Strange New Worlds (spoilers)

[Crazedwraith]

I apologize for spoilers once again. Had no intention of that.

Also apologies again, I meant that somewhat facetiously, it didn't translate through online text.

Oh no worries on either account. I shouldn't have been snippy about it. I apologise. I only brought it up again because bilateralrope asked.

[Evilchumlee]

Whelp, fixed it.

Spoiler

So, the neat thing was going to Rigel VII. It looked cool and they actually did a pretty good job of making the Kalar still kind of look like they did in "The Cage". The palace looked good too and... I don't know... close enough to it's TOS depiction.

A small gripe I have is the sheer amount of crap left on the planet from the "The Cage". Why did they go down there with... at least 10 crew? Why did apparently ALL of them have phaser rifles, and they weren't able to bring back like, any?! Granted I didn't actually count how many given out but it seems like they just had too much stuff.

I appreciate the internal consistency, even if I despise Discovery, of having era-appropriate Phaser Rifles being left behind (i.e., Discovery rifles). I don't think we ever got a great look at it, but Zac seemed to still be wearing his Starfleet uniform... for some reason... and it didn't look quite like an SNW era or a DSC era... kind of actually looked simpler, like just a red V-neck shirt... which kind of tracks for a nuCage.

I'm already tired of "I have a dark past" M'Benga.

I like Ortegas more than I thought I would though. I compare Ortegas to O'Brian. She's just, a regular person. No secret dark past. No secret genetic augments. No secret dark family history. No secret future knowledge. No quirky, eccentric alien stuff. She's just, a pilot, on a ship. I like that... not everyone needs to have some extraordinary story. Some... MOST... are just people.

Ortegas does need like, an Ortegas episode. She's by far the least developed of any character... but it might actually be a part of why I like her. I fear that, given too much to do, Ortegas will lose the "regular person" thing and have some crazy backstory thing that REALLY isn't necessary.

I could do with an Ortegas/Chapel episode. Have Ortegas finally get her wish, go on an Away Team and... the shit hits the fan. Maybe Ortegas and Spock, although... I don't know... there was what might have just been a throwaway line in this episode that I fear could give me the "dark backstory" I don't want, coupled with the previous season finale... Not gonna bother spoiling when she looks at Spock and says something like "I feel angry at you"... and then her filling in the "I'm angry at Vulcans because I know what Romulans are now" role... are we going to be "treated" to Ortegas having some deep seated trauma related to Vulcans?

Kinda hope i'm looking too much into that.

[Alferd Packer]

I thought this week's episode was a lot of fun. I knew Ethan Peck plays a good Spock, but this really let him stretch his legs and have fun with the character.

[Crazedwraith]

Eh, it really didn't land with me with the focus on social awkwardness and cringe comedy. The Chapel plot was fine until the end but them going that far, well, they may pull back on it later but in TOS, was there indication chapel's feelings were reciprocated and it wasn't just her crushing on Spock?

The end scene with T'Pring really makes it clear that Spock's kind of a lousy insecure fiance and a lot of their relationship problems really are his fault.

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

I find it kind of odd that the space faring Vulcans would miss such an anomaly in their own system. Perhaps they just take it for granted?

[bilateralrope]

When the shuttle went back, they said they couldn't communicate with anything beyond a light year. So it's at least in the next system over.

Still difficult to miss. So I'd say the Vulcans never investigated it. Though, with how much the Enterprise knew before they got there, it looks like someone investigated the rest of the planet.

[tezunegari]

Well, Enterprise (Archer's show) had the Vulcans as pretty "we know nebula like that, so why investigate this one?".

Maybe they had encountered a similar anomaly and dismissed this one as the same without taking a closer look.

Also, IIRC Vulcans are rather by-the-letter officers. If their order stated "investigate the planet" they do that, and only that. Unless something non-trivial is found.

[bilateralrope]

How long has the Federation existed by this point in time ?

Because they also didn't investigate the anomaly until this episode. So I'm guessing that everybody who knew about it decided that it wasn't worth the risk of flying a manned vessel that close, until improvements in engines and sensors made the probable scientific gain worth the risk.

[AniThyng]

I find it kind of odd that the space faring Vulcans would miss such an anomaly in their own system. Perhaps they just take it for granted?

I don't think it's that odd when you consider the Vulcans have been space faring far longer than humans but it took humans to kick everyone in the pants and accomplish in decades what the other races never did in centuries...

[bilateralrope]

I find it kind of odd that the space faring Vulcans would miss such an anomaly in their own system. Perhaps they just take it for granted?

I don't think it's that odd when you consider the Vulcans have been space faring far longer than humans but it took humans to kick everyone in the pants and accomplish in decades what the other races never did in centuries...

People have commented on that before. Vulcans advance science by studying things carefully and methodically. While humans are more chaotic, stumbling across really weird results.

The two approaches probably complement each other quite well.

[Crazedwraith]

There isn't words in Vulcan for "swirly thing alert" that's their problem.

eta: Also, I don't think Strange New Worlds has actually visited any strange new worlds yet this season.

[bilateralrope]

They have had the memory loss planet and the bureaucracy in the swirly thing. Those seem like they would rank quite highly in how strange worlds in Trek are.

[Crazedwraith]

That was a repeat visit and a Vulcan moon respectively. So Strange, yes, but not new was my thinking.

[Evilchumlee]

I feel like this anomaly was potentially something recently unearthed, or perhaps it hasn't been there for a long time. They clearly full well know of the remnants of the ancient civilization, but it might have been that the actual anomaly just recently showed up.

My real issue with this episode is that... Spock and Chapel are kind of scumbags.

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

2x06
Wow, that seems a bend on established dialogue to get the characters to interact in Prime timeline (does it still count as Prime timeline with the Temporal Cold War shenanigans? ) I'm looking forward to see all the outrage/rational on this.

On a funny note, we now have a "space hippies" verbal comment in universe.

[Lord Revan]

Well it was said in dialogue in TOS that Kirk and PIke met when Pike was promoted to fleet captain, while the implications were that it was when Kirk took over the Enterprise it was never outright said it was so.

So as long as Kirk and Pike don't interact too much (Kirk said he had barely met Pike) this isn't out of line with canon

[Crazedwraith]

I find it impossible to actually dislike Kirk or Alt!Kirk in either of his guest appearances this season but it is odd to me they are leaning so heavily on using him as prominent guest star when any of their main cast could do with the exposure and screen time. His conversation with La'an was a highlight though.

I don't care for the Spock/Chapel plot and I have to wonder at Spock wanting to officially declare his affair with Chapel to Starfleet when he's engaged.

[bilateralrope]

A warning for anyone who wants to avoid spoilers. Episode 7, the Lower Decks crossover episode, has been released early on some streaming platforms.

[Crazedwraith]

Since I don't know where it's out early and where it isn't Put my thoughts in a spoiler tag.
Spoiler

So I gave in and watched it early. it's fine, it's one of those episodes I liked and enjoyed despite myself. It's 40 minutes of fluff, references, fanboying/fangirl.

It's also 1/10 of this season and it's an episode devoted to a guest star. Unlike Kirk's two guest appearances where he was a significant guest role in a La'an and Uhura episode. This is a Boimer episode guest starring the SNW crew.

It's a good episode but a bad SNW episode if that makes sense? Like I like it but I'd have preferred an episode focusing on any of the SNW crew or them as an ensemble rather than playing second fiddle and straight men in their own show.

[bilateralrope]

I can't disagree with that.
Spoiler

I do wonder if Boimer's talk with Nurse Chapel is going to have any effect on her relationship with Spock. Or if this episode is going to be one with no consequences in later episodes

[Crazedwraith]

Spoiler

It puts them in the same position as Pike last season I guess. They know as well as we do that they are doomed by canon

[bilateralrope]

Spoiler

Or they could decide that the historical records are incomplete

[Batman]

Spoiler

I'll echo what Crazedwraith said-it's a good (nay, great) episode but a bad SNW one. It was basically a Lower Decks live-action episode with the SNW crowd as guest stars. Entertaining as it was (and it was, immensely so) I think especially with the 10 episode seasons SNW should concentrate on their own characters. With a full 23 episode season, wasting one on just having fun with the larger franchise is okay. When you're doing a limite series like that you better concentrate on your story.
Loved the Lower Decked intro sequence though.

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

They're also doing a musical episode later. Not sure why the showrunners made this season with more light-hearted episodes. Not complaining, just feeling it kind of odd for a 10 episode season.

[Crazedwraith]

I suspect, especially from relooking at the trailers recently, that either episode 8 or 10 are going to be more very grim, Gorn related aliens knockoff episodes. So the lightness of 7 and 9 is to counteract that.

Just speculation though.