"Short Treks" Discovery minisodes discussion (SPOILERS)

[Darth Lucifer]

This is a catch-all discussion thread for the new short episodes from CBS All Access (and other sources, I'm not up to speed on the broadcasting rights and Netflix, etc.). Definitely spoiler territory; I've made some comments in other places and wanted to share the same thoughts here.

First, we have "Runaway." Many of my trekkie peers who like Discovery liked this a lot, it was really great to see Tilly again, plus some insight into her character. One person asked:

I didn't understand why the food replicators went crazy.

I'm convinced that Po is a technopath...The replicators going crazy happened when Po encountered Tilly for the first time and she was freaked out which psychically manifested itself in the machines around her immediate vicinity; the food replicators. Earlier, she activated the console to open the cargo container from across the bay and later, she also shut off Tilly's computer from several feet away. Being a technopath would also explain her natural affinity for advanced technology (but does NOT explain why she would sniff a computer console ).

With a runtime of only 13:20 (minus credits and Calypso trailer), "Runaway" was all too brief. I guess that's why it's called "Short Treks" but even 5-6 more minutes would have been nice.

From a character building standpoint, I think this episode is fantastic; seeing Mom and her reaction to her daughter applying for the Command Training program explains a lot about Tilly's personality in the beginning of the series; timid, lacking in confidence, afraid to take risks, etc. Now that's she's wiser and more seasoned, it was great to see the Starfleet officer impart her knowledge and experience to the younger alien girl in a way that her own mother failed to do.

I like the mention of recrystallizing dilithium, it reminded me of Scotty's feat of restoring warp to the Bounty in Star Trek IV. Tilly's reaction tells me that this technology is either unknown to the Federation or beyond Federation science at this point...then I pulled up the script for TVH:

SCOTT: It's these Klingon crystals, Admiral. The time-travel drained them. They're giving out. De-crystallising.
KIRK: Give me a round figure, Mister Scott.
SCOTT: Oh, twenty-four hours, give or take, staying cloaked. After that, Admiral, we're visible, ...and dead in the water. In any case, we won't have enough to break out of Earth's gravity, to say nothing of getting back home.
KIRK: I can't believe we've come this far only to be stopped by this! Is there no way to re-crystallise dilithium?
SCOTT: Sorry, sir. We can't even do that in the twenty-third century.

Once again, we see holographic images interacting with a live environment as if they were in the room with the speaker. Why doesn't this communication work both ways? At least Mom didn't sit on Tilly's furniture the way Sarek sat on Michael's desk in "The Vulcan Hello."

I think my biggest nitpick about the episode is how Po got on and off Discovery. I wonder how exactly she was able to get into a Starfleet cargo container in the first place. And how could she beam home unless A) Discovery was in orbit of Xahea or B) Discovery has the formula for transwarp beaming. Also, it seems like anybody can just walk into a transporter room (without a "breath scan" ugh) and use it willy-nilly without raising any suspicions or alarms. It wouldn't be the first time in Trek we've seen this gross lack of internal security; teenage boys stealing shuttlecraft and all...

I'm really hoping we get to see Xahea and Queen Po in a future installment of Star Trek: Discovery.

[Darth Lucifer]

Star Trek's next mini-episode is set 1000 years after Discovery
It's the furthest into the future the franchise has ever gone.

Star Trek is undoubtedly enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in reason years, what with the release of the Chris Pine-led film franchise and CBS' Discovery series.

And more recently, a Jean-Luc Picard spin-off show starring Patrick Stewart was announced, as well as an animated comedy series from one of the writers of Rick and Morty.

But before the franchise boldly goes off in those new directions, Trekkies have a series of short films based around Star Trek: Discovery to look forward to. Check out the trailer below.

Three of the four announced shorts will focus on established character from Discovery, but the fourth, written by Michael Chabon, will take Star Trek further into the future than ever before.

The short, which is titled 'Calypso' and depicts a lone man stuck on-board a ship with only a giggling AI for company, is set 1000 years after Discovery.

The furthest we've ever been in the Star Trek timeline is 3074, as Star Trek: Voyager flashed forward to give us a glimpse of an advanced alien civilisation. And 'Calypso' goes even further than that, so this really is uncharted territory for the franchise and viewers.

Speaking of Star Trek: Voyager, Orange is the New Black and former Captain Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew has said that she'd like to reprise the role as the franchise expands.

Mulgrew even admitted that she'd love to do a crossover, featuring herself, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/star-trek- ... discovery/

[Elheru Aran]

Really, farther into the future than the Enterprise-J bit in Enterprise?

[Darth Lucifer]

Ok, so this means we're going even further than Daniels and Archer, when they time-warped to the ruins of 31st century Earth. I don't see the point of this detail, unless it adds to the story somehow. All this does is spoil what is sure to be a bombshell moment for Craft.

The trailer doesn't really show you anything we don't already know; we've seen Aldis Hodge in booty shorts and him just kind of poking about the ship before. The computer POV shots and the device on the wall (now I have to go back and see if there are these sorts of black spheres scattered about Discovery I might have missed) establish we're dealing with an AI, the ship's computer, which they already leaked from day one. We briefly see an energy bolt strike a drifting Discovery, I'm guessing this is the catalyst for Craft waking up, the computer acting weird or possibly both.

I'm beginning to wonder if Craft is a civilian...we see him in a jumpsuit similar to the ones worn by the prisoners accompanying Michael Burnham in "Context is for Kings." (WTF is up with those shoes?) Another promotional image shows him sitting before a chess board sporting a hoodie, but no Starfleet uniform.

One thing's for sure, my prediction of Aldis Hodge being Shazad Latif's replacement is out the window.

[houser2112]

Star Trek is undoubtedly enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in reason years, what with the release of the Chris Pine-led film franchise and CBS' Discovery series.

"In reason years"?

Is the concept of an editor not a thing anymore?

[Darth Lucifer]

Re: Calypso...Another Short Trek that seemed far too short. This was a pretty good episode, though I did prefer Runaway.

I did find it strange that Craft decided to set up an old style hammock in the transporter room of all places, it just seems totally random. What, Zora didn't offer him a bed with a mattress? No explanation given on-screen but off-screen I think it was a stylistic decision...that and redressing the crew quarters set would have cost more $$$.

I think this is the first episode where we've seen someone actually make physical contact with a hologram. 23rd century holography is pretty sophisticated; between this episode and the battle simulation seen in "Lethe" they should have full blown TNG-style holodecks right now.

So apparently Craft had stolen the escape pod he was found in, which just happened to be outfitted with 542,000 movies? I could see a starship's library having something liek that but an escape pod? That's just silly.

I kind of wish there was a "cabin fever" element to the story, which also factors into Craft's decision to leave. Sooner or later I think he would have gone a little crazy from being cooped up in a starship, even one the size of Discovery.

The "V'draysh" and his description of it sounds an awful lot like the Federation if you ask me. Craft did mention he had stolen his escape craft, which had Betty Boop cartoons and computer readouts in English. One early report before the episode aired mentioned the possibility of Craft being an alien, but he said he's human. My guess is some kind of future civil war in the 33rd century....Maquis 2.0? Colonists vs. member worlds? Humanity versus everyone else?

The part where Zora cried was so sad. She grew on me in the short time we saw her on screen and it's going to suck going into season 2 without her. Maybe if we're lucky, they'll get this version of Discovery back at some later point.

[bilateralrope]

The episode itself didn't come across any anything special. I feel like I've seen stories like it before. The only part that stands out is the Discovery identifying his homeworld because his tattoo is limited to that planet. When the ships records are 1,000 years out of date

What worries me are the implications of the episode:
- The Discovery is going to be abandoned and forgotten. That's a rather depressing way to end the series.
- I got the implication that the Federation didn't exist. Sure, it's possible that the V'draysh are an evolution of the Federation, or they are both colonies that have isolated themselves from it. But that requires a level of subtlety from the writers that I find hard to believe after the season 1 ending of the Klingon ships slowly moving towards Earth for the entire episode.

I want Star Trek to depict an optimistic future.

[Darth Lucifer]

The preview trailer for "The Brightest Star," the third Short Treks minisode featuring Saru, just went up recently:

[Darth Lucifer]

In the meantime, a "Captain Saru" comic was announced recently, details below:

https://comicbook.com/startrek/2018/11/ ... tain-saru/

IDW Publishing has revealed new details about the upcoming release of Star Trek: Discovery: Captain Saru.

Releasing in February 2019, Star Trek: Discovery: Captain Saru is written by Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson and drawn by Angel Hernandez.



Star Trek: Discovery: Captain Saru is 48-pages and takes place just before the conclusion of Star Trek: Discovery Season One. Here’s the summary provided by StarTrek.com:

"Captain Saru is an all-new Discovery adventure that ties directly into season one of the CBS All Access show. In it, soon after the events on Qo'noS, the Discovery receives an urgent distress call from someone from Tilly’s past. It’s up to Saru to lead the crew against this amazing alien threat in his first mission as acting captain.

Johnson teased that a story like Captain Saru was on the way during an interview with ComicBook.com in October.

“I can tell you that the plan right now is to tell the story that involves the whole Discovery crew as we know and love them, and it will be more of a contemporary story in terms of the present time of Discovery and not so much a flashback like our other ones have been,” Johnson said. “So that's sort of the teaser for the next one.”

This isn’t the first time that Saru has been given a chance to shine in the Star Trek: Discovery expanded universe. The third Star Trek: Discovery novel from Pocket Books, Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself by James Swallow, is a prequel that focuses on Saru during his days aboard the Shenzhou under Captain Philippa Georgiou’s command.

Fans will more about Saru’s history in the upcoming episode of Star Trek: Short Treks titled “The Brightest Star.” The short film stars Doug Jones as a younger Saru on his homeworld of Kaminar, where he first developed the sense curiosity and wonder that is rare among the Kelpien people and that set him on his path to joining Starfleet.

I'd love to check this out, but not for $7.99USD. That's insanely priced for a comic book, unless it's more of a graphic novel. At least the cover art is beautiful, except for the fact that Commander Burnham features more prominently than Captain Saru, which is just dumb. This is HIS story, not Michael's.

Also, I wonder how much time passed between the award ceremony in "Will You Take My Hand?" and the rendezvous with Enterprise. It didn't seem like all that long but I guess they can squeeze a story like this into canon (even though it's not canon). What sucks for Saru is that he's now been removed from the captain's chair twice...once by Starfleet Command when they allowed Mirror Georgiou to command the mission to Qo'noS and then a second time when they decide to bring Captain Pike aboard at the end of Season 1. Poor guy.

I hope they finally show this binary species relationship of predator and prey Saru mentioned in "The Vulcan Hello." I hope they also explain how a world like his could possibly even be a member of the Federation; I would think that breeding intelligent species as livestock would be a violation of human inter-species rights or something. If they're not part of the Federation, then how can Saru even join Starfleet? But given the runtime allotted for these webisodes I'm not holding my breath for a reasonable or detailed explanation.

[tezunegari]

[...]
If they're not part of the Federation, then how can Saru even join Starfleet? But given the runtime allotted for these webisodes I'm not holding my breath for a reasonable or detailed explanation.

Non-Federation citizen's applying for Starfleet require a letter of reference by a Captain (or command-level I think) of Starfleet.
At least that's the case by the time of DS9 (and possibly TNG considering Data with his "unique" situation of being the only active positronic android).

DS9 3.14 "Heart of Stone" I believe was the episode were Nog tried to get the recommendation from Sisko to join Starfleet.

If they show that in the Saru short I'd actually be impressed for the continuation but... I highly doubt they will.

[Lord Revan]

[...]
If they're not part of the Federation, then how can Saru even join Starfleet? But given the runtime allotted for these webisodes I'm not holding my breath for a reasonable or detailed explanation.

Non-Federation citizen's applying for Starfleet require a letter of reference by a Captain (or command-level I think) of Starfleet.
At least that's the case by the time of DS9 (and possibly TNG considering Data with his "unique" situation of being the only active positronic android).

DS9 3.14 "Heart of Stone" I believe was the episode were Nog tried to get the recommendation from Sisko to join Starfleet.

If they show that in the Saru short I'd actually be impressed for the continuation but... I highly doubt they will.

I would suspect that Starfleet might also allow volunteers from systems/nations who are applying for Federation membership to join under certain circumstances. This could the way Kira was given a Starfleet commander commission during the late DS9, formally that is we know the true reason why she was given SF commission instead of her orginal bajoran militia one.

[FaxModem1]

[...]
If they're not part of the Federation, then how can Saru even join Starfleet? But given the runtime allotted for these webisodes I'm not holding my breath for a reasonable or detailed explanation.

Non-Federation citizen's applying for Starfleet require a letter of reference by a Captain (or command-level I think) of Starfleet.
At least that's the case by the time of DS9 (and possibly TNG considering Data with his "unique" situation of being the only active positronic android).

DS9 3.14 "Heart of Stone" I believe was the episode were Nog tried to get the recommendation from Sisko to join Starfleet.

If they show that in the Saru short I'd actually be impressed for the continuation but... I highly doubt they will.

I would suspect that Starfleet might also allow volunteers from systems/nations who are applying for Federation membership to join under certain circumstances. This could the way Kira was given a Starfleet commander commission during the late DS9, formally that is we know the true reason why she was given SF commission instead of her orginal bajoran militia one.

Yes, they do. Sometimes to the point that they look the other way on cadets who aren't yet ready. At least, according to a very self doubting young Celes:

JANEWAY: I saw the same sensor readings you did, and came to the same conclusion. You don't have to doubt yourself all the time.
CELES: Yes I do, and you should too. You're right to always be looking over my shoulder.
JANEWAY: We all make mistakes, even me.
CELES: Every day? Every time you report for duty? On Voyager it doesn't matter because nothing I do is that critical. Seven doesn't trust me with anything important. The crew is protected from my mistakes by the people around me, but out here I could get us killed.
JANEWAY: You went through Starfleet training courses.
CELES: I had to cram for every exam.
JANEWAY: At the Academy, I was infamous for my all-nighters.
CELES: Every night? Because that's what it took. That's the only way I made it through. Not to mention the sympathy votes. The conflict on Bajor worked in my favour. The Federation was so eager to have Bajorans in Starfleet that my instructors gave me the benefit of the doubt. So did you, when you accepted my application.
JANEWAY: You showed evidence of unconventional thinking. I liked that. Not everybody would have thought to retrieve that hull plating.
CELES: Well, just don't trust me with the analysis. I guarantee I'll get it wrong.
JANEWAY: Well, with that attitude, I'm sure you will.

So Starfleet does bring in nationals from prospective members, as a way to integrate them into the Federation.

[tezunegari]

Non-Federation citizen's applying for Starfleet require a letter of reference by a Captain (or command-level I think) of Starfleet.
At least that's the case by the time of DS9 (and possibly TNG considering Data with his "unique" situation of being the only active positronic android).

DS9 3.14 "Heart of Stone" I believe was the episode were Nog tried to get the recommendation from Sisko to join Starfleet.

If they show that in the Saru short I'd actually be impressed for the continuation but... I highly doubt they will.

I would suspect that Starfleet might also allow volunteers from systems/nations who are applying for Federation membership to join under certain circumstances. This could the way Kira was given a Starfleet commander commission during the late DS9, formally that is we know the true reason why she was given SF commission instead of her orginal bajoran militia one.

Yes, they do. Sometimes to the point that they look the other way on cadets who aren't yet ready. At least, according to a very self doubting young Celes:

JANEWAY: I saw the same sensor readings you did, and came to the same conclusion. You don't have to doubt yourself all the time.
CELES: Yes I do, and you should too. You're right to always be looking over my shoulder.
JANEWAY: We all make mistakes, even me.
CELES: Every day? Every time you report for duty? On Voyager it doesn't matter because nothing I do is that critical. Seven doesn't trust me with anything important. The crew is protected from my mistakes by the people around me, but out here I could get us killed.
JANEWAY: You went through Starfleet training courses.
CELES: I had to cram for every exam.
JANEWAY: At the Academy, I was infamous for my all-nighters.
CELES: Every night? Because that's what it took. That's the only way I made it through. Not to mention the sympathy votes. The conflict on Bajor worked in my favour. The Federation was so eager to have Bajorans in Starfleet that my instructors gave me the benefit of the doubt. So did you, when you accepted my application.
JANEWAY: You showed evidence of unconventional thinking. I liked that. Not everybody would have thought to retrieve that hull plating.
CELES: Well, just don't trust me with the analysis. I guarantee I'll get it wrong.
JANEWAY: Well, with that attitude, I'm sure you will.

So Starfleet does bring in nationals from prospective members, as a way to integrate them into the Federation.

Celes is not really a trustworthy source for Starfleet "looking the other way".
She seems highly self-concious with low self-esteem to the point of it possibly being clinical as she appears to see everything as "sympathy votes" instead of passing her tests by herself.

[Darth Lucifer]

Finally saw "The Brightest Star" over the weekend...this was the shortest of the minisodes, clocking in at 15:04 with credits and trailers for the final Short Trek featuring Harry Mudd.

I like the cinematography and the scenes establishing the setting, it reminded me of Star Trek: Insurrection, though not so bright and cheerful. Instead of heartwarming scenes of watering plants and hand-slapped dough, we see something different on Kanimar...this ever present obelisk and ever present fear of being chosen. Like the Ba'ku in ST:IX, the Kelpiens are apparently a pre-industrial society.

The religious father of Saru talks of balance and such but I got this Logan's Run kind of vibe where it's really a sham. Saru feels that something is wrong about the ritual sacrifices and asks some very hard questions.

A piece of the Ba'ul technology one day shows up and Saru's father tells his son to destroy it. Instead, he tinkers with it and figures out how to send out a message into space. This is the part I kind of predicted earlier...he's rescued from the planet (by a very familiar face) and can't ever return due to cultural contamination/Prime Directive reasons. Unfortunately we don't see the Ba'ul...maybe food for season 2 along with a possible return to the Kelpien homeworld.

This could have been a lot darker than it actually turned out to be. "The Brightest Star" does a great job establishing Saru's backstory. It expresses the spirit of Star Trek very much and I hope we get more awesomeness like this.

[bilateralrope]

I liked that one.

Next we have a Mudd episode. Where I fear that we are supposed to sympathise with a sex trafficker.

[Darth Lucifer]

The last of the Discovery minisodes, "The Escape Artist" featuring Harry Mudd is coming soon (January 3rd) and I'm going to post some images from the teaser. I spoilerized the images as not to shred the page formatting just in case.

Spoiler

They really don't show you much, but that's why it's a teaser.

It's cool to see an Orion female dressed in something other than skimpy dancer costumes, I can't recall any instance of Trek doing otherwise (it's not much of an improvement, but still...) I also like the Tellarite's makeup and the pissed off Klingon woman...at first I thought she was an another alien, but she's got the double flared nostrils you see on the Discovery Klingons. Those look like grooves cut into her skin to make patterns or something. I think this is a thing in real life, but I'm not about to Google that shit....

The other Klingon looks familiar, it may be General Kol; it would fit into the story with him showing up after L'Rell's prisoners had escaped by exploding the side of her face. My guess is "The Escape Artist" tells the backstory of how Mudd got away from the Klingons after Lorca and Tyler left him on the prison vessel in "Choose Your Pain" (s01e05). That's sure to be an entertaining "anti-hero" story...and we'll actually see Mudd win in the end for once.

[tezunegari]

The last of the Discovery minisodes, "The Escape Artist" featuring Harry Mudd is coming soon (January 3rd) and I'm going to post some images from the teaser. I spoilerized the images as not to shred the page formatting just in case.

[...]

They really don't show you much, but that's why it's a teaser.

It's cool to see an Orion female dressed in something other than skimpy dancer costumes, I can't recall any instance of Trek doing otherwise (it's not much of an improvement, but still...) I also like the Tellarite's makeup and the pissed off Klingon woman...at first I thought she was an another alien, but she's got the double flared nostrils you see on the Discovery Klingons. Those look like grooves cut into her skin to make patterns or something. I think this is a thing in real life, but I'm not about to Google that shit....

The other Klingon looks familiar, it may be General Kol; it would fit into the story with him showing up after L'Rell's prisoners had escaped by exploding the side of her face. My guess is "The Escape Artist" tells the backstory of how Mudd got away from the Klingons after Lorca and Tyler left him on the prison vessel in "Choose Your Pain" (s01e05). That's sure to be an entertaining "anti-hero" story...and we'll actually see Mudd win in the end for once.

Image four (or that other pissed off klingon woman): isn't that L'Rell with her post Disruptor-facepeeling?

[Darth Lucifer]

Maybe it is, I didn't think it was Mary Chieffo at first. But I just googled a bunch of images and I think you're right. She's wearing a different outfit too, one that doesn't make her look like a linebacker for American football. Recovering from a disruptor blast would certainly explain all of that shit on her face as well.

When I was speculating about the plot being a continuation from the prison vessel, I also thought about Mudd's other appearance in "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad...." It would be neat to see how Mudd acquired his starship, Andorian helmet and time-manipulation technology, but given the brief nature of these minisodes I just think the focus will be on how he escapes Klingon captivity.

Oh one more thing...in that episode Mudd mentioned to Tyler he had parted ways with his bug cellmate, it would be kind of cool to see him again.

[Lord Revan]

That outfit could be another "casual" outfit like the one L'Rell wore in one of the earlier episodes, it's not the same outfit but it's not impossible to think that L'Rell has more then 1 outfit (or 2 if that "casual" outfit isn't just the underlayer of the armor).

[Darth Lucifer]

"The Escape Artist" is easily the best and most entertaining Short Trek out of them all. I'm glad they saved the best for last. This story takes place after "Magic" and apparently Mudd has escaped from the clutches of Stella. There are also a couple of brief flashback scenes to fill in the gaps...in one of them is the alien woman discussed above. Alas, it wasn't Mary Cheiffo/L'Rell. I'm not even sure if she's supposed to be Klingon; Mudd only refers to her as a bounty hunter.

The main antagonist is a Tellarite, and unlike previous appearances of his species this guy has alot of dialogue. The makeup is superb and the actor is very good; I hope to see him in a future episode.

The twist at the end is so freakin awesome, I don't want to mention it right now. But I will say that there are some great easter eggs in this minisode that fans of TOS will immediately catch. I also plan to post more screencaps when I get time.

We're less than two weeks away from Season 2 now, I'm excited as hell.

[bilateralrope]

I just watched it. Mudd has lots of attempted murders, but no successful murders. They are really pushing us to like Mudd, aren't they ?

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

Finally got my hands on these. Very great episodes. They leave quite a lot of imagination out there.

"The Brightest Star" is so intriguing I can't help to wonder some issues:
1. The Ba'ul just carelessly throw away their tech on the planet? They assume the Kelpians couldn't understand it?
2. Saru, as a pre-industrial society member understanding how to use Ba'ul technology. They seem to understand that it is "technology" and forbid the use of it. But with these restrictions as well as seemingly lack of the relevant knowledge base it's kind of a stretch seeing Saru using it. Even assuming he's just kind of a sending shotgun "Anybody there?" message.
3. The Ba'ul not detecting said message.

All of the above leads to me wonder whether there are some Kelpian sympathizers in the Ba'ul or some other interesting explanation. It looks like a big chance of a plot that likely but hopefully not be wasted.

4. Is this happening in Federation territory? If yes, it seems that this opens some issues over the Prime Directive. If it's not, there still some morality issues to discuss.

[Crazedwraith]

Just watched these over the weekend. If Discovery lasts a long time, I wonder if they'll keep continuity with Calypso and the ship's fate.

Also the end of Escape artist made me wonder: Spoiler

Were the supposed Flashbacks, actually flashbacks to the real Mudd, or other robots going through the Act for other bounty hunters?

[Darth Lucifer]

Bumped this thread for discussion of the new "Short Treks" minisodes between seasons 2 and 3. CBS has made six installments this time around and also put out a teaser trailer for Season 3.

First up is "Q & A" which presumably takes place before Season 2, when Ensign Spock is first assigned to Enterprise. Most of the episode takes place in a turbolift car, when Number One and Spock become stuck together for a time.

Random comments:

-Rebecca Romijn was awesome as Number One and breathed much life into what I felt was a flat character. Ethan Peck returns as Spock and played a wet-behind-the-ears crewman very well. Also, he cleans up nice with the smooth face and blue science uniform.

-I loved the interiors of Enterprise; the corridors, the turbolift and bridge all hearken back to the TOS era designs, updated for today's audiences. It's like Kelvin-prise and Classic Connie had a love child and Discovery's version of Enterprise was the result.

-Lots of TOS sound effects could be heard in the background, including the signature door sound of Classic Trek.

- "No need to shout, Ensign Spock." Nice shout-out (sorry couldn't resist the pun) to all of Leonard Nimoy's over-the-top yelling from TOS "The Cage."

- Number One's PADD has her name down as "Lieutenant Commander Una." This is later mentioned in spoken dialogue.

- Spock's serial number is the same one from TOS.

- Once again we see the "pinball rails" and huge internal volume of the ship when the turbolift stalls. You can even see a workbee buzzing about in the background.

-Number One singing "Modern Major General" from "The Pirates of Penzance" was unexpected and a bit of a treat. Spock's response is even more unexpected, and elicited much joy and laughter from me.

-Interesting to note that the engineer which preceeded Mr. Scott is Welsh.

-I think Captain Pike forgot to put on his "Just For Men" coloring because it seems like he's got alot more grey hair than in season 2.

Overall, a very enjoyable mini-episode. Following this Short Trek is "The Trouble With Edward" featuring everyone's favorite intergalactic furballs, Tribbles!

[Darth Lucifer]

Re: "The Trouble With Edward"... this one is pretty hilarious but at the same time remains true to canon. It still boggles my mind how Tribbles can so easily violate the law of conservation of mass without literally destroying their own immediate environment and everyone in it.

- Rosa Salazar as Captain Lucero was enjoyable to see. She captured the right feel for a scientist-turned-freshly-minted-Starfleet-captain.

- H. Jon Benjamin was a hoot! His character, Edward Larkin was a good blend of awkward-nerdy guy and mad scientist. The back and forth between Edward and Captain Lucero on ending the conversation was funny. Also the fact that it was his fault that Tribbles became an intergalactic menace and the scourge of the Klingon Empire.

-The crewman with the giant Tribble-Vac in the background was hilarious.

-I kind of felt bad for Captain Lucero at the end for getting court-martialed after such a short time in the Captain's chair.

-Be sure to watch AFTER the credits. I won't say anything else.

-This is just me nitpicking, but I can't think of an in-universe reason why Captain Lucero didn't just vent the ship's atmosphere instead of letting the damned Tribbles overrun the entire ship. Even if that wasn't possible, why the hell wouldn't you destroy an infested ship if you were going to abandon it? Yes, I know they began to cause systems to malfunction (maybe the auto-destruct was compromised), but you could still send a distress signal to another Starfleet vessel and they could phaser or torpedo the ship until it exploded.

Setting aside nitpicks like that, TTWE was a good (if somewhat goofy) mini-sode. But I don't want too much humor and silliness; the next Short Trek I hope is a little more serious in tone.