Star Trek Discovery: The Bryan Fuller TV reboot

That was my thinking!

The mirror universe play scene had a real Hamlet feel and I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence.

And Veg otm on the costuming... and lol the makeup, so much 80s new wave club eyeshadow going on there.

Michael looked like Rihanna!

Georgiou looked cool though, esp when she got that amazing headpiece

omg i loved that headpiece so much

Only Moira Rose has had better headgear this year.

I just spent the last two weeks binging this show and find it - really good fun? like, the last trek I watched end-to-end was probably Voyager and this is vastly more enjoyable - frequently I am in awe of how unapologetically silly it is and there are some audaciously unearned emotional moments but can easily forgive these in service of such a wild ride

it’s positively avant-garde how underdeveloped the bridge crew are - perhaps like the original series in that way I guess, it felt very exciting when those guys got character moments in Star Trek IV

anyway

it’s positively avant-garde how underdeveloped the bridge crew are

lol otm. absolutely no clue what those two guys' names are (or what airiam does)

the contrast between various bridge designs in various series is v. funny to me. why does the original series have like a pit? why does the next generation have wood paneling? why is disco's bridge unreasonably enormous and poorly lit?

(that said, the set/sound design etc. has been outstanding throughout)

there are some audaciously unearned emotional moments

Yes, this is well put. I mean I love this show too, but sometimes you're getting a dramatic emotional moment and thinking "but why? Theres no back story here". Burnham's whole relationship with Book for instance, she had a whole year with him we're not privy to, and sometimes "I'm just different now/I dont fit in anymore" didnt work for me I guess?

I sound like a negative nellie though - I do love this show.

seems pretty natural to me that she and booker would bang (if not wait the whole year for discovery to arrive to do so)

someone ask tuomas what grudge's thoughts on the matter are

I definitely made sure to check the captioning to see if they spelled Carl with a Q.

I kind of dreaded going back to the Mirrorverse because fascism but the episode benefited from it, I think! The characters got to have personality (SMG laid into the campiness with relish, which I'm there for) and more interesting complications than everyone being overachievers who don't like to ask for help. I wonder if the Disco writing room is suffering from a Roddenberry Rules effect that TNG struggled with early on, where they really lay the "squabbling but ultimately ride-or-die" on thick.

I thought the latest episode was okay, but I have a hard time understanding why they would do a whole two-parter "what if" just so they can solve the subplot of Georgious's illness, which doesn't seem to tie in with the other plots of this season in any way? Also, it's really hard to understand why everyone (not just Michael) seems to care about the mass murderer despot from another universe so much, including the Starfleet leader guy, since he's willing to send the most important ship in his fleet to mission that has a 5% chance of saving her?

OTOH, I do like how this season has been more and more episodic than the previous two, with no big conflict or big villain impacting every episode, so they've been able to focus on proper Trekky plots such as exploration and space politics. With both of the previous seasons, the overarching plot felt cool at first, but ultimately fell flat in the end. I guess "what caused the Burn?" is the main plot of this episode, but I appreciate that it's been more of background thing, with almost every episode having a self-contained plot in itself. So in that sense is cool that they can just do a two-part "what if" Mirror Universe story if they feel like doing one.

Also, I think it's interesting that's it not at all clear whether Discovery will ever return to its own time. At the beginning of the season I was certain it would happen in the finale, but now I'm not so sure anymore? Seems like this setting has more story potential than what can be explored in just one season, so I'm hoping they stay there. And the ship and its crew being stuck in the future would also help to resolve the continuity issues its retcons have caused for the franchise, i.e. why no one is using the mycelial network in the series set after Discovery's first two seasons (not even in Voyager, where it would've been extremely handy), why Spock's sister never visits him, etc.

I stopped watching this 5 eps ago, a two part mirror universe story focussing on Georgiou does not make me want to start up again. "Mirror, mirror" is the only good mirror universe episode solely for the lolz, that TNG never went there is a blessing. And yes Georgiou's continued interest in our universe and our characters' concern for her is a complete mystery.

I think this season has actually been the best so far; the first couple of episodes where a bit uneven, but IMO they've managed to raise the quality since then. The episode with the new Vulcan and Michael's mom was probably the best single episode in the entire series so far.

I disagree that "Mirror, Mirror" is the only good Mirror Universe episode; some of the DS9 ones were fun (though admittedly doing one MU episode every season was overkill), and the two-parter in Enterprise was arguably the best thing that series ever did. The Enterprise one had even less relevance with the rest of the plot, basically it was just an excuse to let the actors ham it up as their MU counterparts, which seems to be happening here too: they're giving more space to the actors who didn't get to do much MU stuff in the first season, such as Sonequa Martin-Green (whose MU version didn't appear at all in season 1 due to being dead) and Mary Wiseman.

I hated the Ent MU episodes. So much sex used as power games. All included for the audience's titillation. Ick.

I think this season has actually been the best so far

Agree - the lack of boring Klingon content really helps IMO! I sort of enjoyed the V'oq stuff just because it was so demented but generally I think the Klingons have been a real drag in this series (actually for all series? I always had a sinking feeling when TNG/DS9/Voyager did Klingon eps)

The episode with the new Vulcan and Michael's mom was probably the best single episode in the entire series so far

I enjoyed it too but - I did find my suspension of disbelief was tested to the very limit by the circs and role of Mrs Burnham's appearance - like, it felt like they thought it would be a cool reveal and then just assumed you'd roll with it

Which in a way describes my overall experience of watching this series - feeling like a lot of shit in it is totally preposterous, but being so charmed by the committed acting and breakneck pace that you let them get away with it

(perhaps this is also watching TV sci fi franchises generally, I dunno I am a bit out of practice)

DS9 Klingon episodes were good! As were its Mirror episodes!

I agree that the internal logic of nu-Trek has been paper-thin to the detriment of its series, which also relates to what I feel is the weak rendering of politics. But, I keep wishing that a quasi-militaristic science mission is shown to be an inextricably and inevitably imperialist enterprise (ahem), and Trek will never go there.

I actually made a point of watching "World on the egde of forever" and "Mirror, Mirror" last night just to see if I'd missed any callbacks and there were quite a few.

The episode with the new Vulcan and Michael's mom was probably the best single episode in the entire series so far

While we didn't even watch that episode all the way to the end, because I just found all the Vulcan stuff so boring in the first season and in Picard. I was sorry they went back to it. I agree with you about Klingon-heavy episodes too, though, and also about how completely demented (and therefore entertaining) all the V'oq stuff was. People's tastes, eh?

Now that they've taken out all the things I liked about this show -- Stamets being funny and acerbic instead of being caring and parental, Captain Pike, Georgiou actually doing things -- maybe I just don't like it anymore.

The planet Vulcan episode was ruined by dialog that tried to sound badass but was ultimately empty.

i have stopped watching this season.

i actually think this season is the best, but i can understand

and yeah enough with stamets making kind eyes and being adira's parent

agree re stamets being emo & not quippy

no beef w this season from me

Eh Stamets and Jet are still giving each other loads of shit which I am onboard with!

closing scene was unearned imo

yeah, a classic of the genre! and totally unnecessary. felt for the actors having to sell that one.

OK why the fuck were the last 2 episodes the Phillipa Gerogiou Hour if we got nothing out of it and she just [wont spoiler]?

GAH.

So mad I typoed her name lol

I did like that they brought out the actual wonky-rock Guardian though.

wasn’t the original rock like a detached observer rather than a moral arbiter?

(also my autocorrect tried to change “original” to “Orion gal” which felt a bit too context-aware for comfort)

wasn’t the original rock like a detached observer rather than a moral arbiter?

(also my autocorrect tried to change “original” to “Orion gal” which felt a bit too context-aware for comfort)

Where is the original rock from? Not knowing just left me with vibes of the Doctor tbh

not sure - but we rewatched the Guardians of Forever TOS season 1 episode (Joan Collins!) & it is def the rock on its own, minus CSI’s Jim Brass in a bowler hat. And you cant really pick where you go, you just sorta jump & hope for the best

yeah sorry was using rock & guardian interchangeably there

but this whole “ah! i was testing u to see if u are good now and deserve a 2nd chance” schtick felt weird to me vs my memories of those eps (there was a good Spock one in the animated series from memory - has it appeared since?)

but maybe I am denying the star treks the ability to change and undergo positive growth

That was a really good episode! Totally vintage TNG.

V good! tho: the burn was caused by some kid’s nightmare is v St Elsewhere snowglobe lmao

also i just realized Osira reminds me of Bad Janet and I cant unsee it

solid but too much touchy-feely if-we-hug-you-can-do-it, jeez. put tig in charge already

no idea how their enemy tracked them and arrived in time to catch them

disappointed that no plot points have hinged on grudge the cat's actions . . . yet

yeah dug the fever dream vibe, a few bits that I had to look the other way plot-wise but that’s always the case huh - agree that it’s a seemingly lame resolution of the burn biz but surely there’s a higher-order meta-twist on the way

did really appreciate that in the olden days we would have cut to credits after “there’s a life sign in the nebula thing!” but in 2020 we cram an action sequence and a couple more plot points in there - bezerko pacing is one of the things I do enjoy about this show

Doug Jones as actual Doug Jones! I was delighted when that happened!

yeah that was marvellous

That was a really good episode! Totally vintage TNG.

wish any of my devices could reboot as quickly as discovery

Michael channeling Kirk in multiple scenes!

I feel like I got a few twinges of “this isn’t trek-like” which I don’t get, as I’m not married to the franchise and all for variation. I’m just becoming an old curmudgeon, now. But as Akiva Goldsman-like as some of the emotional beats were, I never jumped off board. I care about this crew!

Also, Book rallying yet again and ejecting that guy when he threatened the cat was beautiful

Is Cronenberg a permanent addition? He weirdly has a lot of speaking time that they didn't need to give him.

I was also surprised he appeared again. His parts were always with the small handful of characters, so I assume they filmed them all in the same stretch

I can't get over how this season's big mystery came down to some Kelpian adult child's hissy fit (I'm an asshole but this is a fictional show who fucking cares)

I hate this fucking show and wish I was better at stopping shows I start watching

Forgive the thread spam, but I wanted to note that this show's 2020 season is nominated in the 2020 ILX TV poll:

ILX's Best Television of 2020 Poll / VOTING AND CAMPAIGNING THREAD / Voting Ends After January 29, 2021

If you like this show and you'd like to see it have a good showing in the poll (running in February) all you need to do is submit a ballot including it and your other favorites (3 minimum, 25 maximum, ranked by your favorite to least favorite) to forksclovetofu at gmail. It'll take five minutes; get to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ4CkuDx5LE

rewatching season one and it's rather better than i recalled

Have rewatched first two seasons and part way through third but will now have to find other means to watch as Paramount+ have made the dick move of removing it from Netflix with immediate effect despite P+ or whatever it's called not going to be available internationally until March 2022 at the earliest.