All Things Star Trek

[EgonSpengler]

Strange New Worlds ep.1

Spoiler :

I scrolled past an article that purported to explain why the Klingons here resemble the Klingons of the '80s-'90s shows and not the Klingons from Discovery, but I didn't have time to read it. That's fine with me, though, even without any explanation. I didn't like the Klingons in Discovery.

Strange New Worlds ep.3

Spoiler :

I did read that episode 3 was originally meant to be the first episode of season 2, but production was affected by the lingering pandemic restrictions and they had to rearrange things. The episode was originally supposed to be filmed in New York City, but they had to move production at the proverbial last minute. So Kirk's line "I think we're in New York" when it's obviously Toronto was kind of an in-joke for the discombobulated cast & crew. It also means the newly-retconned Khan Noonian Singh was originally meant to be American, but now, because of the pandemic, the great supervillain is Canadian.

I don't know if they had to change anything other than the location, but I thought this worked well as the 3rd episode. I suppose it would have played a little differently as the season premier.

 

[Synobun]

The crossover episode between SNW and Lower Decks was an easy 10/10. Big laughs the whole way through.

 

[EgonSpengler]

The crossover episode between SNW and Lower Decks was an easy 10/10. Big laughs the whole way through.

I've never seen Lower Decks, but yeah, I thought this episode was a hoot.

 

[Synobun]

My overall impressions of season two thus far: It's about as strong as the first season was. The characters remain enticing. The rigor of the storyline is a little shakier. Episode four, in particular, is the first episode of this show that I would say is just bad. Episode two, meanwhile, mirrored a TNG counterpart closely, but I found this one far more impactful and emotionally significant. The humour ramps up in this season, but not to an unreasonable or obnoxious extent.

If I had to complain about something, it would be Pelia. As a replacement for Hemmer, meh. As a character, ultra meh. Her voice, also, drives me up the wall.

I'm getting this post out now because I know an upcoming episode is a musical episode, and I absolutely, wholeheartedly despise those in every single TV show, ever. (That said... I also hated the theatre episodes in previous Star Trek series, and I really liked the one SNW did in season one. Maybe this will be the rare exception as well.)

 

[Synobun]

I've never seen Lower Decks, but yeah, I thought this episode was a hoot.

If you are partial to animated comedy, it's very good, and is the first NuTrek show that came out that actually honoured old canon. Good references, doesn't disrespect lore in the name of jokes.

 

[warpus]

I cancelled Crave so I can't watch Star Trek anymore. One day it will move to another streaming service that I'm paying for, and I will binge a whole bunch of Trek episodes in a row

I am looking forward to those days

 

[EgonSpengler]

I cancelled Crave so I can't watch Star Trek anymore. One day it will move to another streaming service that I'm paying for, and I will binge a whole bunch of Trek episodes in a row

I am looking forward to those days

If Crave carries other Paramount shows and you need more to justify the subscription, I recommend Evil. 3 seasons, 36 episodes. It's like The X-Files-meets-Poltergeist. "A criminal psychologist, a Catholic priest, and a skeptic walk into a haunted bar..."

 

[warpus]

Paramount+ Canada doesn't seem to have much content at all. If they had all of the Trek stuff I'd probably bite though. We'll see if that happens.

Anything on top will be bonus (as far as I'm concerned). I'm not a huge horror guy, but I have enjoyed an occasional horror story here and there. I also loved X-Files though. I will remember Evil, thanks!

 

[Synobun]

Latest episode (E08) follows DS9's "The Siege of AR-558" and "It's Only a Paper Moon" but from a different approach/POV. It did this well, and I like how it ended.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Paramount+ Canada doesn't seem to have much content at all. If they had all of the Trek stuff I'd probably bite though. We'll see if that happens.

Anything on top will be bonus (as far as I'm concerned). I'm not a huge horror guy, but I have enjoyed an occasional horror story here and there. I also loved X-Files though. I will remember Evil, thanks!

Evil isn't really scary. Maybe occasionally. Mostly it's weird or creepy. My tolerance for scares is pretty high, though. I once showed a girlfriend Copycat (1995), 'cause I'd gotten her into Sigourney Weaver, and she literally got up and left the room. I remember saying, "So Alien is a hard 'no', then?" Also, if you watched Lost or Person of Interest, Michael Emerson plays maybe one of my favorite characters of all time in this.

Latest episode (E08) follows DS9's "The Siege of AR-558" and "It's Only a Paper Moon" but from a different approach/POV. It did this well, and I like how it ended.

Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ep. 208 "Under the Cloak of War" (btw, we're up to episode 8 already? wtf... )

Spoiler :

The flashbacks made me think of the scene in Apocalypse Now at the chaotic forward base at night, where the main character and the audience don't really know what's going on and nobody else does, either. Been a while since I've seen it, but iirc, there's a voice coming in the darkness just shouting "I kill you G.I.!" and random explosiions and flares going off and soldiers who don't even seem present anyone.

"Where's the head nurse? I should report in."
"Congratulations, Head Nurse Chapel."

"Is that artillery?"
"You get used to it."

I liked the possibly-eccentric and possibly gone-round-the-bend doctor and his weird aphorisms. "I'll run it up the flagpole and see if it quacks." "A watched pot never gets the oil."

I liked the use of the robotic-yet-chirpy "Incoming transport. Incoming transport." as a seemingly-innocuous trauma trigger. It reminded me of "Choppers!" from M*A*S*H.

I was also reminded of:

Spoiler :

Come to think of it, China Beach has another, more direct connection to Star Trek, albeit not this Star Trek: Robert Picardo.

Alright, f it. *adds Apocalypse Now to watchlist* I can't get too excited, though. It's not streaming anywhere. And I don't just mean it's not streaming on any of the sites I subscribe to. It's not streaming at all.

 

[warpus]

Hm any idea why the crossover episode aired only 2-3 days after the previous one? Was that some sort of a promotion?

 

[Synobun]

Hm any idea why the crossover episode aired only 2-3 days after the previous one? Was that some sort of a promotion?

There was a convention of some sort (Comic-Con?). They released the episode early alongside the early viewing there.

 

[Synobun]

I liked the possibly-eccentric and possibly gone-round-the-bend doctor and his weird aphorisms. "I'll run it up the flagpole and see if it quacks." "A watched pot never gets the oil."

Fun fact: That actor has been an extra for Star Trek before. Multiple times, actually. And always as an oddball. He was in Discovery as an orion (I have no memory of this, honestly, but his credit says "creepy," so, probably an oddball ), a ferengi in Enterprise, and the eccentric homeless guy during the Bell Riots in Deep Space Nine.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Fun fact: That actor has been an extra for Star Trek before. Multiple times, actually. And always as an oddball. He was in Discovery as an orion (I have no memory of this, honestly, but his credit says "creepy," so, probably an oddball ), a ferengi in Enterprise, and the eccentric homeless guy during the Bell Riots in Deep Space Nine.

Clint Howard. He was also in an episode of TOS at age 7.

 

[Synobun]

I'm getting this post out now because I know an upcoming episode is a musical episode, and I absolutely, wholeheartedly despise those in every single TV show, ever. (That said... I also hated the theatre episodes in previous Star Trek series, and I really liked the one SNW did in season one. Maybe this will be the rare exception as well.)

I oscillated between pleasantly surprised and having my expectations met. It is the best TV musical episode I've ever seen. But I am not sure I would consider it a good episode, in general.

 

[EgonSpengler]

La'an can sing, too. Dang.

 

[Synobun]

La'an can sing, too. Dang.

So, with some time to process...

How did you feel about the K-Pop?

 

[EgonSpengler]

So, with some time to process...

How did you feel about the K-Pop?

I may never be the same.

 

[warpus]

Okay, I checked out Paramount+ and they seem to be slowly gobbling up all the Trek content. Picard and SNW are there, as well as Lower Decks and some of the movies. Maybe one day the older shows too..

Let me say that I really liked the crossover episode and I *really* liked the musical episode. I am usually not a fan of those, but this was just.. fun! My favourite part was the

Spoiler :

Klingon boy band

, a sentence I never thought I would actually ever utter out loud or write while being 100% honest.

So far I'm enjoying what they're doing with this season. They are entertaining us but also having fun. This is my kind of Trek. Now all we need is an episode that fleshes out the character of the pilot a bit more.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I cancelled Crave so I can't watch Star Trek anymore. One day it will move to another streaming service that I'm paying for, and I will binge a whole bunch of Trek episodes in a row

I am looking forward to those days

CTV Sci-fi (formerly the Space channel) carries Star Trek. They also have some Stargate stuff, though it's on at 4 am or so (in this time zone).

Paramount +... meh. I checked it out last year to see if Canadians are allowed to watch the Big Brother feeds. We're not.