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Star Trek Discovery


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So while formal reviews are embargoed at the moment, the early buzz on this show is surprisingly pretty good.  For the moment I have my own test I'm applying to early reviews....the more times a review mentions "diversity" or "ground breaking", the less likely I am to find the review credible.  

 

This early looks seems to mostly pass that test. But of course the show could still suck.

 

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The Discovery theme started out very promisingly for me, but my enthusiasm deflated when the chugging strings kicked in.

 

I saw some positive comments from Nana Visitor and Jonathan Frakes on Twitter about the show, and while there's a cynical gremlin in my ear, I'm really hoping this show is good...I was too young for the explosion of Star Trek in the 90's, so I would love to have an actual, current and breathing Star Trek series that I can happily "be a part of" in my adult years, stuff to make me go "wow" the way watching The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine must have done for 90's audiences at several points.  (It's so easy to imagine watching episodes like "Beyond the Stars" or that arc with the Federation paranoia about the shapeshifters when they premiered and calling a friend immediately after: "Oh my god, did you see that!?")

 

 

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So we got done watching our show and I flipped over to live TV and this was on the antenna.

 

Special effects are great, so far. They're investigating an asteroid field. How much did I miss?

 

The crew here has seriously way more chemistry and personality than the Orville crew.  And everything is way faster and zippier. 

 

So far this rally isn't bad at all

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I paused it so I can fast forward through the commercial breaks, so all I've seen is the teaser and opening titles. Both were bad. The Klingon makeup? What? The theme is, of course, terrible. I don't blame the composer, though. I'm sure he was just as astonished he landed this gig as we all are. It makes me miss the Enterprise opening song (AKA "My Heart Will Go On" or whatever the hell it was called) for Christ's sake. The intro looks like a DVD special features menu screen. Very, very bad.

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I haven't heard the theme music nor seen whatever the intro is.  When I flipped to it they were approaching an asteroid field. I have no idea how far into the ep that was, or even how long this episode is or whatever.

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The Klingon makeup was indeed a lil iffy.  But I love the command staff of the USS Shenzhou so far.  Michelle Yeoh and Walking Dead lady are both great.

 

The sequence exploring the asteroids was very cool.

 

Make up may be iffy but I like the new visual design for the Klingon cultural iconography.

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Yea I'm enjoying this a lot so far.

 

Was that commercial advertising how ep 2 is already on their app a massive spoiler?

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2 minutes ago, Jay said:

So many commercials!

 

So how much episode was there before they arrived at the asteroid field?

 

The Klingons gave a voiceover at the beginning, but I left the room to get dinner. 

 

Michelle and the Walking Dead girl were down on the desert planet from the trailers wearing Jedi robes. They broke the Prime Directive and drew in the sand to signal their starship to find them in a storm and beam them out, with a nifty presentation of the Courage fanfare. Then the titles rolled. 

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The titles didn't suck, actually. It's been a long time, getting from titles that suck to here... Oh shit. 

 

This black lady is racist. She should sit down. They're going to give her a her own command? 

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What the... That was it? The Klingon ships showing up is the end of the episode? Gotta pay Viacom to see what happens next? That's disappointing.

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4 minutes ago, Jay said:

What the... That was it? The Klingon ships showing up is the end of the episode? Gotta pay Viacom to see what happens next? That's disappointing.

 

It was widely reported beforehand this would be a serialized show.  I already subscribed anyway just to watch this show so I guess I’m all in.

 

Or just torrent them of course, haha.

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Basically the free TV airing ends up being a tease to get you to subscribe to the app, and not a complete storyline to sell you on the premise. Oh well.

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The main character is completely unsympathetic and unlikeable. I have zero interest in watching any more, at least not if I need to pay for it. 

 

Worf's parents were also killed by an alien race, and while he yearned for revenge, he never attacked his commanding officer to use his Starfleet position to take that revenge. At least not that I remember, and not when they were trying to sell us the character. 

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I thought she was an interesting character.  She's got some serious early childhood Klingon-related trauma that she's never really gotten over. Her reaction to certain war (which she was right about) was honestly understandable.  All of her Starfleet training (and some kind of Vulcan background) just falls apart and it will be interesting to see where she goes from here.  Probably her arc this season will be learning that Starfleet's diplomacy first at all costs is the morally correct choice or something.  I also just really enjoyed the actor's performance.

 

I thought this episode really sold the fact that this is a crew, Starfleet training or not, that is facing incredible danger from a strange threat and people are raw and emotional in that state.  It's a marked contrast with the TNG era especially where mortal danger was often met with reactions that were almost too calm at times (maybe even a little bored).  These aren't superhumans who have mastered pesky primitive emotions.

 

Also, remember that this is a single season-long story.  Previous Star Trek shows were centered completely on setting up a crew that the audience will like and want to watch for years to come.  This is a show that has one story that it is telling with a beginning middle and end.  Its first priority is not making you like the characters.

 

Can't wait to watch episode 2!

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29 minutes ago, crocodile said:

@Disco Stu you mean episode 3, right?

 

Karol

 

In the USA, Episode 1 aired on broadcast television anyone with an antennae or basic cable could see for free, while episode 2 was only available via a paid online service.


In every other country, episodes 1 & 2 launched simultaneously on Netflix.

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- I had to turn up the volume whenever the captain spoke, especially since the air conditioner was cranking on an unseasonably gross hot evening. I eventually settled for closed captioning. I hope she's replaced with Jason Isaacs as I can at least understand what he's saying.

 

- But it looks like his character is exclusive to the streaming series, which is only available for a fee.

 

- I wish they had turned on the universal translator for the "Klingon" scenes. Extended scenes of aliens talking in an alien language with subtitles felt a bit satiric.

 

- The alien science officer was like a more reserved See-Threepio.

 

- What the fuck was that robot on the bridge?

 

I'm curious to keep watching since it's technically sort of Trek, even though the first episode did nothing for me. But why the fuck is it an exclusive streaming series?

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I watched that first episode on CBS, but have zero desire to go pay them a monthly fee to watch more.  Look, I get making it seem more futuristic based on our ability to create special effects like that now, but they are essentially more advanced than anything seen through the 24th century.  It's just too much.

 

And the Klingons.  Sigh...  At least take the marbles out of your mouth before speaking.  

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1 hour ago, stewdog1 said:

And the Klingons.  Sigh...  At least take the marbles out of your mouth before speaking.  

 

I hate that they spoke slowly enough for CBS' white text closed captioning to be read along at home. With pauses placed. Wherever the captioning needed. To catch up. 

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I found it a bit non-descript so far. Matches the main title music in that regard. Partly perhaps because the pacing and scoring was rather erratic. Not uninteresting, but not (yet?) very gripping either. I liked the two female leads, both the characters and the performances (didn't recognise SMG from Walking Dead). Not sure yet if I'll warm up to the Klingons, especially considering it's supposed to be set in the same universe and makes Worf's comments in Trials and Tribble-ations even more worrisome.

 

All in all, not bad for a Trek pilot.

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