#trek commentary

[overseer-picard]

From the episode commentary of "The First Duty" with writers Ron D. Moore and Naren Shankar.

[gaelforcewinds]

super fair criticism !! in ENT there's a vulcan religious cult , one of many mentioned but not displayed, which does not practice the Sarak's religion of logic like most of mainstream vulcan culture, but that's the only one that pops into my mind atm and its not even really an alternate religion but more of a return-to-roots development

re: bajor, since religion is such a huge part of bajoran identity (kai winn, bariel, and kira talk extensively about how religion became a bonding element of the bajoran resistance and a rallying cry), the occupation did its best to root out all signs of religion and culture, so (while its still an excuse for not writing in more religious diversity) that does explain a bit about why we dont see more religions on bajor

i will also say, how many human religions can you think of being mentioned in trek? there's not any explicit mention of religion or religious practices in tng-era trek largely because the show runners at the time were really interested in futuristic universalism, the death of all religion and the enlightenment of humanity beyond needing gods or higher powers

i'm just mentioning that because i think religion can be a good measuring stick for how developed any non-human culture can be, but that can also be reductionist in what culture is and how it can be interacted with; cultural diversity within one species shows up in myriad ways, not just multiple religions but with multiple worldviews, beliefs in how government should work, cultural or linguistic touchstones, etc.

this isn’t anything new or revolutionary to say but i hate how star trek portrays alien cultures as a monolith, maybe with two or three different subgroups at most. first of all it contributes to a lot of the weird bioessentialism written into the show second of all that’s just not how culture works. look at all those posts going around here joking about how what’s considered rude in one culture is polite in another, and that’s just in humans! “all klingons inherently have the Warrior’s Spirit” can you imagine if we said that about humans. sorry guys my ancestral scottish highlander genes are calling me to go beat the shit out of some englishmen i’ll brb

[bardicious]

Honestly tired of the criticism SNW gets from specifically Tumblr (cause when I check reddit, they love it lots). Like, there are some nitpicky ass people here.

Imo, the Gorn are awesome (you saw them once in TOS, get over it!), Spock/Chapel make sense and were always plausible (Also Spock had his fair share of female love interests in TOS that he knew less than Christine), regarding the silly episodes where Spock gets turned "human" or the new one where the crew turns "vulcan" (In quotes because a. I don't think the intention is for them to be accurate representation of either race b. we all just gonna ignore all the silly ass episodes in TOS like they're not part of the series' bread and butter), the musical episode was literally the best musical episode in the entirety of the genre of rando show doing a musical episode.

Spock this Spock that, there's so many complaints about Spock as if the Menagerie didn't have ooc Spock. The complaints about not having enough screen time for this character or that, like, again, let's be real, this show is for people who specifically loved TOS, of course you're going to have lots of Spock, Chapel, Uhura and yes, Jim also (because he's beyond crucial to Star Trek's legacy), and yes, maybe there should be more Ortega and idk whoever that other pilot is, but you still have focus on Pike, Una, and La'an, which is pretty damn good for a show that only has 10 episodes a season.

Lovely to see that the show has a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes, and a 93% from Google Users, which imo, despite the wackos I've seen on this site, is what really matters and means the show is going to keep trucking along despite a minority of negativity.

My long winded way to say, I can't wait for season 3! ❤️

[electronickingdomfox]

Star Trek V with audio commentary from Shatner:

Yeah, I wonder what’s in that scene that’d make two professional actors giggle so uncontrollably...

Yes, it is.

[thunderandsage]

ok but "the trouble with tribbles" may truly be the episode of all times:

Chekov: "it was inwented in Russia!"

the bartender just pulling out tribbles and more tribbles from under his desk

Kirk being disappointed with scotty not in that a fight happened but that it didn't happen to defend his honor

bones and spock sniping ("i like them--better than i like you" and "they do have one redeeming feature--they do not talk too much")

tribble upon tribble upon tribble on the bridge (and the inference that since the tribbles are multiplying so quickly because they were removed from their natural habitat, that natural habitat must have been the hellscape of all hellscapes alá fucking mustafar to justify need for the evolution of that exponential reproduction rate)

"mY cHICkeN sandWhiCh ANd cofFEe"

just—this progression:

[warpfactor9]

oh my god the original pitch for the 2nd tribbles episode (meant for the 3rd season of TOS, but eventually turned into More Tribbles, More Troubles for TAS) was that there was a predator variant of tribbles that reproduced just as quickly and they only found out they were predators when crew members suddenly started to disappear. can you even IMAGINE

[perseidlion]

This is why streaming is dying.

I'm Canadian, and I used to watch Star Trek on Crave. Crave saved us for awhile from the fracturing of the streaming landscape because it stayed as an umbrella service for quite some time. I used to get Star Trek, HBO, WB shows, Starz, Sony stuff...basically Hulu + HBO + Paramount. That was actually worth it because for the same monthy fee I could get House of the Dragon, Star Trek and more.

But that wasn't going to last forever. When Paramount+ launched in Canada, Star Trek got taken off Crave. I'm a huge Star Trek fan but even I couldn't justify a FIFTH streaming service just for Trek.

So I waited until Discovery was finished. And then I binged it and season 4 of Lower Decks. And then I cancelled. I won't get it again until S3 of Strange New Worlds and Season 4 of Lower Decks are finished, then I'll binge and cancel again.

There is literally nothing else on P+ I want to watch. I looked, because if there was something I'd cancel Netflix for a bit. But it's all movies I've seen and don't want to rewatch, shows I already have access to on other streamers, or things I have no interest in.

When the networks were working together to put lots of tasty treats under one streamer, it was absolutely worth it. I'd pay $20 a month for Crave if HBO kept making good shows (instead of cancelling them, RIP Our Flag Means Death) and if P+ had lots of Trek (and...didn't keep cancelling those shows like they did Lower Decks and Discovery.) Between that and Trek that would mean I always had a show releasing on the platform that I wanted to watch.

As long as there isn't a steady diet of things that appeal to me, I WILL keep subscribing, binging, and cancelling. Churn is the reason these networks aren't profitable. But there is literally no incentive for me to NOT do that when the things I want to watch are scattered across 5-6 different streamers, each charging $15+ a month.

In trying to get their slice of the pie, the networks have guaranteed there isn't enough food on their buffet to keep people coming back for more.

It creates a vicious cycle. This fracturing means there's not enough budget to support the flagship shows/franchises. Then, they get cancelled and/or budget reduced. So they take away or vastly reduce the thing I want to watch the most.

PLUS none of the networks are nurturing the cult hits/franchises of the future. Shows that have the potential to be the reason I subscribe are being cut off at the knees after virtually no promotion.

I watch every new show like Dead Boy Detectives knowing there is a very high likelihood that this will be the only season I'll get to watch. So much potential is left on the table. If there were four or more shows like Dead Boy Detectives and Kaos getting ongoing commitments from Netflix I wouldn't even consider cancelling my subscription. Instead, I know that any show that isn't an immediate cultural moment is probably getting the axe, or getting two seasons, max. Especially if it's SF&F. Especially if it's queer.

We live in the world where even the critically-acclaimed and franchise-based House of the Dragon is getting truncated episode runs and reduced support.

Regardless of how you feel about how Game of Thrones ended, that franchise is a cultural juggernaut. House of the Dragon is legitimately good and packed with talent. The rough patches of Season 2 can be easily traced back to reduced budgets/cut episode run at the last minute that forced the production team to scramble and adapt.

Honestly. Is there anyone actually committing to their series other than FX, AMC, and Amazon with Rings of Power? Although RoP can also be considered a sunk cost fallacy since Amazon invested a SHIT TON into the IP and the series, so they need it to work. They also have a wobbly track record supporting other shows. (I will never forgive them for cancelling A Leage of Their Own.)

FX and AMC are the only networks that feel like they're actually supporting their content. And what do you get for that? Shogun, one of the best shows in recent memory. The show absolutely swept awards season (and rightfully so) and is now setting itself up to be a tentpole show in the mold of such classics of the historical fiction genre like Deadwood, The Tudors, and Rome.

Interview With the Vampire, is an AMC show which has a very active and passionate fandom eager for more of it and Anne Rice's Immortal Universe. This is a rare example of a new franchise (albeit based on an existing, well-know IP) is really finding its feet and its audience. The audience for it is not of the size of something like House of the Dragon, but AMC is feeding the audience it does have unapologetically, with queer camp horror full of messy, toxic relationships.

Then there's What We Do in the Shadows, which seems to be ending on its own terms this year. FX is a Disney subsidary which somehow manages to commit to the series it creates, which proves it can still be done.

I do hope that FX and AMC continues to support their weird and wonderful shows, and I hope they keep getting rewarded for it with high ratings and awards so that the rest of the networks will smarten up.

If we hadn't just come out of a golden age of streaming where every network was producing excellent TV, all of this heavy cancellation and fragmentation wouldn't be quite so devastating.

Entertainment seems like it's constantly in a feast or famine churn. Right now, we're careening toward famine, which is full of one-season shows, overextended franchises, flagship shows being cut/restrained and a whole lot of cheap dreck.

It's the reality TV heyday all over again and I hate it.

[lmaster37]

started watching star trek TOS and will be intermittently posting about it here

mainly to talk about spock because WHAT is UP with him he is SO MUCH WEIRDER than i expected i LOVE him

"the fact that my internal arrangement differs from yours, doctor, pleases me to no end" WHAT DO YOU POSSIBLY MEAN BY THAT !! (star trek tos s01e06 mudd's women)

other hits so far include s01e02 charlie x who explodes people with his mind, s01e05 the enemy within bc i love evil clones and i love Actually This Clone Isn't Evil Because Aggression Tempered And Directed By Rationality And Compassion Is A Necessary Force and also william shatner absolutely killed that entire episode, and, of course, s01e04 the naked time. my god. they truly just gave spock and kirk That Interaction and then moved on. "jim..... i feel friendship for you....." "i've spent a whole lifetime.... learning to hide my feelings......" bites him bites him bites hi

anyway unrelated to all that but why is sulu so hot

[hyperfixationstationwithjinx]

went to a convention today: had to grab this even though I don’t have a record player currently.

Looking forward to being able to listen to it when i can get my hands on one~

Also i’m absolutely in love with the cover art- the blueprint aesthetic is just *chef’s kiss* 🤌

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

[dumb-alek]

Say what you want about SNW but I REALLY loved the way in the episode where Pike sees the future where Jim is not the captain of the Enterprise lil glimpses we get of him having just insane professional chemistry with Spock.

Like across realities and in different universes, Kirk sees Spock across the room through a video transmission and calls him impressive. It's like a jolt, bullseye, and laser focus towards eachother before they even meet in person.

They instantly agree and see eachother's point of view. There's SPARKS. I genuinely felt watching this as if they were the only people in the room (and I feel like the camera work in that conference room helped with that - purposely).

Not to mention Jim's full body turn he does when he watches Spock leave, which to me definitely betrayed some kind of interest on Jim's part.

I get being mad at comphet Spock, (though TOS did comphet Spock also so 🤷) and I think if snw went in a slightly different direction with Chapel they could do something interesting and canon-compliant, which is a shame.

But after finishing the 1st season I really do feel the show only gets better (when they lay off the one liners a bit and focus more on the honestly pretty cool episode ideas they have), and it looks like it's done with love, attention to details and understanding, overall, what star trek is. (Which I can't say about some other star trek media cough cough).

But most importantly, at least for the sake of this post and for the sake of the ship that started modern fandom culture, I feel like they understand the gravity of K/S.

Now, I'm not deluding myself that they're going to 'get together' within SNW, if it's to keep with the tos timeline even in the slightest. And as much as I enjoy the show, it doesn't seem likely for it to be breaking any new grounds. Besides, at this point in time it would make no sense, considering there's no space for them to be together in TOS until season three at best. Any alternatives would either be either out of character, or simply upsetting (such as an on and off relationship, a breakup, things I don't want to think about 😞)

HOWEVER. They already made a hint Chapel is bisexual, and while they do try to generally keep with TOS canon - they diverge from it only when they think they are the point A from which they can get to point B, which is TOS. I don't always agree with their vision, but I can respect it. So I wouldn't be that surprised (though ecstatic) if they hinted at at least at Kirk being bisexual, here and there.

And in TOS canon Spirk is inescapable. If we ignore the romantic interpretation, which is already pretty hard to ignore, then in their capacity as soulmates - a part of canon that's impossible to ignore. And with as little Jim and Spock as we got so far, I think they understand that.

In SNW keeping Kirk and Spock apart messed up the whole timeline! You could say that Spock dying is what really messed it up, but we can clearly see the episode we've seen in TOS from a different perspective and things went south the moment Chris started to act. Both Kirk and Spock are there - both the same as in the regular timeline, in their respective duties. But they're not together and them not being together is so bad for the universe that Chris has to go back in time to tell himself to die (well not die but suffer from a horrific accident).

And if it doesn't feel extremely monumental, soulmate level shit idk what to tell you

[noratheelk]

my family watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture

here are the highlights from my family's (mostly my dad's) commentary:

less than five minuets in when my dad said "it"s giving Star Wars"

"meanwhile, Spock's meditating near where Anakin lost his legs"

my dad: why does spock have long hair?

me: he's in his Beatles era

me: this is British Spock, and he's somehow even more fem than Spock.

my dad: Kirk's like "I have a type and it's femboy Vulcans" then Spock cocks an eyebrow "Fascinating"

she apparently heard about kirk's reputation 💀

"They put a beard on him in the transporter as a prank"

"why does McCoy have this gold medallion?"

"he's been off pirating"

"he got to have a cape!"

"why is Sulu in short sleeves?"

"he's showing off the gun show - wait everyone has summer clothes!"

"why is he still that doctor in the jail cell?" (a reference to this, from an episode of Bonanza)

I think it was around this time that Uhura says the line "No response to friendship messages, sir" which I found to be hilarious because that's how it feels to make friends

*Various mockings of Shatner's line delivery when saying "Spock"*

my dad pointed out this scene is taken almost directly from 2001: A Space Odyssey, I asked him if the scene in that movie was followed by an iconic bromance scene and he said no

"they get in there and it's just Trelane"

"Spock's got a hoodie"

"It's like one of those foam pits"

"V'Ger lives in a trampoline park"

[star-trek-smash-or-pass]

The Great Link

No propaganda submitted.

[pendragonsclotpole]

i really appreciate how so many youtube essays on shipping/slash/fandom/fanfiction in general include some kind of reference (verbal or visual) to spirk and destiel.

i just adore how these two ships have been objectively accepted as the forefathers of shipping culture. it’s like the fanon equivalent to that one academic work every related scholar in your field needs to cite to have any semblance of credibility. without the mention, who even are you?

two different eras. the ships that launched a thousand ships. one day there shall be a college class on fanfiction/fandom/shipping, and there will be posters of both of these ships, and they will be featured in the citations!

what other ships will be/are in this category?

[emilinqa]

i rewatched mirror mirror earlier and theres a bit of an untapped comedy to kirk's final words in the mirrorverse is him trying to convince mirror spock to mutiny. like, its for the purposes of overthrowing the fascist federation but its funny because it comes off like

kirk: you should crazy murder the evil version of me. by the way. goodbye forever

evil spock (with a beard): i'll think about it

[muirmarie]

thinking about if tos mccoy had died before romulus was destroyed, tos spock could've been carrying his not-quite-a-katra during the events of the aos movies