[+] Star Trek Discovery (Fan) Thread

[MarkB]

I was very impressed with the latest episode. Visually stunning, exciting, Tilly was awesome, and some logical developments of TNG-era technology.

 

[Omand]

I found it a very interesting episode as well. Did not see all of the twists they threw in, although I was immediately suspicious that there would some sort of capture scenario in play when they announced another ship was suddenly on the scene.

Cheers

 

[Umbran]

I was very impressed with the latest episode. Visually stunning, exciting, Tilly was awesome, and some logical developments of TNG-era technology.

Tilly was awesome.

Spoiler

But, this explanation for The Burn? I'm not a fan.

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, @Umbran, I hope there's more to it than "A child had a tantrum and destroyed the universe". Although, to be fair, that would probably be the most TOS type answer ever.

 

[MarkB]

The explanation is a bit unsatisfying, but I think it may lead to an interesting moral dilemma. I don't think anyone's going to be able to exploit and mine the dilithium planet while Su'kal is still alive and connected to it.

 

[Umbran]

Yeah, @Umbran, I hope there's more to it than "A child had a tantrum and destroyed the universe". Although, to be fair, that would probably be the most TOS type answer ever.

Admittedly, given the timing, that "tantrum" was probably "watched his mother, the only living being he knows in the universe, die". We don't have to characterize it as if the pain and outburst weren't warranted.

The issue is with "for no real reason, one person just happens to be able to accidentally destroy a galaxy spanning civilization". It isn't that someone in fear and pain displayed that pain.

 

[Morrus]

That’s very TOS though, with all it’s nigh-omnipotent beings.

 

[Umbran]

Yeah but... there was a lot on the TOS that was, well, stupid. So...

 

[Morrus]

Very true.

 

[Mallus]

I was prepared to be disappointed by the explanation for the Burn, but I kinda... wasn't. In a season whose theme is trauma and its aftermath, shown at both the personal and civilizational level, the Burn being the product of a single child's pain worked for me.

The production design for the episode helped a lot. I loved the Escher stepwell and the tower, though in part because it looked like a video game while having solid intradiagetic reasons for doing so, ie it was a video game, sort of.

I don't think Trek has ever come closer to being a science fantasy fairy tale. I feel like this is something Harlan Ellison could have written (and Rebecca Sugar could have re-written after Ellison was fired). I agree it felt of a piece with some of TOS's more gonzo conceits. Like the stone time donut that allowed a high AF McCoy to temporarily eradicate their entire timeline...

I like the bizarre fever dream danger of original Trek (which is present in the TNG-era, too, to be fair). It's nice when makes the occasional reappearance. And I'm also looking forward to see what kind of ethical dilemma is in store next week -- they really should have named the planet Omelas IV or something...