Star Trek: Discovery will be the next Trek TV series

[Cidersomerset]

Star Trek Discovery Episode 4 "The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry" Review

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=phFG-hjBzuM

Streamed live 3 hours ago

John Rocha, David Griffin, and Robert Meyer Burnett review and discuss
"The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry", episode four of
'Star Trek Discovery'.

[KiwiElf]

Star Trek: Discovery Review: Choose Your Pain" -- Episode 105 *Warning - Spoilers*

Things Get Even Darker (But More Fascinating) in ‘Choose Your Pain’ - The crew of the newest "Trek" series broke whole new boundaries for the franchise in the newest episode.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=5PgltWGSjKQ

Liz Shannon Miller

Oct 15, 2017 9:30 pm

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/10/sta...rs-1201887643/

It’s an intense time on the Discovery this week, as Captain Lorca gets kidnapped by Klingons, we meet the immediately infamous Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson), and Lt. Stamets makes a bold but rash decision.

[Editor’s note: Spoilers for Season 1, Episode 5, “Choose Your Pain” follow.]
Not One Big Happy Family (Yet?)

When you compare “Discovery” to other “Trek” series, one aspect that stands out is the comparatively small size of the cast.

There’s a new addition this week, though, after Lorca brings on board Lieutenant Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), whose status as a former prisoner seems like it’s left him pretty messed up. The engineering team of Stamets, Tilly, and Burnham has coalesced into a fun trio, and all of Burnham’s interactions with Saru are interesting, given how those characters have a deep backstory.

However, the cast in general hasn’t really come together yet as a full ensemble, which speaks to the unconventional nature of the plotting here, but could be problematic if it continues much longer. The Discovery is a far more complicated ship than its predecessors, but there’s still a hope that something resembling a family emerges within this cast.

Poor Tardigrade

Real talk: It takes an awfully long time for many of these Starfleet officers to come around to the Starfleet-y point of view that maybe abusing a living creature for the sake of a navigation system isn’t a great plan. The solution they come up with after pushing Ripper to his limits — infusing the tardigrade DNA into a more willing host — will undoubtedly have repercussions down the line for Stamets. But it’s hard not to feel relieved by Burnham’s decision to give the creature its freedom, and feel joy at its blasting off into the stars.

That Spinning Ship Effect Is Still Fantastic

In fact, to quote Tilly, it’s “so f**king cool.” (another STAR TREK "first")
Speaking of Those F-Bombs…

Up until now, the most memorable instance of swearing in the “Trek” universe was perhaps Captain Kirk shouting “double dumb-ass on you!” in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” But, courtesy of CBS All Access’s looser standards, we get both Tilly and Stamets exclaiming over the joys of science in a truly authentic way. It’s undoubtedly weird, to hear this level of profanity in “Trek,” but there’s a joy to it as well.

In General, A Darker “Trek” Than Ever Before

Another realm “Trek” doesn’t often engage with is sexual violence — usually, the franchise takes a more metaphorical approach. Here, though, we have it basically acknowledged that Tyler was subject to nonconsensual advances by L’Rell (Mary Chieffo), pushing the show into darker territory than we might be used to. And that’s all before Lorca and Tyler break necks and shoot to kill as they escape the Klingon ship. Those new phaser effects are cool, but also yikes.

Also, speaking of dark moments: Learning what we do about Lorca’s prior command is just one of the episode’s most brutal blows, but it does come with a newfound understanding of why his eyes still aren’t fixed. It’s hard to imagine past “Trek” captains making the same choice… Well, actually, Sisko would probably have done it. Picard, maybe. But no way Kirk would have.

Hey, Harry Mudd’s Got an Edge

Like so many other aspects of “Discovery,” we see the series take an element of the original franchise and give it a darker spin. Rather than a jovial conman type, Wilson’s take on Mudd (a character from “The Original Series”) has an edge of ruthless anarchy to him, representing a non-Starfleet point of view that does honestly strike a chord. We don’t know enough at this stage about what exactly Federation society is like in this era. But Mudd is just one reminder that it’s not exactly a picnic.

Even In the Future, Dental Hygeine Matters

Speaking of new territory: The episode ends on a note of relative domestic bliss — just two men in love, brushing their teeth side-by-side in the bathroom — which is relatively unprecedented for “Trek.” (another STAR TREK "first")(Hell, sci-fi in general. How many spaceship bathrooms can you remember seeing?) While it’s a bit odd that Stamets and Culber wear matching Starfleet-issue pajamas (in this more militaristic era, does Starfleet even regulate sleepwear?) that’s nothing compared to the final look at Stamets, who may say that he feels okay, but is clearly transformed by this new glimpse of the universe he’s gotten.

One Weird Ride

It’s still hard to be sure where “Discovery” is taking us at this stage — the mysteries only seem to be piling up, while we wait for these people to fully coalesce into the sorts of characters we’ll want to follow for years. But so far, the journey is an interesting one, and we’re still on board, especially given the way in which “Discovery” keeps surprising us week after week.

GEEK STUFF: Nice "homage" to the original series & ST ENTERPRISE in this one with Saru reviewing a list of highly decorated Captains, namely; Jonathan Archer, Robert April, Christopher Pike, Matt Decker (who featured as Commodore Decker in the TOS episode, THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE) & Philippa Georgiou - which means, this is the period where either *Robert April or Christopher Pike would be Captain of the ENTERPRISE NCC 1701 before the reins are handed over to James T. Kirk... (and Spock would be onboard too), we might yet see the ENTERPRISE show up - or at least get a mention - (*Robert April was Captain of the ENTERPRISE before Chris Pike)

[Cidersomerset]

After watching several reviews people seemed to love this episode or hate as
it was for some the best so far and for other the worse. I thought it was fine
with a call back to an original series character and continuing the story with
the addition of a new officer . For me the sub plots are always rushed in a
40 min show but it is generally telling the origin story of the Klingon wars
and the development of Star Fleet.


Harry Mudd Star Trek

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1EbxYKh_4

harcourt gets an earful

A decade earlier.....



====================================================


Star Trek: Discovery Episode 5 Review - Choose Your Pain

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ltlUCCOWE-g

Published on 15 Oct 2017
We REVIEW Star Trek: Discovery Episode 5 - Choose Your Pain

[Cidersomerset]

Collider seems to be one of the more balanced reviews where one of the main
splits in the fandom is whether this is Star Trek like or not, which I find amusing.


Star Trek Discovery Episode 5 "Choose Your Pain" Review

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=DYg_Y8TTtRo

17th October.....

The fifth episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “Choose Your Pain” was released
this past Sunday night on CBS All Access. John Rocha is joined on the Collider
bridge by Robert Meyer Burnett, Jason Inman and Ashley V. Robinson to review
the episode and the continuing adventures of the Discovery crew. In this episode,
they explore a new character joining the Discovery crew. They discuss the return
of a character that first appeared in the original Star Trek series. They also offer
their thoughts and opinions on the resolution of the Ripper tardigrade arc and the
continuing battle between the Federation and the Klingons.

[KiwiElf]

Have to admit, I'm really intrigued by the idea of the Universe being a natural network of interconnected ummmm "tendrils", which the Tardigrade uses to navigate instantly in time/space - the Electric Living Universe? Kinda gave me chills - a bit like the Life Force of the Great Tree in Avatar

EDIT: The really spooky bit for me was the last two scenes; we see Stamet & his reflection in the mirror, turn and walk away to the bedroom, but then it cuts to just a mirror reflection of a kind of "evil looking" smiling Stamet in the mirror, repeat the turn - but there's no Stamet to create the reflection?

A lot of fans are suggesting this is set in the Mirror Universe - I don't buy it, but I'm sure it's going to pop up sometime

BTW - I loved this episode! I am totally hooked!

[Cidersomerset]

Have to admit, I'm really intrigued by the idea of the Universe being a natural network of
interconnected ummmm "tendrils", which the Tardigrade uses to navigate instantly in
time/space - the Electric Living Universe? Kinda gave me chills - a bit like the Life Force
of the Great Tree in Avatar ... BTW - I loved this episode!

I enjoyed it as well by releasing the Tardigrade it explains why this technology did not
become wide spread. The look on Stamets face at the end suggests it may be his
alternate selfe from the mirror universe that is supposed to play a part this season,
and some have speculated the reason Discovery seems darker all round is because
it is already set there ? I'm not sold on that yet.

Another theory brought up in the Colider review is that Voq may be Ash Tyler in
disguise , if you remember when he was saved from the ship by Dennas he would
have to lose something of great value. Ash was supposed to have been a prisoner
on the Klingon ship for six months and the Captains play mate , they fully explain
it in the review.

[Smell the Roses]

I am not enjoying it as much as those on this thread seem to, but it helps to read the comments here of friends who are enjoying it and what they got out of it. I suppose I am missing the somewhat contained stories of TNG and Voyager where there was a concise plotline and lesson within each episode. However, I do like the character development of the captain so far. I'll keep watching!

[Cidersomerset]

I am not enjoying it as much as those on this thread seem to, but it helps to read the comments
here of friends who are enjoying it and what they got out of it. I suppose I am missing the somewhat
contained stories of TNG and Voyager where there was a concise plotline and lesson within each
episode. However, I do like the character development of the captain so far. I'll keep watching!

You have summed up the current split Merry Mom. Is it Star Trek or not ? I look at it slightly
different as I watch most scy - fy shows that comes along . The best being the Expanse & Dark Matter
but there quite a few series currently in various stages of airing. I just watched the first 8 episodes of
Extinct which is not bad. So I look at Discovery as a follow up to Enterprise and continuing the trend
of a continuous story line from beginning to end.

The original star trek was set up to be syndicated so that shows could be shown out of sequence
and could be repeated at different times and in one off slots , this was/is how many shows were/are
made and programmed and The next generation followed this although over the seasons you could
see development, Voyager and Deep space nine had both stand alone episodes and continuing thread.

There are complaints about the nostalgia and morality but there were dark episodes in all the series.
Discovery is still in the very early stages and although I do not like the Klingon change I'm getting
used to it. Stick with Merry Mom you may change you mind....

[DeDukshyn]

I'll pipe in to the sentiment of the last couple posts ...

If I try to make this series fit into the original over-arching theme of what made the original series "Star Trek", I am left disappointed. It's not it. Similar to how Enterprise left many people feeling, I believe. (although I secretly didn't think it was that bad)

Does this mean the show is a right off? For many purists perhaps, but not necessarily.

Jason Isaacs says Star Trek: Discovery is "of our time, and for our time"

If I evaluate the show as a stand-alone "star trek themed" sci-fi soap opera of sorts, then it suddenly looks pretty darn good. I am enjoying the soap opera style story line of long term story telling that will span the entire season(s) - something new for the franchise, but an approach that has been successful in many hit TV series lately. There is still enough detail and distinct story in each the episodes that watching re-runs out of "order" won't be uncomfortable or too confusing. The continued storyline approach is also always changing every couple episodes. The "Spore Drive" might end up one of many mini stories inside the larger story of "the war with klingons".

The writers did take part of the Star Trek universe that is never much talked about in any star trek media previously -- which is the initial war with the klingons. This allows it to stand outside of the main theme without messing up any of the original lore, as Voyager also took advantage of. Being "at war" is obviously what allows (rightfully so) the darkened ethics and morale of this series - very intentional, I am sure. Let's relate that to the USA having to always be in an active state of war to allow their government to use emergency war provisions to their own law which allows their agencies to be lawless. (this is seriously the reason why the USA is in a perpetual state of war - it grants their governments powers that are "above the law")


I have been watching each episode twice. I often feel a little "meh", after watching it the first time, but always enjoy it much more second time around.

On to the latest episode (Choose your Pain - spoilers herein) ... While engineer Paul Stamets (google his name -- you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find) always came a cross as a little creepy / psycho to me, I agree that the last scene was particularly interesting. Either he isn't quite who he seems to be, or becoming the "navigator" by injecting spore DNA and becoming part of the spore drive has seriously effed something up with him. I liked that hanger at the end as well and wonder where that will go ... will Stamets continue to be a "navigator" for the spore drive? If so, what detrimental effects will it have on him? Is the "spore drive" topic now out or on the backburner to make way for a new mini story ... with the admiral dictating that Discovery not use it anymore unless authorized by Star fleet makes me think that's on the backburner, while we find up what's up with Stamets.

Something else I noticed ...the two other men captive on the klingon battlecruiser: I am not convinced that the guy that captain Larcos "rescued" isn't working directly for the klingons. We do know that he seemed to be "intimately" involved with the klingon captain, by his own admission, and hers, judging by the brutal backhand she laid on Larcos when he teased her with it, etc. Larcos figured it was the chubby bearded guy that was the leak, but his insectoid "pet" was possibly in the hands of the other guy right before it "stole" the food and ran back to the bearded guy. Could he have been ridding himself of the transmitter and affixing it to the insectoid to pit Larcos against beardy? I could be wrong but the beardy guy never admitted to helping the klingons, and the way everything was shown, my hypothesis is 100% possible.

One more odd thing about that guy that Larcos "rescued" from the klingon ship ... when he and Larcos beamed onto the Discovery, the other guy beamed in really strangely, while Larcos beamed in as expected ... why? What was that about? I am hoping for GOT type of subtle twists -- maybe I am reaching too far? I hope not



Edit: Just one note to add on the appearance of the klingons. When we think of klingon appearance, at least for me, something like Warf comes to mind or any of the klingons from TNG. Let's back up to the original tv series ... the klingons in this look nothing like the klingons in TNG.

They were regular looking humans with foo-manchus. So the change from the original series to TNG was even yet more drastic from the original, yet everyone got used to that as the new "norm" for klingon appearance. It appears that klingons look as complex as the ability to feasibly make them look for any given production period

Klingon from original:

male:


female:




from TNG:

male:


female:




From Discovery:

male:


female:




The main difference between TNG and Discovery seems to be the lack of hair on the latest series.

[Cidersomerset]

(although I secretly didn't think it was that bad)

I enjoyed Enterprise and thought it was as good as the others until
it was cancelled and the ending was rushed and the final season suffered
and it felt a bit incomplete a bit like the way Game of Thrones is being
rushed so that the producers can get on with their next project .

If I evaluate the show as a stand-alone "star trek themed" sci-fi
soap opera of sorts, then it suddenly looks pretty darn good.

That's my line and I have said it many times Scy -fy is my soap opera
and explains why I have watched some rubbish movies ....LOL

It also ties into my views on ETs and how from the original in the 1960's
the concept of the science of Star Trek has driven both mainstream
and alternate communities to reach for the stars and asked that age
old question are we alone ? Other shows have added to this theme.

I have been watching each episode twice. I often feel a little "meh", after
watching it the first time, but always enjoy it much more second time around.

Me to and several reviews.....

Something else I noticed ...the two other men captive on the klingon
battlecruiser: I am not convinced that the guy that captain Larcos "rescued" isn't
working directly for the klingons. We do know that he seemed to be "intimately"
involved with the klingon captain

That ties into the theory from the Colider vid that he is Voq who has been surgically
disguised as a human , which has been done before. Without the Klingons that were
experimented on in Enterprise. Plus the Klingon empire is large so there maybe
other human like beings under their rule ?

If they never died out who knows what the federation human component may look like...



Today apart from skin shade , size and features we are all the basically the same....
So regional Klingons if that was the case would be ok but I don't think they are
going that way....

[KiwiElf]

I've enjoyed them ALL. Each version showing us different sides & evolutions (reflections?) of humanity. (Does anyone remember the animated version of TOS? - it allowed a greater expansion of the original series, including exotic looking aliens and broader story lines which wouldn't have been possible with live actors - or the budget! ). DISCOVERY could be seen as a reflection of where humanity is at now. (Chaos, exposure/disclosure, confusion & big changes ahead?)

If I recall, one season of ENTERPRISE got quite dark, too (the Xindi arc - Archer was compromised or forced into doing some fairly "dark" acts - Earth was at stake - the "ends justified the means" at any cost).

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by Cidersomerset (here)
...
That ties into the theory from the Colider vid that he is Voq who has been surgically
disguised as a human ...

Didn't watch the colider vid, but if he was altered in some weird "techy" way like with gene manipulation - that would quite possibly explain the incredibly weird materialization when they beamed aboard. It was a very quick scene, but it seems obvious they wanted that to stand out ... watch that scene again if you have on demand or recorded to see - he almost "splashes in" like with water.

It really does make sense that it could well be Voq. Beating the female klingon (can't recall her name either) would be perfectly acceptable (to klingons) in order to gain access to the Discovery.

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Posted by KiwiElf (here)
I've enjoyed them ALL. Each version showing us different sides & evolutions (reflections?) of humanity. (Does anyone remember the animated version of TOS? - it allowed a greater expansion of the original series, including exotic looking aliens and broader story lines which wouldn't have been possible with live actors - or the budget! ). DISCOVERY could be seen as a reflection of where humanity is at now. (Chaos, exposure/disclosure, confusion & big changes ahead?)

If I recall, one season of ENTERPRISE got quite dark, too (the Xindi arc - Archer was compromised or forced into doing some fairly "dark" acts - Earth was at stake - the "ends justified the means" at any cost).

And don't forget a few episodes of Voyager where the Prime Directive had to take a back seat to their survival ...

[Ernie Nemeth]

I have just finished up the Deep Space Nine series. With that, I have now officially seen every single Star Trek Episode ever made.

This new series looks like fun, but since I do not watch TV it seems I will have to wait several years before I get to see it. I have not seen an olympic event in many years now for the same reason.

[Cidersomerset]

Indepth look at the theory particularly in the 2nd vid , do not watch if
you do not want to be spoiled....though it is still only fan speculation.
The first vid looks at some anomalies with the actor/s cast to play
Voq and Ash. The second is a detailed run through of other episodes
that may be precursor to the story line.


Star Trek: Discovery Theory: Is Ash Tyler Actually Voq?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=E6L2Iup7E0g

=============================================


Is Ash Tyler actually Voq?? - Trekyards Analysis

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IG31n6rN_tE

Published on 18 Oct 2017

[Cidersomerset]

I enjoyed this episode and gives more background with Sarek and Michael
and Lorca and the Admirals relationship. There were some cheesy moments
but the general story line is moving forward and it showed the coldness of
Lorca at the end as he is conflicted whether to go after the Admiral and
lose his ship or suddenly tow the line with Star Fleet.

Not sure about Ash being Klingon , nothing given away in his story line
as he bonds with Lorca and Burnham. Stamets was fun as he was high
on whatever he has been taking to jump the ship. Yes there are holes
but they were acceptable for me

============================================

There were some disagreements in this review...Some good , some bad

Problems with Vulcan Kung Fu and holodeck's

Star Trek: Discovery Episode 6 Review - Lethe

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=LtyG_G22oGU

Published on 22 Oct 2017
We REVIEW Star Trek: Discovery Episode 6 - Lethe

[KiwiElf]

In Episode 6, we learn that DISCOVERY is the most advanced ship in Starfleet; the "Constitution ship like the ENTERPRISE" gets a mention from Michael, and some interesting background about Spock vs Michael with a not-so-nice Vulcan's reference to Sarek's "human experiment". Lorca does say something to Ash after their holo fight,... (breadcrumbs alluding to Ash being a Klingon?) "you fight like a Klingon..."

With only a few remaining episodes before the series takes a small break, this episode, like the ones before, leave me wanting more - the suspense is like a drug,... & I'm addicted!

[DeDukshyn]

So ... We can see just how advanced Discovery is ... a working "holodeck". The holodeck is not something we see until TNG IIRC, and that should be about 200 years in the future from Discovery's timeframe. At any rate, I don't think Kirk ever had the luxury of using a holodeck, so this tech is still many, many years away from mainstream starfleet?

I like how they left the episode, the next one should be interesting.

[KiwiElf]

There's a lot of "frenzy" about the holodeck used in this episode . Firstly, DISCOVERY has the benefit of advanced tech not found in other Federation ships (think of it as being a B2 "Batwing" compared to a WW2 bomber - sorry to compare the ENTERPRISE to an Avro Lancaster!!! - there's only about 45 yrs difference between those two as well ) - or another way to see it is the ENTERPRISE is what the public and the rest of Starfleet see, a state-of-the-art cruiser, but DISCOVERY comes from the 23rd Century equivalent of Area 51. If the ENTERPRISE - or another Constitution ship - does show up in DISCOVERY, it'll probably look more like Abbram's version rather than the classic original

Now, if you're familiar with the animated TOS, episode, "The Practical Joker", it DID actually feature a holodeck, (except they called it the Recreation Room). Was the animated series canon? Lots of debate about that, too. This article (and the comments that follow) explains it pretty well

http://au.ign.com/articles/2017/10/2...s-freaking-out

PS - TNG first episode takes place in the year 2364, (ie 24th Century), 100 years after the start of the five-year mission described in the original series, which began in 2264, - Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelly) makes a cameo appearance in the first TNG episode "Farpoint" as a "137 yr old Admiral" - McCoy's character is supposed to be 39 yrs old when he's first posted to the original ENTERPRISE under Kirk in 2266? Confused? Yeah, me too!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=1MQyyxFeSRI

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_T...ext_Generation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_McCoy

[Cidersomerset]

Seven weeks gone already.....





This episode was a classic time loop concept and a bit more of a fun romp
with Burnham and Tyler bopping to the Bee Gees. I like how Mudd connived to
get on the Discovery and over the course of 60 odd time loops attempt
to steal the secrets of the ships drive. It was a bit over the top and Stamets
being the one outside the loop made sense and after they inevitably caught
out Mud and called in his betroved Stella although fun and leads to his
encounter with Capt Kirk.

It was still a very unrealistic lenient punishment especially as I presume
he still has all the Discovery secrets in his brain as they never made it
clear he has not. Also nothing here suggested Tyler was Voq as his actions
were very human imo. Still a good episode.

Star Trek Discovery Episode 7 Season 1 Promo Trailer HD CBS Netflix 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcszPQNx_zQ
Published on 23 Oct 2017
Star Trek Discovery Episode 7 Season 1 Promo Trailer HD CBS Netflix 2017

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Star Trek Discovery Episode 7 Review "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R98KPw-08PE

Published on 29 Oct 2017
We REVIEW Star Trek: Discovery Episode 7 - Magic To Make The Sanest Man Go Mad


=================================================

Mark another GOT reviewer and Star Trek fan enjoyed it as he can be grumpy at
times...He does review other shows and is one of the few that does the Expanse
which is an excellent scy -fy universe show.

Star Trek Discovery Season 1 Episode 7 Magic to Make
the Sanest Man go Mad Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZAyNRRVJsw

Published on 30 Oct 2017
In this video I review episode 7 of Season 1 of Star Trek:
Discovery "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"

[DeDukshyn]

I really enjoyed this episode (s1e7). It worked like a standalone, had throwback references, felt a bitmore like a "Star Trek" episode, yet fit perfectly into the "continuing story" concept. The writing structure itself I am finding pretty good.

Paul Stamets "mirror" anomaly in an earlier episode likely was connoting the "multidimensional" aspect of Stamets after the gene alteration, a concept that was key in this episode. I like these little bread crumb like subtleties, but I wish there were more of them