a network, Stamets wanting to win the Zee-Magness Prize, the tribble.  And I'm pretty sure that one of the places that Lorca showed Michael was either Janus IV or Delta Vega.  And I'm sure one of the other planets had a Preserver obelisk.  And Discovery's warp drive looked much more like Trip's Warp 5 engine or Scotty's bairns than anything we saw from Geordi, Miles, or B'Elanna.

I kind of wish it didn't look like Landry was 100% in with whatever the situation with Lorca is.  I kind of like the idea that she could just be a hardass without any secondary agenda.

[cambridgeguy]

Lorca was pretty much reciting the Section 31 mission statement so that might ultimately provide the in-universe reason for why no one has ever mentioned Burnham and friends - whatever they do will get buried.

[FiveByFive]

4 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

I thought she'd be humbled somewhat by the events of the past episodes, but no, she's still a totally arrogant jerk who is also The Best At Everything.  She's dictating to people, breaking in to things, lecturing people, rolling her eyes, it's crazy!  She's supposed to be in disgrace!  I can't believe anyone put up with her shit this episode, Lorca, Tilly, science officer guy, anyone.  The only interaction that felt right to me was with Saru.  Why do I feel like, if the situation was reversed, she would not say anything good about him?

She never argued about what happened in the events prior to this episode although she could have. (A Klingon attacked her, she protected herself. She couldn't convince the Captain to fire a shot at the Klingon ship to show their strength as it has worked in the past -- but since they didn't they were attacked. Her problem was attacking the Captain and not following orders but she thought it would have saved lives.) She didn't want to be on the ship. She wanted to carry out her sentence.

I don't blame her for immediately recognizing that something was off: from her being pulled off of the prison ship to noticing that at least a couple of people were hiding their true intentions. I believe she was also right in recognizing that it didn't make sense they'd have her try and solve a problem without telling her what the problem was. Even Stamets eventually recognized that and trusted her enough to hand her a phaser. 

As for her always being right, it's a character flaw which was attacked when she found out she was also apparently wrong about the technology that the ship was working on. It makes perfect sense that they'd want to be secretive about it. 

I don't see her as a Mary Sue and I don't think she sees herself that way either. 

[xaxat]

7 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

 This is a dumb question, but I just don't remember:  Michael didn't get any of those "fire first" shots off at the Klingon ship without authorization, did she?  I didn't quite understand why she is blamed for the war when I thought that Captain Georgiou stopped her before Michael could put her post-mutiny plan into action, and that the Captain had control during the battle.  I understood the whole Discovery crew side-eyeing Michael in this episode for the mutiny, but they blamed the whole war on her, too, which I didn't 100% follow

It's a judgement based on the context. The captain died, the mutineer survived. Regardless of the details, it's pretty plausible for a narrative to evolve where Burnham is the guilty of everything.

Earlier, I mentioned Jason Isaacs playing real life US officer Michael Steele in the movie Black Hawk Down. I went to reread a profile of him. From the article,

Quote

Steele has since entered Army folklore as a cautionary figure—a man who travelled to a murderous place believing, as Conrad’s Mr. Kurtz did, that with the “simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good practically unbounded,” but ultimately concluding it necessary to “exterminate all the brutes.” . . .

A senior officer who served under him told me, “He’s the soldier you keep behind the panel—the one that reads, ‘Break glass in case of war.’ ” Major General Michael Oates, who, as the 101st Airborne Division’s deputy commander, was one of Steele’s immediate supervisors in 2006, wrote to me from Iraq to say that Steele was “one of the very best combat commanders I have seen in three tours over here.” Even as top leaders in the Army reprimanded Steele, his immediate superiors praised him for running the best brigade in his division, and the military’s Central Command issued his unit an award for combating terrorism.

Probably a coincidence, but that sounds like what the show might be going for with Lorca. Especially when contrasted with Georgiou.

One thing that hasn't changed in the future? Text editors!

[Helena Dax]

I've seen Isaacs playing the bad guy so many times that I can't trust his characters anymore. But I guess Lorca isn't a villain, just a ruthless man.

I don't think Michael's being arrogant, at least, not more arrogant than your usual Vulcan. And I admire her intelligence, just like I admired Spock's or T'Pol's.  I also loved the reference to Amanda and Spock. As for the reason he never said anything about a stepsister, I have two possibilites: she dies at tje end (a sacrifice made out of guilty) or she starts working for Section 31 and Spock doesn't mention her because he doesn't want to lie about her.

So Lorca had a tribble on his desk? I thought Starfleet didn't know anything about tribbles until Kirk and the others met Cyrano Jones. There was no information about them in the database. 

Loved Stamet's face when Suru said Michael was the smartest Starfleet officer he had ever known and Lorca said to Stamet: "He knows you". I want to like Stamet, but he seems to be an ass.  The way he spoke to Lorca and about Lorca was very disrespectful, considering they aren't personal friends (at least, I didn't get that vibe). It isn't like McCoy and Kirk, or Trip and Archer, who were old friends. 

[CanadaPhil]

9 hours ago, xaxat said:

Captain Pike,

....

Well that was the obvious answer but I was referring to a recurring Star Fleet character on a weekly show. I assume we will be seeing Keyla every week. 

[paigow]

Is Spock at Starfleet Academy yet? He has to graduate and get posted to Pike!Enterprise soon. Then he would become the smartest Starfleet officer ever...until Wesley Crusher...

[CanadaPhil]

3 hours ago, starri said:

"Is [the Klingon] shushing you?"  Best laugh I've had in a while.

....

This!

That was a great moment in the way that it poked fun about the Klingon ideal of the fearless warrior always longing for a glorious death... which I suppose goes completely out the window when death means being a snack for a big scary "kitty kat"

:D

[starri]

27 minutes ago, paigow said:

Is Spock at Starfleet Academy yet? He has to graduate and get posted to Pike!Enterprise soon. Then he would become the smartest Starfleet officer ever...until Wesley Crusher...

Spock is already serving under Pike.

[Jodithgrace]

As soon as spores were mentioned, I thought immediately of The Expanse, which is a book and tv series that I love. I couldn't understand why they weren't in protective suits. Since, presumably, they didn't know what killed the crew of the Glenn, how did they know that the spores weren't deadly? 

I don't know that much about TOS, since I wasn't a fan, and preferred the later series. At any rate, the inconsistencies don't bother me, except for the look of the Klingons. 

I am really enjoying this show, so far. Thanks to shows like The Expanse, I have come to like my Sci-Fi a little darker and a little less black and white. In fact, at one point, one of the characters said, "shit," and I laughed to myself..this is not your parents' Star Trek! (though, at age 66, I guess I am the parent in that cliche)

[aemom]

3 hours ago, Helena Dax said:

So Lorca had a tribble on his desk? I thought Starfleet didn't know anything about tribbles until Kirk and the others met Cyrano Jones. There was no information about them in the database. 

Loved Stamet's face when Suru said Michael was the smartest Starfleet officer he had ever known and Lorca said to Stamet: "He knows you". I want to like Stamet, but he seems to be an ass.  The way he spoke to Lorca and about Lorca was very disrespectful, considering they aren't personal friends (at least, I didn't get that vibe). It isn't like McCoy and Kirk, or Trip and Archer, who were old friends. 

At the end of the episode, we saw that room with various other aliens that were alive or dead?  I still feel that there is a Section 31 thing going on, so perhaps they had found a tribble, but thought it was cute, cuddly, and harmless, so kept it on the bridge.  But since this is all classified stuff, there's no record of any of these creatures in the federation database.

As for Stamet: He was strictly a scientist who was dragged into all of this because of his research.  He does not want to be there AT ALL.  If he were to get thrown off the ship, that would be a dream come true.  So, I could see him giving Lorca a hard time at every opportunity.

[xaxat]

20 minutes ago, AEMom said:

At the end of the episode, we saw that room with various other aliens that were alive or dead? 

I'd forget to mention that. The big skeleton to his right looked like it had a duck like beak. Could it have been a Gorn?