Star Trek

[MuirWannabe]

Uh oh.

A surprise SNW episode dropped last night.

It is a crossover with "Lower Decks", directed by Johnathan Frakes.

There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth over this one.

EDIT: just finished the episode. Two words come to mind. Irreverent. And meta.

The meta stuff had me LOLing. Quips about Pike's hair. And of course, criticism of the recent Spock storyline.

I'm not a Lower Decks fan, so I'm sure I missed a lot of jokes. But I just went along for the ride and was entertained. I liked it.

EDIT2: along with this early drop was also the release of the trailer for the upcoming MUSICAL episode. I am not joking.

Ok, they’ve just given up. This is not a serious show. And if you are correct about a musical next week that is just further proof. Too bad. I was hoping for a good new trek series but they just don’t want to do it. I’m done.

 

[JoeWras]

Ok, they’ve just given up. This is not a serious show. And if you are correct about a musical next week that is just further proof. Too bad. I was hoping for a good new trek series but they just don’t want to do it. I’m done.

Coming August 3. "Subspace Rhapsody"

Official Paramount trailer.

 

[Pellice]

Still catching up, just saw SNW Episode 6, and enjoyed it. I think the young Kirk is as good as could be scripted, given the older Kirk. But ... why Sam Kirk's GHASTLY mustache? It looks so fake. The actor actually seems quite handsome, but the mustache ...

As for plot holes, don't we humans long to make things make sense? I understand Tolkien obsessed over the contradictions and issues with Middle Earth, and was trying to reconcile them until his death.

Where is the perfectly consistent plot? I'd nominate Moby Dick, I guess. Once you accept the white whale, every other part makes sense and even seems inevitable. In television, a very well-plotted, in my opinion, science fiction show was the original (1983) "V", of all things. The plot development was consistent, the ending was inspired. Barring a few impossibilities (the hybrid baby!) But again, once you accept that, the rest falls neatly. (My favorite scene: Julie firing her pistol overhead at an attack-ray strafing starship. Well, there was that, but the rest sort-of made sense. I keep looking for a free run of V on television, but only the sad 1984 version ever seems available).

 

[Qs Laptop]

I was going to ask the group how likely it was that a captain of a starship in the 23rd century would call a deuterium refining facility a gas station but given this new information about "Subspace Rhapsody" I'm certain anything is possible with the writers of this show.

I am also certain "Subspace Rhapsody" will be full of whimsical plot holes and will be the last episode of SNW I will watch.

 

[CaptTom]

OMG a musical? That may finally drive me away from Star Trek.

I've noticed on both TV and YouTube that the "background" music has been getting louder and more annoying. Who actually thinks this is a good thing? I suppose the musicians' union is all for it, and apparently someone convinced the folks doing the post-production editing that they needed to blast the music louder than the voices. There are shows I've stopped watching in the middle simply because it was too painful to try to follow the dialog.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Let's speculate on how the writers are going to explain how the crew of the Enterprise will be able to sing with perfect pitch and dance with perfect choreography. (Also, why Kirk is on the Enterprise yet again.)


1. Alien possession. Aliens that are musically inclined take over the crew of the Enterprise. They just happen to know how to use legs, arms, vocal chords in perfect harmony.

2. Some sort of "space anomaly" causes that section of the brain that governs musicality to become supercharged and the crew, dang it, just can't help breaking out in song and dance.

3. The crew is watching "Singing in the Rain" on movie night and simultaneously an alien life form infects them, causing them to wield permanent smiles and sing and dance for a couple of days until the virus is extinguished.

4. A space cyclone throws the Enterprise into another dimension. While there, the crew is compelled to sing and dance as they go about their business on the Enterprise. The goal is to reach the Emerald planet where Q will send them back to normal space if only they clap their hands together and repeat (singing) "There's no space like poem." Then they all wake up.

 

[Chuckanut]

Episode 6 was yet another disappointment. Had these shows been done during the writer’s strike there might be an excuse - “Sorry, we had to use 14 year olds to write the script.” Do the people who produce this show realize how goofy it is becoming?

It’s no wonder that the Federation would have been in a war with Romulus had Pike commanded the Enterprise. The man is incompetent. His crew is made up of undisciplined idiots. Even Spock has been watered down to the level of some neurotic New Yorker. He could easily be a regular on the old Seinfeld show.

Yes, I realize it is entertainment. Poorly done entertainment. When my free Paramount subscription expires, ST:Anything won’t be a good reason to renew it and actually pay for it.

 

[MuirWannabe]

The animated episode was just awful. As I said, they’ve just given up on being serious. That was enough to drive me away. This show isn’t about storytelling, it’s about tickling various fanboys buttons in ridiculous ways. It almost seems they are intentionally trying to kill Star Trek once and for all.

As of to raise the bar, now comes a broadway singing episode next week. I watched the trailer. Why I don’t know. I’m saddened to see they dragged the new Kirk into this debacle. But hey, why not? If you’re gonna destroy the franchise then let’s go whole hog.

I can’t even imagine what Gene Roddenberry, Gene Coon, D.C. Fontana, Harlan Ellison, Herve Bennett, and others would think. Although they didn’t always hit it out the park, they sure worked hard trying. They cared. This group with SNW doesn’t give a darn. It’s over.

 

[Chuckanut]

Sure, but the expectation is that the narrative will be internally consistent. When there is a glaring problem, it is, well, glaring.

When there are two, three, or four plot holes they can't be ignored.

Here's another problem with the plot. The extreme action that was taken was performed with zero data showing that it would be safe for the alien life form to survive.

The ending of Episode 6 reminds me of a murder mystery Who-Done-It? show where they have not provided enough clues to who the criminal really is. So in the last 5 minutes they invent a new character never seen or talked about before and blame the murder on him. Not so good.

 

[JoeWras]

Let's speculate on how the writers are going to explain how the crew of the Enterprise will be able to sing with perfect pitch and dance with perfect choreography. (Also, why Kirk is on the Enterprise yet again.)


1. Alien possession. Aliens that are musically inclined take over the crew of the Enterprise. They just happen to know how to use legs, arms, vocal chords in perfect harmony.

2. Some sort of "space anomaly" causes that section of the brain that governs musicality to become supercharged and the crew, dang it, just can't help breaking out in song and dance.

3. The crew is watching "Singing in the Rain" on movie night and simultaneously an alien life form infects them, causing them to wield permanent smiles and sing and dance for a couple of days until the virus is extinguished.

4. A space cyclone throws the Enterprise into another dimension. While there, the crew is compelled to sing and dance as they go about their business on the Enterprise. The goal is to reach the Emerald planet where Q will send them back to normal space if only they clap their hands together and repeat (singing) "There's no space like poem." Then they all wake up.

The trailer implies #2 as a strong possibility.

Remember "The Naked Time" where Sulu was sword fighting, Riley locks himself in engineering and goes singing. I think they are borrowing from that plot line, except it will affect them all the same way. Meanwhile, "The Naked Time" is important for the Chapel/Spock hook up, so I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a direct tie in.

 

[Qs Laptop]

The trailer implies #2 as a strong possibility.

Remember "The Naked Time" where Sulu was sword fighting, Riley locks himself in engineering and goes singing. I think they are borrowing from that plot line, except it will affect them all the same way. Meanwhile, "The Naked Time" is important for the Chapel/Spock hook up, so I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a direct tie in.

OK, but how to explain that they can sing and dance like veteran Broadway musical performers? I remember Uhura singing in one of the early episodes of S01.

In the Naked Time it was a more like a communicable disease that was spread by skin contact.

Also, what in the heck is Kirk doing on the ship for this episode?

 

[ShadowBloom]

I'm not sure if there are lots of Star Trek fans who are also Buffy the Vampire fans, but those of us out there know that Buffy's musical episode was one of the best of that series. So I'm willing to wait and see how it turns out.

But if it turns out as badly as the trailer makes it look, combined with the weakness of this season's episodes to this point, I think I will make it through the end of SNW season 2 and then sadly be done with Trek.

 

[harley]

I'm not sure if there are lots of Star Trek fans who are also Buffy the Vampire fans, but those of us out there know that Buffy's musical episode was one of the best of that series.

Just what I was going to say. I haven't started watching SNW yet, and despite this thread I probably will. I doubt the musical episode will be as good as Buffy's, though.

 

[pb4uski]

Uh oh.

A surprise SNW episode dropped last night.

It is a crossover with "Lower Decks", directed by Johnathan Frakes.

There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth over this one.

EDIT: just finished the episode. Two words come to mind. Irreverent. And meta.

The meta stuff had me LOLing. Quips about Pike's hair. And of course, criticism of the recent Spock storyline.

I'm not a Lower Decks fan, so I'm sure I missed a lot of jokes. But I just went along for the ride and was entertained. I liked it.

EDIT2: along with this early drop was also the release of the trailer for the upcoming MUSICAL episode. I am not joking.

I watched it last night. It was entertaining. Looking forward to the musical.

Some of y'all are way too serious about this stuff. Lighten up and enjoy.

 

[Chuckanut]

The crossover with Lower Decks was fun. Perhaps it’s their version of Trouble With Tribbles.

 

[Yipper]

I watched it last night. It was entertaining. Looking forward to the musical.

Some of y'all are way too serious about this stuff. Lighten up and enjoy.

This is the right mindset.

 

[Pellice]

Just watched the crossover episode today. It was ok. But I'm wondering - what's happened to the tech babble? I think SNW has cut way down on the tech babble when explaining some anomaly or emergency, no? Has anyone else noticed this? I understand that TOS used to have scripts that would read along the lines of "the anomaly is producing a [TECH] distortion field." I guess it was lame, as somebody, particularly in TOS, was just making up terms, but it did satisfy my human need for a cause and effect narrative. Now it seems as though it's a shrug of the shoulders and no attempt to give some kind of scientific/tech explanation, as though "we know it's BS, so we won't try." More honest, perhaps, but I keep waiting for a fuller explanation, made up or not. There was some kind of magic element, "honorarium"(?) but no explanation beyond the name, and a simple assertion that it was no longer around, let alone why it was needed.

But I suppose many prefer a bald plot assertion to some obviously made-up explanation!

I have another month of Paramount Plus, and am considering stuffing in some Lower Decks episodes. Guess I'll give it a try. Picard seems too confusing and depressing, and Discovery so far in the future, and everybody says the first half of that series is irrelevant.

 

[JoeWras]

Pellice, you are spot on. For example, Scotty's "transparent aluminum" was brilliant babble.

The thing I noticed is the lack of hand held phaser fire. The lack of shooting someone is getting old. I suspect there political things we can't talk about behind this.

 

[harllee]

Pellice, you are spot on. For example, Scotty's "transparent aluminum" was brilliant babble.

The thing I noticed is the lack of hand held phaser fire. The lack of shooting someone is getting old. I suspect there political things we can't talk about behind this.

The "lack of shooting someone is getting old"?

 

[JoeWras]

The "lack of shooting someone is getting old"?

Yes. I want to see some phaser action.

Some people like Bond, some like Westerns. Star Trek was influenced by both.

 

[Zathras]

Yes. I want to see some phaser action.

Some people like Bond, some like Westerns. Star Trek was influenced by both.

A) I haven't noticed that.
B) You should see this week's episode of SNW

 

[JoeWras]

B) I'm on the road. Going to have to wait a while to see it

 

[Qs Laptop]

Those Old Scientists, S02E07, Strange New Worlds

If you are a Star Trek fan looking for a fannish story written by fannish fans and aimed at fans of fannish things, this is your episode! I’m pretty sure this story had references to every single televised Star Trek production in one way or another, even down to the title of the episode “Those Old Scientists” being a play on “The Original Series” (TOS.) The nerd-geek index of this episode is at 1000%.

But was it a decent story? Well, not really. I’m a sucker for time travel “fish out of water” stories, but this one was kind of tepid in its content. If you think fictional Starfleet grunts (lower deck characters) in the future engage in hero worship of the characters from the original series as much as Trekkers of today do, you might find the (thin) plot engaging. Unfortunately, the plot was basically, how do we get these ensigns from Starfleet’s future back to their proper time? Along the way we are treated to (or subjected to, depending on your viewpoint) rapid fire dialog from these future characters gushing with reverent praise over meeting their heroes from the past. And yes, the rapid fire delivery of the dialog by the Lower Decks characters was annoying to me. The writers even referenced it in the story, a subtle form of breaking the third wall.

Was it entertaining? Yes, in a Trekker overkill kind of way. I started the episode grinning at the references and call-outs to other forms of TV Trek, but about midway I thought it was getting a bit much, and by the end of the episode I was sick and tired of it. YMMV. It’s as if the writers were trying too hard to work things into the story just for the sake of having them in there.

A small irritant for me was the blatant copying of the design and function of the Stargate portal to create the time travel portal used in this episode.

I give this episode a 7.5 out of 10. A better plot would have elevated it into the mid to upper 8’s for me. If you are a Trekker you will be in 10 out of 10 heaven.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Just watched the crossover episode today. It was ok. But I'm wondering - what's happened to the tech babble? I think SNW has cut way down on the tech babble when explaining some anomaly or emergency, no? Has anyone else noticed this? I understand that TOS used to have scripts that would read along the lines of "the anomaly is producing a [TECH] distortion field." I guess it was lame, as somebody, particularly in TOS, was just making up terms, but it did satisfy my human need for a cause and effect narrative. Now it seems as though it's a shrug of the shoulders and no attempt to give some kind of scientific/tech explanation, as though "we know it's BS, so we won't try." More honest, perhaps, but I keep waiting for a fuller explanation, made up or not. There was some kind of magic element, "honorarium"(?) but no explanation beyond the name, and a simple assertion that it was no longer around, let alone why it was needed.

The horonium(?) was a metallic element that powered the time travel portal. The portal was almost depleted of horonium when Boimler went through it. I think something about the use of the holographic camera triggered the portal.

I have another month of Paramount Plus, and am considering stuffing in some Lower Decks episodes. Guess I'll give it a try. Picard seems too confusing and depressing, and Discovery so far in the future, and everybody says the first half of that series is irrelevant.

I tried a couple episodes of Lower Decks a year ago. Review is here:
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f54/star-trek-113968-17.html#post2821762

Picard S1 was pretty good until the deus ex machina resolution of the conflict.

Picard S2 was dreadful.

Picard S3 was proper Trek with an overdose of fannish fanboi things. However, "Those Old Scientists" outdid the entirety of ten hours of Picard S3 for fanboi service in less than an hour.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Under the Cloak of War S02E08

A solid entry. Not a hint of comedy, rather a very serious, sober look at the consequences of war. It would be tempting to call it the PTSD episode, and it has this theme, but it's so much more than that. The story flips from the present, where the Enterprise is bringing a repentant Klingon general turned diplomat to a Starbase, and the past during a battle between Starfleet and the Klingon empire.

Flashback to when Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel are working in a field hospital during the Klingon war. Basically, it's M*A*S*H* on a moon. Things get very gruesome and dark on the moon with casualties mounting up.

Back in the present, Captain Pike is doing what he does best, namely hosting a dinner party. The guests are most of the bridge crew and the Klingon diplomat. The mood is tense as several of the Enterprise crew are unconvinced the general has reformed.

M'Benga gets a nice role here, his past history explored. I wouldn't say he does a good job acting, unless you think wearing a permanent scowl and whispering your lines qualifies as good acting. We learn more about how Nurse Chapel and M'Benga met and why they have such strong bonds.

There is a surprise twist at the end and the consequences of M'Benga's actions are swept under the rug by Pike, something that he's done quite frequently for his crew members. I hardly think this one will be forgotten, however.

I give this episode an 8.0 out of 10.