#snw gripes

[sporkandpringles]

“You just want SNW to be a different timeline than TOS so you can de-canonize it!” No, actually, my favorite timelines are the alternate ones. I love the Kelvin Timeline. I love the Mirror Universe. I love all of Voyager’s alternate timelines: the “Year of Hell” timeline, the “Non-Sequitur” timeline, the “Timeless” timeline, the un-altered “Endgame” timeline, and so on. ENT’s “Twilight” timeline. SNW’s “A Quality of Mercy” timeline. I love alternate timelines. In fact, 99% of the time, I prefer them over the prime timeline. And if SNW was confirmed to be something else, even if just an “alternation to the prime timeline caused by temporal wars” that increases my likelihood of enjoying the show and writing fanfic for it by 500%. Also, if I’m being perfectly candid, the main reason I want SNW to be a different timeline than TOS is because I don’t want to watch M’Benga get demoted and replaced as CMO and SNW Chapel transform from her current badass iteration into some kind of awkward shrinking violet. Pike has made his peace with his future and that’s great. And I’m okay with SNW following TOS in broad strokes. But I’m also hoping that the implications of s2e03 of SNW mean that I can look forward with hope for these characters, instead of constantly dreading what happens next.

[ssaalexblake]

Even aside from how funny the snw/lwd crossover was, it spoke to me as somebody who has been irritated with the fandom (that i can avoid less and less these days because of algorithms). 

Lower Decks has often been described as what would happen if star trek nerds got to actually be in starfleet. The quad of main characters are Massive starfleet nerds, and they also represent the fans who are more technical about it with their appreciation for ship models and engineering, but also the ones who’re fannish over the characters as well. 

So Boimler and Mariner going back in time to see these characters and being freaked out and disappointed that most of them are not the people they learnt about in the history books was Soothing. 

Pike and Una, the oldest of the bunch were more or less how Boimler and Mariner were expecting. They’ve already Done a lot of the things they’re famous for even if they’ve not done all of them.

But the younger ones whose stories we as the audience already know from other trek shows were not how they thought they would be. They are young, this is a prequel, the aim of a prequel is to explain how the story/characters ended up how they are when you meet them in the original media. Therefore, they’re not done cooking yet and are different right now. 

The differences in Spock and Uhura whom were most focused on were noted in different ways, Boimler was freaked out about Spock’s newfound decision to try and explore his emotions simply because this part of his story never hit a history book. Mariner told uhura how she’s remembered by history and some of it fit and some of it didn’t simply because Uhura’s still really young and she’s not grown to be the person she will yet. 

And Boimler was cut up about this at first, it took some time for him to come to terms with the fact that the stories he’d read about these people did not show him everything about them. Mariner had a different reaction, she saw Uhura is young and has so much to come that maybe she just needs a little help. But in the end they both saw the same thing. 

And i’ve been perpetually irritated by both the ‘they’re trying so hard to be tos and failing’ and the ‘why are they so different to tos this is bad characterisation’ crowds bc both fail to miss the point that A) this show is not trying to be TOS, it’s trying to write a story that will eventually Lead to TOS which is an entirely different thing, and B) no it’s not TOS on Purpose and the stories are as they are because it would be bad writing of a TV show, and in general a poor understanding of human growth and evolution, to do carbon copies of the OG characters and put them in all these situations and not have them evolve at all during the whole show. 

They’re not supposed to be like their future selves. They’re supposed to evolve Into them, which is an entirely different assignment and one they’re not failing at imo. If you judge the show for doing something it’s not trying to do, of course it’ll get a fail grade. 

I like lower decks bc for how silly it is, it is also smart. I think this episode was a very concise addressing some of the unfair complaints aimed at SNW while Also connecting to the SNW characters’ plots and being a wild funny ride at the same time. SNW is a prequel, the thing about prequels is they have to balance being able to develop characters to write a good show with engaging stories in its own right, but Have to end at a fixed point. If audiences won’t acknowledge that they won’t see the people they’re familiar with acting the way they’re used to until the end of the prequel, then everybody is gonna go around in circles. 

It’s a prequel and it’s acting like one, nobody has to Like prequels but it’s doing its job as one just fine. 

[spockandstars]

I think that a lot of people take issue with the way the Spock/Chapel/T'Pring love triangle is presented in Strange New Worlds, but that sometimes this is dismissed as fans just being bitter spirk shippers. So here are a few reasons why I believe people are iffy on this plotline. (Disregarding the fact that we're disappointed that the showrunners didn't, and most likely won't, take the chance to do something really cool with Spock's legacy as a queer coded character...)

Firstly, it takes time away from other characters to address an element of Spock's story that has already been explored beautifully. (I will get into how this treats Chapel and T'Pring later...) Spock's struggle with his humanity and his anguish over the depth of his feelings for others (particularly Jim) is a focus in TOS and the movies, and if you're going to keep on talking about it, at least do it in a more creative way? This isn't to say that it shouldn't be acknowledged at all, seeing that it is a lifelong struggle for him, but by making it such a focus of the series they're not giving other interesting characters as much of a chance to develop.

Additionally, it has traditionally been understood that Spock coped with his inner turmoil by repressing his feelings. Over the course of his lifetime, he learns to embrace his human side more to become a more balanced and healthy person. SNW takes the approach of "young Spock was more human and horny!" which isn't necessarily bad, but they better be giving us an explanation for how he transforms so dramatically to the extremely repressed character he is in TOS. Maybe this is reaching too far, but this whole approach of young Spock just feels like an excuse to get hot ladies into his bed and to fulfill the fantasies of nerdy men who project onto him. This is the same Spock who scoffed at the idea of going to see dancers at a bar, who was immune to the charms of the sexy ladies in Mudd's Women, who only entertained women when drugged or when he needed to do so for a mission...

Furthermore, I believe it's a disservice to Chapel. On one hand, it does make her love for Spock seem more grounded in reality, which I appreciate. In TOS, it's pretty clear that Spock doesn't share her feelings and her crush is only really ever used as a means of ridiculing her. There goes silly Chapel again, trying to win over her unrequited love! It's not cool. But on the same token, making Spock the focus of her character yet again only further reduces her to nothing but that. Why can't we let the girl breathe and do other stuff? Sure, she does get some of the AOS Uhura treatment where she gets to be a generic cool badass lady, but this is in a way that is lacking in any real depth. Chapel deserves better.

I also don't love the way it treats T'Pring. Was it really necessary for her to be Spock's eye candy wife that he gets to bang and cheat on? In Amok Time, it's heavily implied that this was an arranged thing and that they hadn't seen each other since they were seven. If they really felt the need to include this relationship, it would have been so much cooler if they had explored it from that angle, with neither of them truly wanting to be together but being forced into it by societal expectation. Which of course, results in T'Pring using her intelligence to gain her freedom in Amok Time.

So yeah. Those are my main gripes with this whole thing. Overall, I think it's lazy writing that allows the writers to benefit from the nostalgia of legacy characters without developing them in actually meaningful or revolutionary ways.

[anotheruserwithnoname]

Star Trek SNW finally settles decades-old canon issues (spoiler commentary for S02E03)

(Image credit: Startrek.com)

I say spoiler right in the headline, and I mean it. Read no further if you have yet to see Star Trek: Strange New World’s latest episode, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. (The image above is a publicity image and is also in the trailer, so it’s not really a spoiler.)

The TL;DR is: one single line of dialogue fixed nearly 30 years of canon issues. I am not exaggerating. More under the break. And this will be a long one:

To “cross the streams” a moment, it is undeniable canon (not shipping wishful thinking) that not only did the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who have feelings for Clara Oswald, he even considered her not his companion, but his girlfriend. That was made undeniable canon in a couple lines in “Deep Breath” when the Twelfth Doctor said “Clara, I’m not your boyfriend,” Clara replied, “I never thought you were.” and Twelve said “I never said it was your mistake.” That was in stark fact. One line of canon dialogue confirmed what many speculated and the show hinted at. This is separate from what came after, any retcons later writers did, and all that. 

Well, one line of dialogue from a guest character in last night’s episode of Strange New Worlds put into canon something I and many others have felt not only about SNW, but the current breed of Trek shows and indeed there were signs of this going back to both Star Trek DS9 and Star Trek Voyager in the 1990s.

The Romulan time agent, Sera, played by Adelaide Kane who some may remember from playing Mary Queen of Scots in Reign, states that the Eugenics war involving Khan was supposed to happen in 1992, but was delayed 30 years due to temporal wars and other interference from the future. (To be precise she’s likely referring to Khan’s birth since he was in his 30s or 40s by the 1990s, the time TOS established the Eugenics Wars took place; here he’s a kid - possibly even a Canadian kid!  The war itself is still some years away.)

That explains a lot. Why since DS9 the Eugenics Wars were redated to the mid-21st century. Why SNW’s pilot episode last year confirmed the Eugenics Wars were part of WW3, not a separate conflict.  Why the Voyager episode where they go back to Earth on 1996 featured no mention of the Eugenics Wars. Why Kirk and everyone else already knows the name Noonien-Singh (even if La’an hadn’t introduced herself by name to “Prime” Kirk at the end, he would have seen her testimony about being Khan’s descendant at Una’s trial. There is no way in this timeline that Kirk, Spock or anyone else would not recognize Khan’s name instantly when the events of Space Seed happen. Heck, even the fact the SNW Enterprise doesn’t match up with the 1960s designs that were also featured in TNG, DS9 and Star Trek: Enterprise. Or even stuff like people like Uhura knowing who T’Pring was years before they were supposedly first introduced to her in “Amok Time”. It even gives wiggle room for the fact this time-travel episode actually breaks canon with the time-travel-based episodes of Picard Season 2! (Laris would have known about Sera and stopped her, right? Sean at TrekCulture had a gripe about this in his Youtube review)

Sera basically admitted that because of people farting around with time and the temporal wars (recall that it was strongly implied in Enterprise that the Romulans were involved if not responsible for that) that the timeline has been changed. 

It can’t be denied anymore and it’s such a liberating thing. Now, SNW is free to truly tell reimagined stories (like the retelling of Balance of Terror last season, albeit that was another alternate timeline), to make T’Pring a vital character and build her, to accelerate the Spock-Chapel romance that was only hinted at in TOS. To truly let Paul Wesley develop his own version of Kirk, not to mention Ethan Peck’s Spock and whoever next plays McCoy (you know they will bring him in eventually and if SNW avoids the fate of Prodigy and lasts a few years, they’re going to have to start getting lined up for a new TOS-era series). Hell, the door is now open for Kirk and La’an to establish a “prime-era” romance - imagine a retelling of Space Seed with La’an in the picture (or at least Kirk remembering her).

This will be a hot take for some. But my rebuttal comes from Doctor Who: “Time can be rewritten.” Finally, nearly 30 years after what was thought to be an erroneous dating of the Eugenics Wars in a throwaway line in an episode of DS9 (I believe the producers even said it was a goof back then), and 22 years of people griping about how the prequel series were not lining up with what came before, either esthetically or storyline-wise (Enterprise, Discovery, SNW, and Picard S2 to a degree), we have a firm, canonical explanation. People will still gripe about politics, general quality, casting, whatever, of shows - that’s a separate argument - but at least in terms of canon, this has changed everything. In a good way.

I only wish they hadn’t killed off Sera. I got very strong Sela vibes from her (Sela/Sera? Coincidence?) and I would have liked to see her become a recurring nemesis. Then again, as I just said, time can be rewritten. 

[thedreadvampy]

so I have been thinking about why I hated the Spock Is Turned Human episode of SNW so much and I think I've nailed it down

cause like. Vulcans are a specific flavour of autistic, right?

Throughout 60 years of Star Trek, and particularly through Strange New Worlds, we've had it impressed on us that Vulcans absolutely do not feel less than humans. On the contrary, the reason that Vulcans prize logic, ritual and objectivity is that their emotions are deeply intense and overwhelming. In fact, like one episode prior and in the fuckin. Previously On... for this episode, Spock's saying "Vulcan emotion is too intense to handle and what might happen if I don't suppress it scares me."

It's made repeatedly, explicitly, clear that Vulcan emotional detachment is a choice and a cultural practise. It's made directly clear as well that Vulcans don't experience the world as less intense or emotional than humans; they work from birth to suppress it, it's a learned practice.

And they've leant into this really hard elsewhere in SNW! They've talked about Vulcans choosing to reject logic and act on emotion, Spock's seasons-long arc is about his fear of his own emotions - he's even specifically brought up that he hasn't undergone Kolinahr and therefore is suppressing his emotional state only through conscious practice.

but this episode. is a story about someone who's physiologically less able to feel being "humanised" - experiencing touch, taste, laughter and feeling more strongly than they have before.

That's a Data story. Not a Spock one.

Like I get what they're trying to do - push Spock into dealing directly with his human side, empathise with Amanda's strength, etc - but the way they do it conflicts really directly with everything we know about Vulcans, and also kind of confirms Vulcan bias against Spock's humanity by establishing that yes actually regardless of upbringing humans just Are Wired Wrong for Vulcan society. which is weird actually because both Amanda and Michael, humans raised outside Vulcan, can handle Vulcan societal expectations, but Spock, raised fully in the culture, struggles to and has to have everything explained to him.

And also the way they do it I found really uncomfortable and, you know, dehumanising. We're shown a version of Spock who isn't managing his emotions through discipline and will, but who just Doesn't Have Them That Much and, when given the Normal amount of feelings, goes hog wild and is functionally a child with no self-control.

There's a scene where they explicitly say he's functionally a teenager! As if he's not already been through a human adolescence!

Everyone of every species, not just human, is suddenly lecturing him on the nature of Feeling Things, which he receives as new information! despite the fact we know that managing his emotions has been a constant struggle for Spock! and we know that Spock (like other Vulcans) likes food and music and has a sense of humour and experiences friendship and anger and frustration and love.

and I think it speaks to a deeply neuronormative kind of infantalisation - he isn't reacting to emotion the way Normal (here: human) people do so it must be because he doesn't feel it at all. he isn't vegetarian he just hasn't experienced how Bacon bacon is. he isn't suppressing his distress it just isn't there. he doesn't have a different cultural relationship to humour he just Can't Laugh.

like the 'inhuman entity experiences human emotion' plotline is a Star Trek classic and it's usually a fun time - it's fun with Q and with Data and with Odo et al. but it doesn't work with Spock because we know that Vulcans aren't less physiologically capable of emotion than humans, they're less culturally willing to engage with emotion. And that's specifically because they're more sensitive to strong feeling than humans.

like yeah this is nerd griping, but it's also just very galling from an autistic perspective (the same way that having Spock go bacon-mad this episode seems to have been pretty galling from a Jewish perspective). Something that's always been very resonant about Vulcans and Spock specifically with a lot of autistic people is that experience of feeling things so deeply and strongly that you have to develop a sometimes overly-strict discipline of emotional management and cut yourself off from them entirely, and it is often mistaken by those around you as being unfeeling or numb. And the way Spock is portrayed consistently acknowledges that that's not what it is, that it's an (often maladaptive but necessary) practice that's active work in order to fit into a society that doesn't have space for the scale of your emotions or where your emotions might be a risk. And that you can learn to retain the parts that help you but still make close emotional connections through that barrier.

Idk this episode doesn't understand Vulcans which is really frustrating particularly for an episode entirely about Vulcans. It doesn't make sense that being turned human would fully undermine Spock's ability to behave as Vulcan the way it does unless your position is that Vulcans are inherently more numb to feeling than humans, which is explicitly not the case - and the message of the end of the episode partially rests on the idea that it's bigoted to assume his humanity makes him less Vulcan, especially since Amanda is able to perform Vulcanness well, except the entire precept of the episode and its shenanigans are that his humanity does intrinsically prevent him performing his cultural heritage properly and make him irrational and reactive. Like, the episode's failure to understand Why Vulcans Work doesn't just conflict with the rest of the show, it also leaves this episode a chaotic mess cause A doesn't in any way feed into B.

also unrelatedly T'Pring Did Nothing Wrong and she's so right, Spock is a wee bitch.

[calocera]

Your posts about SNW Spock makes me so curious, could you please explain how they've done him wrong since he seems very different from the original series :O Are they making him more human despite the SNW taking place before the og?

yeah i can! im not the best person to talk about it probably since im a pretty recent trek fan and also tos/spock arent parts of trek i care about as much as a lot of other fans, but i have opinions for sure!!

firstly just up front i do not like ethan peck as spock. he does not look like spock or act in a way i am satisfied with. it feels like the only reason they cast him was because he has a deep voice. so i am going forward in this with haterism for him specifically not JUST how he is written in snw

Spock is written not like a vulcan but like an anhedonic human. actually not even anhedonic, just like a human raised in vulcan society trying to blend in. like there is nothing about him that feels genuine he just feels like woobiebait for 2012 tumblr to make flower crown edits of because he is awkward and quirky. every scene involving spock is a joke about him and his demeanor, everything he says is a wink wink nudge nudge "lol vulcans act like this and its so stupid lol logic is silly" like i can physically feel a laugh track whenever hes on screen. i enjoy jokes about vulcans but it isnt funny when there isnt anything else. its like spock showing emotion, it isnt satisfying when its a constant and not a little treat peppered in. in snw hes stifling a giggle or screaming in pain or being oopsie awkward silly every time he gets a focal scene, it takes the magic away because now it isnt a rare break in character its just how he is. Ive seen a lot of people defend this aspect as him being young and therefore less mature than in tos, but hes like approaching 30 :\ i get him being less mature but he doesnt act like a sheltered 30 year old he acts like someone freshly 18. at this point its just like…MAKE A NEW CHARACTER!!!!

as a point of contrast, i like how uhura is written in snw (in season 1 anyways, she has barely appeared in s2) she is obviously younger and is growing into her spot on the crew, but they arent hinging her character on the 1 or 2 pop culture uhura moments, retconning anything about that that doesnt align with modern media fandom, and calling it a day; they actually expand on her character outside of like idk her doing a sexy dance and her sitting at the phone (though i guess it is easier for her since she had barely any character in tos anyways). meanwhile they DO do that with spock, his bullet point top 10 iconic spock moments of sometimes being awkward and showing emotion are now the only things he is allowed to do. tldr flanderization

i also think its interesting that it is this way since ethan peck played spock in discovery and there hes the exact opposite. hes extremely serious and vulcan; which fits the tone of the show (regardless of my opinions on the tone of disco). i just dont understand how that spock translated into the snw spock. they are not the same guy.

anyways on to the biggest plot related gripe with him...how he interacts with women!!!yay!!

first theres how they decided to have multiple episodes about his, apparently, strained-yet-loving-and-involved relationship with tpring. the inclusion of t'pring feels stupid because other than the 1 minute of cheap "oh i remember her!" from someone seeing her on screen for the first time what point is there to her returning when the ONE canonical fact about her is that she and spock A: had an arranged marriage, B: did not meet in person since they were children, and C: hated each other. its not like there is a huge contingency of t'pring/spock shippers holding out since 1967 so what value does reintroducing her as a character serve? i assume its as some kind of attempt to give a woman who previously had no real character something to do, but her existence on snw is STILL only about spock and her relation to spock so there isnt any sort of feminist level up happening. including her was not interesting enough to justify retconning the plot of the most iconic episode of star trek. especially when multiple episodes tonally and stakes-wise rely on you caring about them as a couple, and anyone watching who knows who she is already knows that her and spock dont have any relationship to speak of in the future so who is this for? if you really really just NEED spock to have sex with a woman why not make a new character? that would also suck but at least it wouldnt be timeline interfering. im not even a huge continuity purist "oh no!!the timeline!!!plotholes!!!" but when the situation is the writers deliberately breaking the continuity in large ways and the outcome isnt even fun? stupid.

and now his relationship with chapel. i am way more annoyed by this one since its just gross. so from tos the only thing with them is that chapel has a crush on him and spock is not interested. also worth noting that its such a non-plot related thing that it only is revealed under the influence of alien drug virus that makes you horny. and they decided that not only was that enough to base a whole reciprocated romance arc around, but now since theyve introduced tpring back into the story, spock is now a cheater??? what is the POINT of breaking canon to introduce spocks girlfriend only to go "well actually hes horny for his coworker" like...that isnt how love triangles work youve just done a character assassination. the man who would rather kill his best friend than have sex with his wife is now fucking both her and the woman who confessed to him and he got so mad he crushed a computer with his bare hands. ok 👍. i just hate that they chose spock to be the romantic center of the show. anyone else could have been the character who gets into relationship drama why spock? there are multiple new characters who could have taken up the position. and its not like spock has nothing else to do as a character without it

to say things specifically about the most recent epsiode since it was particularly annoying and showed things that happen throughout the series:

firstly spock just does shit thats stupid. illogical even. i know the whole logical fallacy moment with vulcans but when it isnt a point of note in the show and rather just happens as if its a normal occurrence for spock as a person im like...he would be a laughing stock on vukcan and not have any of the positive reputation he holds.

the plot of this ep was basically that spock gets turned completely human and they just miss literally the whole point of it. vulcans have MORE emotion than humans, they ACTIVELY suppress it. yet when spock is turned human he just experiences human emotion completely emotionally? he should be having an EASIER time suppressing his emotions. and OMG he gets a BONER because he sees a hot WOMAN LOL LOL isnt that funny? spock got hard isnt that hilarious? its just so cheap. they act like being human makes him a completely different person, they played it like the voyager episode where belanna gets split into human and klingon BUT in that case she was literally split into two different people (this ep had a lot of issues too ie racism but that’s a different can of worms); here spock just becomes human he still has the same memories and training and history...why would he forget what its like to be a vulcan. they could SO EASILY make excuses too but they just didnt care. and anyways bada bing bada boom the ep ends with him and chapel hooking up which i already complained about and could complain about more.

i think thats already too much so im gunna stop myself here but trust theres more i hate and other people have probably talked about this better than i have :')

blade nation

[trillscienceofficer]

I got why federation asylum would be good for the protostar crew as, y'know, runaway child slaves, but it didn't make sense to me that they would also be so drawn to starfleet. Dal made some good points early in the show about the reasons they have to be wary of authority. They really just escaped a prison camp and ran toward the nearest hierarchical structure they could find?

I feel like the show mostly painted starfleet as an enlightened institution and a force for universal good and all that. But the encounters that dal and jankom pog in particular had with starfleet officers revealed some serious prejudices. If you were to write their disillusionment from starfleet, how would you do it?

I totally get your frustration, though personally I found that the kids' goal of getting into Starfleet was more a reflection of their affection and trust for holo!Janeway than anything else. I think they were allowed to have a good amount of misgiving and doubts about their objectives and destination over the course of the first season, too, certainly more than what the characters in the current live-action shows are allowed to (with maybe one exception in Michael Burnham's arc in S3 of Discovery), so all in all I wasn't disappointed with Prodigy's approach.

I liked that they showed Starfleet's less perfectly ‘utopian’ side too, with the episodes like “Asylum” pretty explicitly showing how prejudices (as you mentioned) and incompetence can interact in truly awful and damaging ways. I think the show did a great job also showing the way even Starfleet heroes like Janeway can default to assuming the worst when it comes to unknown quantities like the kids. I found it very believable and less... hollow ‘propaganda’ for the Federation and Starfleet than what either the Picard show or SNW are currently doing, where none of the slogans we hear are reflected in the actual experiences of the characters we're shown.

I think what I would do is simply continuing with this character-centric strategy and extrapolate further from these children's very troubled backgrounds. None of them have had good experiences when it comes to authority, as you correctly pointed out, so what happens when Janeway inevitably gives an order they disagree with? Most importantly, would they be allowed to leave if the disagreements pile up high enough and they decide that a Starfleet ship is not for them after all? At this point my main gripe with Trek is the apparent unwillingness to have its characters choose anything but the one path allowed: a career in Starfleet. I think it would be a good message to have in a cartoon for children, that no matter what your dream was you can find out it's not for you after all, and it's not the end of the world and you will be able to find inspiration and meaning elsewhere (ie outside of Starfleet. It would be especially significant to me if such a storyline included an older, more at peace with herself B'Elanna Torres).

I'm not entirely sure this particular approach to what most people would call ‘failure’ is something that can actually be explored in a children's cartoon from the US—‘work hard till you make it’ is the correct moral position after all, according to mainstream wisdom. But animation has also been exploring complex topics about choices, responsibilities and their weight on individual characters since Avatar: the Last Airbender at least, so I'm confident that the Prodigy production could do great things, if allowed! I don't expect at all an anti-establishment messaging (again, children cartoon situated in a venerable franchise and all that), but... a less monolithic view of the Federation, and the question of choosing to be part of it or not, would be something I'd love to see. The Prodigy protagonists definitely could bring a different, outside perspective to the table.

[weerd1]

All right, I feel it’s time to dig into my new comfort show, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Let me say up front, I love this show, so if you’re looking for someone who’s been watching Star Trek since the ‘70s to gripe about new Trek, you won’t find it here. Is this show perfect? Of course not. Is it Deep Space Nine good? Not yet, but I see potential. Episode by episode look and a long chat after the break! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

What it DOES feel like is TOS. From the variety of genres used to tell stories, to some downright weird plot points, to some remarkable social commentary, this really feels like what would happen if they just made TOS now. I lament a bit that we have 10-episode seasons instead of enough in a season to allow for some MORE variety the way TOS had more than 25 episodes a season.

So how about visual continuity?

This show looks like the way I would see this universe when I read novels or played the RPG: effects have caught up with the way I brain painted the Blish adaptations or those early novels. It works for me.

What about character continuity?

Barring the fact the show has canonized the idea that even the “Prime” timeline can shift a bit due to the influences of time travel across the universes (which I love), I think the nuances this show brings do nothing but enhance my understanding of TOS. The Spock/Chapel moments now on TOS? Christine now asking Spock, “have you ever been in love?” in the episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” becomes a bit of gut punch! What does it mean to her when he begins to lose control due to Ponn Farr? Does she think he might be reverting back to the Spock of a decade before who chanced to unleash emotion?

Visually and character-wise, we have not changes but expansion. Honestly, most of these perceived “changes” reminds me of Gene Roddenberry taking the opportunity to enhance the Klingons when he had the budget in The Motion Picture. Did he care that the Klingons weren’t bumpy? Did he care to come up with a solution? He didn’t: He was a creator who now had more tools to work with. SNW does that.

My sole complaint, which honestly stretches across many modern shows, Trek and otherwise is about language. TOS and its progeny up until Enterprise used a more stolid, slang-free method of writing which to me added to the timeless nature of the show. When characters in modern Trek use modern vernacular it ties the episodes for me more to the present rather than allowing me to suspend my disbelief that this is the future. This is just my personal preference, and is certainly not something that torpedoes my love for the show or characters.

So, if you’re still with me, let’s get into the nitty gritty, each episode rated from 1 to 5 LLAPs. 🖖

SEASON ONE

“Strange New Worlds” 🖖🖖🖖🖖

After DISCO S2 gave us a Pike which made Spock’s actions in “The Menagerie” entirely plausible, we pick up here with him knowing his destiny and he’s having to work on that. As it plays out, we get some great explorations of what Star Trek and Starfleet within the universe is about. We also get a pretty pointed commentary on our present and what allowing politicians to appeal to and encourage the baser, xenophobic impulses of their constituencies leads to. Solid start, solid introduction of return and new characters, and wow is this show gorgeous.

“Children of the Comet” 🖖🖖🖖

A solid episode which feels a little long in places. However, showing Sam Kirk is this universe’s Guy Fleegman is terrific, and we get some great Uhura moments. Also, fly, Erica, fly!

“Ghosts of Illyria” 🖖🖖🖖🖖

About as TOS as you can get! Crewmembers trapped on a planet below as danger approaches, a strange disease threatening the crew. Plus, a couple of good character revelations that start threads which will continue well into Season 2.

“Memento Mori” 🖖🖖🖖✌️(That’s a half)

The beginnings of expanding on the Gorn while giving us more background on La’an Noonien Singh (whom I originally was none to happy that she was Khan’s descendant, but S2 really uses that beautifully). She’s a terrific character and this episode helps us know why. Also- see my comment above about making the Klingons “more” because you have the opportunity as SNW picks up the way ENT showed us the Gorn were more than just a slow moving dino allegory and kicks it into high gear.

“Spock Amok” 🖖🖖🖖

A very fun episode which continues to show us that TOS’s T’Pring was more than just a diabolical woman who dared mess with our heroes. Have greatly appreciated what they have done with her. Also, Enterprise Bingo!

“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” 🖖🖖🖖✌️

Credit here first of all for a very TOS title. Then a TNG style morality play, but one that does not end happily. Dig it.

“The Serene Squall” 🖖🖖✌️

The Orion pirate captain and Pike’s mutiny was a little too…well silly for me. However, Captain Angel and the Sybok name drop, plus Christine being badass? All in there. Also, this sets up some Spock/Chapel stuff for S2 and I dig all of that.

“The Elysian Kingdom” 🖖🖖✌️

Again fun, and a neat way to deal with M’Benga’s daughter storyline. A bit indulgent in places, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves so much, and we get Christina Chong’s dog Runa. VERY TOS when it all comes down to it. Bonus points for the DS9 reference.

“All Those Who Wander” 🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖

Oh- the Gorn are warp capable Xenomorphs. How HORRIFYING. Also, some real stakes as we lose Hemmer, and Spock really starts his S2 arc here.

“A Quality of Mercy” 🖖🖖🖖🖖✌️

Terrific method of tying in some more TOS to contextualize the show, a modernized TWOK uniform, and a new Captain Kirk. I didn’t walk out convinced by Paul Wesley’s Kirk, but he wins me over early in S2. My real complain here is Ortegas falling into the role of the bigoted Styles from “Balance of Terror.” Did NOT seem like her style. Kudos to a bit of a cliffhanger, even if it does feel a little tacked on to the episode. Also, they missed a bet not having James Frain (DISCO’s Sarek) playing the Romulan Commander.

(Also, the show misses a bet not having Rebecca Romijn or Jess Bush voice the computer.)

Overall S1 is a solid start that ties itself plenty to what has gone before, without resorting to simple, overwrought nostalgia baiting to tell a story. Like some other recent Star Trek.

SEASON TWO

"The Broken Circle" 🖖🖖🖖🖖

Spock stealing the Enterprise on a semi regular basis is now in my canon, and I am grateful. Pelia, I am convinced, is actually Carol Kane’s character from “Taxi.” M’Benga rolling out the stimulants didn’t make a lot of sense to me on my first viewing, but in context with the season, this is actually setting up a really interesting—and dark—bit of character development.

“Ad Aspera per Aspera” 🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖

This. This is Star Trek. ‘Nuff said. (Ok, also, THOSE DRESS UNIFORMS!)

“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow “ 🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖

Here, HERE Paul Wesley’s Kirk wins me over, even if it is an alternate version. Earning money (and apparently a lot given the remarkably nice apartment they stay in) by playing CHESS, recognizing that La’an’s universe should stay because Sam’s alive, the slow seduction…yup, that’s Jim Kirk. Plus, This episode acknowledges that time is fluid, referencing how TOS tells us the Eugenics Wars SHOULD have been in 1992, but it keeps shifting. Elegant solution that opens so many doors to future stories. Also, baby KHAAAAAAAANNN!

“Among the Lotus Eaters” 🖖🖖🖖🖖

Nice callbacks to “The Cage,” yes. But this episode BELONGS to Erica Ortegas. “My name is Erica Ortegas and I👏🏻fly👏🏻the👏🏻ship!” And let’s add “thread the needle” to awesome starship tricks, shall we? Erica makes this good episode great.

“Charades” 🖖🖖🖖🖖

Vulcan shenanigans are back with a fully human Spock, and indeed, this one is funny. Ethan Peck’s comedy chops are great here, especially with Sam Kirk’s mess. Anson Mount delivers in the funny department too as Pike serves up Vulcan food. Very poignant stuff here for Christine though, and though I was initially, “oh no,” continuity-wise, I really ended up liking what this MEANS to what we saw on TOS.

“Lost in Translation” 🖖🖖🖖

A bit cliche, but a good Uhura episode, and though it seems like they're trying a little TOO hard to bring Kirk in, the Lt. Kirk/Ensign Uhura dynamic here is really good. The Jim/Sam thing also something I enjoyed. What makes this episode for me though is when Uhur figures out what's going on, Pike trusts her. Blows up a whole-ass mining station on the word of one Ensign. Go, Nyota!

"Those Old Scientists" 🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖

Just perfect. From the seemless merger of Lower Decks animated characters, to the meta commentary about "oddly specific references" and people talking "really slowly and quietly" this just works. Also ENT love! Uhura and Ortegas geeking out over Sato and Mayweather just made my day. So much fun, nothing could wipe the smile from my face! (Spoiler alert: The next episode will gut me.)

"Under the Cloak of War" 🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖

Holy crap. You thought DS9 played around with questionable moral decisions in a war setting, SNW here shows us they're not afraid to travel into Moore/Behr's space and take a whirl. The weirdness with M'Benga pays off here, and as a veteran myself they way this episode delves into our inability to provide the emotional context to what war does to us to someone without the same frame of reference? Fantastic. I was pretty uptight for most of this episode, because I felt it. I cried in places, was made uncomfortable in places, and what a set of reveals for both Christine and of course M'Benga as we see those flashbacks.

"Subspace Rhapsody"🖖🖖🖖

I WANT to give this one another LLAP, as I love musicals, and I love the fact they were bold enough to do one. The cast pulls off their numbers wonderfully, there's some great moments, especially between Jim and La'an (HE'S BACK???), and they conceit that makes this work is though a hair silly, pretty consistent with Trek and it's quantum/multiversal/anomaly episodes of times past. The only thing that doesn't work for me are the songs themselves. A couple are OK, but they just didn't stick with me. And I made sure I watched a couple of times, just to see if it was my mood. I can't help but compare this to Buffy The Vampire Slayer's "Once More With Feeling" though, and there are three songs from that I keep on my permanent playlist, and can sing pretty much the whole ep verbatim. This didn't make me want to do that; I just really enjoyed it. I wanted to love it. (Shout out though to the "Once More With Feeling" Easter Egg.)

"Hegemony" 🖖🖖🖖🖖

As soon as they gave Captain Batel a first name in the musical, I got worried, and sure enough these Gorn bring that to fruition. She's not dead yet, but she's in trouble, and this is a tight action episode. I appreciate that this new young Montgomery Scott is a) played by a Scot, and b) something of a mix between the Doohan and Pegg versions of the character. My only fear now is we have this cliffhanger, and between the writer's strike and modern TV's general refusal to follow seasonal schedules, we may be in for a far worse wait than the summer of 1990 left us with William Riker's "Fire."

So that's my take. Yes, there are missteps, or things that don't QUITE work, but if I want to compare this to the glory days of 90s Trek, we're only 20 episodes in, and already having a great time when TNG, DS9, and VOY all took at least a season or two of 24 episodes each to find their way. Sure, classic Trek all but hit it out of the gate, but again, we don't have but slightly more than 2/3 of their first season of episodes. We’re 20 episodes in and the worst ones are JUST good, there hasn’t been a bad one yet. SNW has found a way to be a prequel without suffering from their audience’s foreknowledge, and fit themselves firmly into Trek lore without just relying on playing Trek Trivia Madlibs to write their scripts (though Kirk KEEPS showing up!). I'm a little worried as I was really digging on DISCO for the first two seasons as well, and season 3 was a huge disappointment to me. Let's hope whenever we get back to this, they keep up the good work. I am more than ready to again boldly go.

[staringdownabarrel]

Lost In Translation is exactly the episode that Strange New World's interpretation of James Kirk needed. This established the general direction that they want to take the character in for this show--he has a general respect for the chain of command (much like the TOS original), but is also unapologetic about his career goals and how fast he's moving up the chain of command (which makes sense for the character).

Honestly, I really fucking wish that this episode had been the first Jim Kirk episode Strange New Worlds had done. Even though Lost In Translation wasn't quite as dramatic as A Quality Of Mercy's alt universe take on TOS's Balance of Terror or Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow's high stakes trip to the past, it's still a good episode to establish the general interpretation of Prime!Kirk that the writers are working with.

I feel like if this episode had have been the first SNW Jim Kirk episode, it would have actually raised the stakes of the previous two alt!Jim Kirk episodes. Because we'd have prior knowledge that this is the general direction the writers want to go down with the character, we'd know the relative recklessness of those alt!Kirks was a result of actual differences in the timelines, not a result of the writers' interpretation aligning more with the popular fanon interpretation than the actual canon.

My only major gripe with this episode's take on Jim Kirk is that Paul Wesley's performance wasn't great. I don't know if he was just having an off week when he was doing his scenes for this or if he's just a bad actor in general because I've only ever seen him in Strange New Worlds, though based on the other two episodes, I think it might have been mostly the former.

The other thing I really liked about Lost In Translation is that Uhura finally got to do something. One of the biggest issues writers have generally had with Uhura is that they haven't really given her a lot to do, so it was really good to see an episode that was broadly Uhura-centric.

Really, my big issue with the Uhura angle in this episode is that they haven't done a lot to establish an ongoing arc for her. Spock and Chapel have an ongoing arc, M'Benga had an arc in the first season, Pike has an arc, and Chin-Riley has an arc. La'an has the early dot points of an arc, too. So while they have done more with Uhura than the original series or the TOS movies, they haven't really gone as far with her as I think they should have.

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

I don't know how long I'm going to stay awake mad at SNW's "Charades" but boy is it gonna be a bit

I don't like being angry but this has me a tad heated about recent SNW plot decisions

I already had some gripes but now those gripes are active complaints

Boy howdy

[nominalnebula]

hiiiiiiiiii my dear i haven't bothered you in SO LONG so here i am with the idea of being a former member of the enterprise crew

moving to another ship that gives you a better space to grow

and Pike knows it so he doesn't gripe or fight to keep on board

But your crews take shore leave at the same time in the same place

so he spots you loose and tipsy and relaxed in a way that he never saw you on the Enterprise

and it's like he's seeing a whole different person, and it is beautiful

Like you are just there in happiness and in your joy

and part of him is wondering if he inhibited that part of you

or if you're just like this off-hours

and he can't stop looking

and honestly, neither can you

(i still have to catch up on SNW)

this has been ruminating in the back of my brain all weekend and I'm just - because asking for the transfer off the Enterprise was both the hardest and easiest decision you ever made. you'd stuck it out, given it a year, and in the end, you'd gone to Captain Pike and had been honest - for all that the crew had welcomed you and the last year had been absolutely exhilarating and you'd learned so much, the Enterprise wasn't for you. and when it's time for you to leave, he sees you off himself, walks you to the transporter, wishes you all the best and tells you to keep in touch - and the look on his face as you stand on the pad, the transporter activating - that crooked smile, but it's a little sad and it's like a punch to the gut that you're not sure you're ever going to see him again

it's that thought that aches like a bruise every now and then over the next week, month, year - until it's three years later and both your ships have put in for shore leave at the same starbase and you find yourself staring looking across the room to where he's standing with your captain and first officer, a glass of whiskey in his hand and laughing over some story being told and that ache flares to life and you're honestly a little breathless at the sight. it's been three years and you've heard the tales that have filtered through from reports and other ships bringing news. you don't miss being on edge so often, pushing the envelope of what's possible and what's right, and there are little moments when you wonder if you made the right decision - but you're not anxious, like you were before, and you're confident in yourself, your decisions and it's that knowledge that gives you a little boost as you knock back the rest of your drink and cross the room to where Christopher's leaning against the bar waiting for another drink and the smile he gives you

*slaps roof* this baby can hold so much yearning and pining

[spockandchapel]

What's your wish list for SNW season 2? 🙂

Heh, I don’t think I have one but I guess I want them to mean something to each other. I know they won’t end up together but I do want Spock to have romantic feelings for Chapel. But hey! They already retconned Spock and T’Pring so maybe we will get to see them in a relationship! It would be super satisfying. A big gripe I have with fandom is how dismissive people can be about Chapel and I like seeing the forgotten eighth member of the main cast remembered.

[threefandomsinatrenchcoat]

My biggest, most immediate gripe with SNW was "this looks too good, it doesn't even feel like Star Trek. What do you mean there are actual, good special affects? Use a fucking laser pointer and a mist machine, god damn it!" (Quickly followed by "what were they THINKING putting Spock of all characters in a love triangle?" but that's not the point of the post.)

I understand why this would never have happened but part of me cannot help but yearn for a reality where instead of making everything completely modern the new Star Trek media set during the TOS era had done an updated version of that aesthetic. Making it modern in terms of quality (higher detailing, less clunky, etc), but still true to the general design choices made in TOS. I want fuzzy uniforms and beehive hairdos! I want a cramped bridge and dramatic angular sets! I want things to be less smooth and perfect!

[youngpettyqueen]

I was writing last night so I didnt liveblog my thoughts on it but! I am officially all caught up with Discovery, until s5 premieres later this week. gonna discuss my thoughts below, so spoiler warning!

overall, I really like Discovery! I love the characters, I love the dynamics between all of them, and I think the plots each season have been fun. sure, some of them are a bit convoluted, but hey its Star Trek so I expect that

I think jumping 930 years into the future helped with some of the issues I was having with the first 2 seasons, in that it was really hard to see this series as a prequel. ive talked a lot about how while the writing and everything made it clear this was a prequel, it just didnt look like a prequel. now, it doesnt have to, and the writing isnt held back by having to be a prequel, so we get to see and do some really cool shit. the new species introduced were awesome, ive loved seeing the federation come together, ive loved seeing different species we already knew and loved but so far in the future. I think the choice to go so far into the future was, overall, a good one

I think my biggest gripe overall with Discovery is that so many characters just. dont stay dead. I think this was fine with Hugh, I thought how they did it with him made as much sense (as much sense as anything in Star Trek makes) and it was pulled off really well, and I was satisfied from a writing standpoint and from an emotional standpoint. with Gray it was... fine. it was well-explained, but a bit of a cop-out. still, fine. Book's made me roll my eyes. im sorry, his was stupid. here's why I think so

I like Book. im not super attached to him, but I like him. I liked the conflict with him in s4. and I thought his death was actually done really well. it was sudden, and jarring, but you also realized pretty quickly that yeah. it was always going to end this way. Michael did everything she could, but she was never going to be able to save him. for a brief moment we think maybe he's saved, and then he's gone. it was harsh, but it was good (lemme give a shoutout to Sonequa Martin-Green's acting again cause her crying is VISCERAL) and then its immediately undone because Book is miraculously saved by 10-C. so, now, on top of having a cop-out resurrection, we also have an established pattern of Discovery being unwilling to kill characters and keep them dead

this isnt true with every case, of course. Discovery has absolutely no problem with killing villains and minor characters, and even killing characters we're familiar with but who dont play major roles. but now that we've done this resurrection thing multiple times, its going to affect how I view s5 and any situation they present where a major character might die. the emotional stakes just won't be there, because im gonna sit there and think about how we've been here before, and its never stuck. ill have a hard time taking any of those situations seriously, because ill be wondering how theyre gonna bring them back this time

that said, im still excited for s5 and cant wait to see what it has in store. of the newer Treks ive seen so far, Discovery is definitely one of the better ones. its absolutely better than Picard. I have a hard time comparing it to Lower Decks, since theyre such vastly different shows, but ive enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed Lower Decks. from what we saw of the SNW cast in Discovery, im now cautiously optimistic that ill at least enjoy the characters in SNW, even if I have to deal with. another prequel

I probably won't liveblog Discovery s5 when I watch it, just to avoid spoilers. so, see yall when I start SNW tonight!

[sporkandpringles]

I know we’re all reeling from the death of Hemmer, but one aspect of episode 09 that I haven’t seen addressed yet is just how awfully they’re handling Spock’s character arc? Like, I could understand the funeral shaking him up a bit and making him punch a wall. In TOS he broke a vase in “Plato’s Stepchildren” when they were under duress. But earlier in the episode, he just chooses violent rage against another being, with like... hardly any deliberation. And that just doesn’t square with his TOS commitment to Vulcan pacifism.  The way it’s framed as him trying to be more human for Christine is also super messed up. Like Christine Chapel says “It’s good to get mad sometimes” and then suddenly Spock just picks up a space spear and decides to go all Vulcan Rage Mode? What the hell? I get that they’re trying to demonstrate that he’s struggling between his human and Vulcan sides, but this ain’t it.

[pussyhoundspock]

in fact my five biggest issues with strange new worlds are (in order): lack of ambition/originality, lack of anything meaningful to say or a coherent viewpoint or themes, lack of character development/repetitive nature of character “arcs”, generic blandess and THEN making spock eat pussy 24/7