One episode in, so far I'm enjoying it. The cadets were mostly likeable, I like the division betwen "academy mode" and "starship mode" in terms of operations. There's a strong emotional core that it establishes.
I think Arcade and the Villain's back and forth was a bit too cheesy, but other than it was a damn solid first episode.
As for the "shock collars" thing, as the recruiter for Arcade said....we are trying to get back to the pure proper federation. Which I think is a cool element of this time period that I hope they will continue. The federation was decimated, and in crisis like that you lose yourself and your morals. A lot of "unfederation like behavior" came out as a result. But while the guiding star dimmed it never went out, and now they use it to try and get back to the ideals of its former self.
That's a cool story, and allows a darker tone without being unfaithful to the cannon of the show. Ultimately this isn't the federation we are used to, and we may see some things that don't seem right on a star trek show....because their not and that's the point. But this culture is trying to get back to the federation we know and love, one rocky step at a time.
