Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Ad Astra Per Aspera
June 22, 2023 4:18 AM - Season 2, Episode 2 - Subscribe
When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, Una alone beweeps her outcast state.
Memory Alpha is going to allow this:
• Yetide Badaki (Katoul) is best known for her role as Bilquis on the series American Gods, developed by DISCO co-creator Bryan Fuller.
• David Benjamin Tomlinson (Tellarite judge) played Linus on DISCO.
• This is one of seventeen Star Trek episodes with titles derived from Latin.
• While on the stand, Spock mentions meeting Una Chin-Riley for the first time and discovering her love of Gilbert and Sullivan, as depicted in the Short Treks installment "Q&A."
"You're a piece of work, Pike."
"Yeah...but you still haven't said no."
- Katoul and Pike
"The loss of Una would be destructive to Starfleet as an organization."
- Spock
"Genetics is not destiny, despite what you may have been taught."
- Katoul
Poster's Log:
In the shower a couple weeks ago, I found myself pondering the fact that a lot of people (based on what I saw at the time in social media) thoroughly enjoyed the third season of Picard but that I was not one of them, and I came upon what might be an apt metaphor for my relationship with Stream Trek as a whole (YMMV): If you are a serious fan of a sports team, to the point that you have genuine fondness for many of its players, then you would rather watch a game that they soundly lose than not watch that game at all. If Trek is my team, and its cast of characters (and occasionally its behind-the-scenes figures) are the players I'm fond of, then I will basically always stick it out through even a clearly-doomed season. And maybe, at the risk of straining the metaphor, I'm one of those curmudgeonly lifelong fans who at times cannot refrain from looking at a box-score victory and focusing on the errors, whether on the field or managerial, literal or subjective—and I'm not the only such sometimes-curmudgeon around here, as shown by the often-persnickety tone of FF Trek threads.
I bring this up now because SNW's first season was IMO the winningest yet of the Stream Trek era. (I consistently enjoyed Prodigy but I don't see how it can be judged by the same (saber?!)metrics as the other shows, and even less so Lower Decks, which has basically no serious failures so far IIRC.) This season is showing signs it might be even stronger—certainly, more serious, if this story and the Chapel-M'Benga subtext of the premiere are any indications.
Among its other admirable elements, this episode retroactively justifies the oft-lamented "shitty Federation" trend of Stream Trek by using it to remind us of the prejudicial violence happening right now; I wondered, on first watch, whether the actors were consciously thinking about e.g. Florida to provoke more emotional performances. Weird choice, though, to whiplash the scene's tone to Evillest Vulcan Ever (Except This Guy).
Tellarites having a presence in the JAG office makes a ton of sense. Glad they brought back the weird triangle-gem badge thingies from "Menagerie," and that they straightened them out a bit too. Not quite as glad about the formulaic thing of a rocky personal relationship complicating a high-stakes trial a la Picard and Louvois in "Measure of a Man" (FF previously).
Poster's Log, Supplemental:
Anybody else really hoping for a pre-Pike U.S.S. Enterprise flashback/time-travel something-or-other with a de-aged Captain April? That guy would look so great in that chair.
Memory Alpha is going to allow this:
• Yetide Badaki (Katoul) is best known for her role as Bilquis on the series American Gods, developed by DISCO co-creator Bryan Fuller.
• David Benjamin Tomlinson (Tellarite judge) played Linus on DISCO.
• This is one of seventeen Star Trek episodes with titles derived from Latin.
• While on the stand, Spock mentions meeting Una Chin-Riley for the first time and discovering her love of Gilbert and Sullivan, as depicted in the Short Treks installment "Q&A."
"You're a piece of work, Pike."
"Yeah...but you still haven't said no."
- Katoul and Pike
"The loss of Una would be destructive to Starfleet as an organization."
- Spock
"Genetics is not destiny, despite what you may have been taught."
- Katoul
Poster's Log:
In the shower a couple weeks ago, I found myself pondering the fact that a lot of people (based on what I saw at the time in social media) thoroughly enjoyed the third season of Picard but that I was not one of them, and I came upon what might be an apt metaphor for my relationship with Stream Trek as a whole (YMMV): If you are a serious fan of a sports team, to the point that you have genuine fondness for many of its players, then you would rather watch a game that they soundly lose than not watch that game at all. If Trek is my team, and its cast of characters (and occasionally its behind-the-scenes figures) are the players I'm fond of, then I will basically always stick it out through even a clearly-doomed season. And maybe, at the risk of straining the metaphor, I'm one of those curmudgeonly lifelong fans who at times cannot refrain from looking at a box-score victory and focusing on the errors, whether on the field or managerial, literal or subjective—and I'm not the only such sometimes-curmudgeon around here, as shown by the often-persnickety tone of FF Trek threads.
I bring this up now because SNW's first season was IMO the winningest yet of the Stream Trek era. (I consistently enjoyed Prodigy but I don't see how it can be judged by the same (saber?!)metrics as the other shows, and even less so Lower Decks, which has basically no serious failures so far IIRC.) This season is showing signs it might be even stronger—certainly, more serious, if this story and the Chapel-M'Benga subtext of the premiere are any indications.
Among its other admirable elements, this episode retroactively justifies the oft-lamented "shitty Federation" trend of Stream Trek by using it to remind us of the prejudicial violence happening right now; I wondered, on first watch, whether the actors were consciously thinking about e.g. Florida to provoke more emotional performances. Weird choice, though, to whiplash the scene's tone to Evillest Vulcan Ever (Except This Guy).
Tellarites having a presence in the JAG office makes a ton of sense. Glad they brought back the weird triangle-gem badge thingies from "Menagerie," and that they straightened them out a bit too. Not quite as glad about the formulaic thing of a rocky personal relationship complicating a high-stakes trial a la Picard and Louvois in "Measure of a Man" (FF previously).
Poster's Log, Supplemental:
Anybody else really hoping for a pre-Pike U.S.S. Enterprise flashback/time-travel something-or-other with a de-aged Captain April? That guy would look so great in that chair.
What this show brought to mind for me was the Lavender Scare and the much longer period when the US military discriminated against LGBTQ+ servicemembers, when people were hounded out of government jobs because they were gay (or seemed gay, or someone just accused them of gayness...), with the justification being the circular logic of "We're kicking them out because being gay makes them vulnerable to blackmail because someone could threaten to reveal that they're gay so we would kick them out." When the prosecution turned it into "She's forcing us to go after Pike!", it really landed.
posted by Etrigan at 7:37 AM on June 22, 2023 [20 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 7:37 AM on June 22, 2023 [20 favorites]
Given that genetic engineering was still mostly illegal in the 23rd century it's sad to know that Katoul's life of efforts mostly came to naught.
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 8:16 AM on June 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 8:16 AM on June 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
also the scene in the crew lounge was great. I'm sorry we all had to witness that outburst.
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 8:25 AM on June 22, 2023 [34 favorites]
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 8:25 AM on June 22, 2023 [34 favorites]
Just be glad that Chief Kyle wasn't involved, I hear he's so mean.
posted by Molesome at 9:04 AM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Molesome at 9:04 AM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Given that genetic engineering was still mostly illegal in the 23rd century it's sad to know that Katoul's life of efforts mostly came to naught.
Did you mean 24th Century?
posted by rhymedirective at 11:48 AM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Did you mean 24th Century?
posted by rhymedirective at 11:48 AM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
oh my GOD i KNOW David Tomlinson i’m so excited to find out he was Linus! And this Tellarite!
posted by sixswitch at 1:33 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by sixswitch at 1:33 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
I mean DS9 / Bashir
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 1:41 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 1:41 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
When I picked on one of the more popular TNG legal episodes in the comments during that rewatch, this was the sort of episode that I wished it had been. Tight, compelling, perfectly plausible within what we know about Starfleet and the Federation, and splendidly performed. (Yetide Badaki was fantastic, of course, but I also have to appreciate Graeme Somerville as Pasalk; his serene little half-smile was chilling. And I don't know if I'd call him capital-E Evil, but he certainly came off as the sort of prosecutor who was always on the prowl for bigger game if he could bag it.) The rules for seeking asylum within Starfleet are AFAIK a bit of a retcon--at least, they've never been detailed--but they make sense.
WRT Bashir and Starfleet/the Federation not changing for at least another century, there's a couple of things that I'd point out. One is that I don't think that real change does tend to happen overnight, especially when it's something as big as what's being contemplated here. The other is that, compared to Una, Bashir got off pretty quickly and easily, especially when his dad pled guilty (which he certainly was). "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
WRT Bashir and Starfleet/the Federation not changing for at least another century, there's a couple of things that I'd point out. One is that I don't think that real change does tend to happen overnight, especially when it's something as big as what's being contemplated here. The other is that, compared to Una, Bashir got off pretty quickly and easily, especially when his dad pled guilty (which he certainly was). "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
So good.
SO GOOD!
I really needed a reminder this week that humanity can *do better* dammit.
posted by Faintdreams at 4:19 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
SO GOOD!
I really needed a reminder this week that humanity can *do better* dammit.
posted by Faintdreams at 4:19 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think I liked the elements of this episode more than the execution. I loved the subtext and the metaphor and the richness of what Trek can really dig into these days (clearly a metaphor for LGBTQI+ people but also very specifically about the issues around trans people and their rights).
I do find it very strange that the episode centred around Katoul, a guest character, and her journey rather than actually focusing on Una. Una has been one of the least developed characters for the whole show (Spock's callback to an episode of Short Treks shows how much the main show has forgotten to give her stuff to do) and for an episode that was supposed to be about her, she was basically a supporting character. Yes, we got backstory. Yes, she's back in Starfleet. But Katoul's conflict over Starfleet/the Federation/human rights was much more interesting.
Also Katoul talked about Una "passing" as human suggesting that she cannot, which I don't really get at all. (I can see why you cast a WOC here - the colour of her skin makes her a target in the real world - she can't shed her colour, but she could pass as human in the same way Una does, right?)
I think, in the end, the story was about whether the law is *just* which is probably the right angle to take. Measure of a Man questioned Data's humanity but Una's "humanity" isn't in question - the law is an ass. But I think as a story of law reform, because it needs to be incremental, it doesn't tell a great Una story. She gets by on a technicality. All the other Illyrians will be subjected to stigma - perhaps even more now.
posted by crossoverman at 4:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
I do find it very strange that the episode centred around Katoul, a guest character, and her journey rather than actually focusing on Una. Una has been one of the least developed characters for the whole show (Spock's callback to an episode of Short Treks shows how much the main show has forgotten to give her stuff to do) and for an episode that was supposed to be about her, she was basically a supporting character. Yes, we got backstory. Yes, she's back in Starfleet. But Katoul's conflict over Starfleet/the Federation/human rights was much more interesting.
Also Katoul talked about Una "passing" as human suggesting that she cannot, which I don't really get at all. (I can see why you cast a WOC here - the colour of her skin makes her a target in the real world - she can't shed her colour, but she could pass as human in the same way Una does, right?)
I think, in the end, the story was about whether the law is *just* which is probably the right angle to take. Measure of a Man questioned Data's humanity but Una's "humanity" isn't in question - the law is an ass. But I think as a story of law reform, because it needs to be incremental, it doesn't tell a great Una story. She gets by on a technicality. All the other Illyrians will be subjected to stigma - perhaps even more now.
posted by crossoverman at 4:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
oh hell yeah it's a Star Trek Court Episode this week
fucken yeah babey hook that up directly to my veins
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:41 PM on June 22, 2023 [17 favorites]
fucken yeah babey hook that up directly to my veins
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:41 PM on June 22, 2023 [17 favorites]
I honestly adore the way that this show has been able to juggle basically every kind of emotional stakes, with everything from "serious storylines about persecuted minorities" to "HIJINKS👏IS👏THE👏ONLY👏LOGICAL👏OPTION" being handled with a remarkable deftness overall. Really looking forward to the rest of the season, if only because the trailers and convention talks have not been shy about spoiling an episode I am INCREDIBLY pumped for (and the episode title list makes it clear which one it's going to be).
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:46 PM on June 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:46 PM on June 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
Oh, so since it didn't come up (naturally), the backstory in the comic was ...
Basically, Ancient Vulcans broke something that would become their prime directive genetically enhancing the Illyrians to save them from the usual things that genetically enhancing a race would save them from. Overgrown puppies? Global climate change? Anyhow, they were genemodded as something of a science experiment for the Vulcans, too, which naturally the Vulcans are a little embarrassed about.
posted by Kyol at 6:32 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Basically, Ancient Vulcans broke something that would become their prime directive genetically enhancing the Illyrians to save them from the usual things that genetically enhancing a race would save them from. Overgrown puppies? Global climate change? Anyhow, they were genemodded as something of a science experiment for the Vulcans, too, which naturally the Vulcans are a little embarrassed about.
posted by Kyol at 6:32 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
I do find it very strange that the episode centred around Katoul, a guest character, and her journey rather than actually focusing on Una
So, even though this episode is indeed told with a lens firmly pointed at Neera, we learned a lot about Una, Bob April, and Chris Pike and their long history together. For me, that was a huge reward, because I have wanted to know these characters for so, so long. And I agree with crossoverman thar Una remains criminally underdeveloped and marginalized in this series, when we should be getting the Pike-Una-Spock triad. We keep getting TOLD what a great officer Una is instead of being SHOWN, and we should see the relationship of those three together. Still, I felt rewarded for what we did get this week.
It is interesting to note that in the 23rd Century, lawyers are still arrogant Type A personalities who will treat anyone like dirt. And that they still hire secretaries who play gatekeeper.
One thing that struck me was that it felt like they leaned in a bit on the idea that Ortegas doesn't like Vulcans and actively distrusts them. When they did this in the finale last season, it seemed like they were just recapitulating the Stiles character from "Balance of Terror", but now it feels like maybe Ortegas has a problem with Vulcans. Last season in "Spock Amok" she talked about getting into the middle of a Vulcan romantic relationship and having a scar from a liirpa. So I think this all needs some explanation. I get that the scene was meant to lighten up the episode a smidge, but it left me with questions. Not to mention wondering about the ulterior motives of Admiral Pasalk.
The moment at the very end where Pike gives Una a big hug made me tear up. They have so much invested in one another. Now I want to see more of that relationship.
posted by briank at 7:22 PM on June 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
So, even though this episode is indeed told with a lens firmly pointed at Neera, we learned a lot about Una, Bob April, and Chris Pike and their long history together. For me, that was a huge reward, because I have wanted to know these characters for so, so long. And I agree with crossoverman thar Una remains criminally underdeveloped and marginalized in this series, when we should be getting the Pike-Una-Spock triad. We keep getting TOLD what a great officer Una is instead of being SHOWN, and we should see the relationship of those three together. Still, I felt rewarded for what we did get this week.
It is interesting to note that in the 23rd Century, lawyers are still arrogant Type A personalities who will treat anyone like dirt. And that they still hire secretaries who play gatekeeper.
One thing that struck me was that it felt like they leaned in a bit on the idea that Ortegas doesn't like Vulcans and actively distrusts them. When they did this in the finale last season, it seemed like they were just recapitulating the Stiles character from "Balance of Terror", but now it feels like maybe Ortegas has a problem with Vulcans. Last season in "Spock Amok" she talked about getting into the middle of a Vulcan romantic relationship and having a scar from a liirpa. So I think this all needs some explanation. I get that the scene was meant to lighten up the episode a smidge, but it left me with questions. Not to mention wondering about the ulterior motives of Admiral Pasalk.
The moment at the very end where Pike gives Una a big hug made me tear up. They have so much invested in one another. Now I want to see more of that relationship.
posted by briank at 7:22 PM on June 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
I'm always up for Star Trek courtroom drama, and I loved the set design, which presented a far more elegant space than the thinly redressed bridge set of "The Measure of a Man." I couldn't keep my eyes off those engraved golden panels behind the witness stand, which seemed to evoke the Supreme Court frieze: great lawgivers of the Federation?
posted by audi alteram partem at 7:25 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by audi alteram partem at 7:25 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
This was very, very good, but I wonder if the sequencing was off. This is the sort of episode that would have carried incredible emotional weight in a show’s third or fourth season.
But here? We’re early in the second season, and frankly, we’ve barely gotten to know Una. We’ve spent more time hearing about how Una is a great first officer than we have actually seeing it. A few of the dramatic notes rang hollow. (That being said, as briank mentions, this is still a fantastic bit of character development, albeit an unconventional and narratively-sloppy way of getting there)
DS9’s genetic augmentation plot was impactful because it happened late in the series, and involved a character that we were already invested in. (Conversely, early seasons of the show were weirdly insistent that we care about Dax, despite failing to write any interesting plots involving her character. I find myself feeling the same way about Una – the Illyrians are conceptually interesting, but Una might very well be the character that we’ve bonded with the least – it feels like a weird writing decision to put her front-and-center)
This also wraps up the Season 1 cliffhanger, possibly a bit too neatly and early? It’s a little jarring to see the writers completely press CTRL-Z on the previous season’s finale after just two episodes.
I really like SNW. I like the episodic nature, I love the cast, and like many here, I think it’s the best modern incarnation of Trek (and seriously in the running for the best series overall). However, I’m developing a nagging feeling that it’s going to be really difficult to properly pace a show like this with 10-episode seasons. Andor (which was far more serialized than SNW) greatly benefitted from a 12-episode run. I’ve gotta wonder if both SNW and Lower Decks would be better if Paramount found the budget to give each season a bit more breathing-room. Even just one more filler episode before the trial might have added a little bit of needed tension here…
[Also, the inspirational music seemed a little heavyhanded?]
posted by schmod at 8:00 PM on June 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
But here? We’re early in the second season, and frankly, we’ve barely gotten to know Una. We’ve spent more time hearing about how Una is a great first officer than we have actually seeing it. A few of the dramatic notes rang hollow. (That being said, as briank mentions, this is still a fantastic bit of character development, albeit an unconventional and narratively-sloppy way of getting there)
DS9’s genetic augmentation plot was impactful because it happened late in the series, and involved a character that we were already invested in. (Conversely, early seasons of the show were weirdly insistent that we care about Dax, despite failing to write any interesting plots involving her character. I find myself feeling the same way about Una – the Illyrians are conceptually interesting, but Una might very well be the character that we’ve bonded with the least – it feels like a weird writing decision to put her front-and-center)
This also wraps up the Season 1 cliffhanger, possibly a bit too neatly and early? It’s a little jarring to see the writers completely press CTRL-Z on the previous season’s finale after just two episodes.
I really like SNW. I like the episodic nature, I love the cast, and like many here, I think it’s the best modern incarnation of Trek (and seriously in the running for the best series overall). However, I’m developing a nagging feeling that it’s going to be really difficult to properly pace a show like this with 10-episode seasons. Andor (which was far more serialized than SNW) greatly benefitted from a 12-episode run. I’ve gotta wonder if both SNW and Lower Decks would be better if Paramount found the budget to give each season a bit more breathing-room. Even just one more filler episode before the trial might have added a little bit of needed tension here…
[Also, the inspirational music seemed a little heavyhanded?]
posted by schmod at 8:00 PM on June 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
WRT Ortegas and Vulcans, it could be the lirpa scar, but I think that they may also be going for a bit of a callback to Enterprise in which there was some significant mutual animosity between humans and Vulcans, at least the Vulcans that humans came into contact with. There are also touches of that throughout the franchise; DS9 had some not-so-great Vulcans (including the captain who went out of his way to needle Sisko), and in Diane Duane's (non-canon) book Spock's World, there was a movement on Vulcan to leave the Federation.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:29 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:29 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
The GMO ban in Trek is totally inappropriate and nonsensical for Trek ideals and setting but it is what it is and they aren't going to just overwrite that canon at this point. This was a good Trek court episode for engaging directly with it in the call its bullshit out that way. A nice return to form after stimpack rampage doctors season opener. After suffering through Picard S3, it's nice to look forward to a new Trek episode instead of dread it.
But here? We’re early in the second season, and frankly, we’ve barely gotten to know Una. We’ve spent more time hearing about how Una is a great first officer than we have actually seeing it. A few of the dramatic notes rang hollow.
I get that feeling of unearned or over indulgence with itself from time to time, but it's still the only decent live Trek we are getting so I let it slide and the actors at least always seem to be having a good time. I also consider Una a bit older than SNW, since she appeared on Disco and some Short Treks years before, but yeah, a lot of exposition telling us what a life saver she is over letting it play out in plots first.
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:40 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
But here? We’re early in the second season, and frankly, we’ve barely gotten to know Una. We’ve spent more time hearing about how Una is a great first officer than we have actually seeing it. A few of the dramatic notes rang hollow.
I get that feeling of unearned or over indulgence with itself from time to time, but it's still the only decent live Trek we are getting so I let it slide and the actors at least always seem to be having a good time. I also consider Una a bit older than SNW, since she appeared on Disco and some Short Treks years before, but yeah, a lot of exposition telling us what a life saver she is over letting it play out in plots first.
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:40 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
[Also, the inspirational music seemed a little heavyhanded?]
Absolutely. A fair amount of modern television I find too heavily directs the audience. Dr. Who is notorious for using music for this just to make sure we don't miss the significance of the goings on. This wasn't Dr. Who level but nonetheless heavy handed. I know dramatic literacy wildly varies but I find this sort of thing somewhat insulting and/or distracting.
A fairly good episode but I fear SNW suffers from telling about characters rather than developing them which Discovery and Picard suffer from to massive detriment.
posted by juiceCake at 8:42 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Absolutely. A fair amount of modern television I find too heavily directs the audience. Dr. Who is notorious for using music for this just to make sure we don't miss the significance of the goings on. This wasn't Dr. Who level but nonetheless heavy handed. I know dramatic literacy wildly varies but I find this sort of thing somewhat insulting and/or distracting.
A fairly good episode but I fear SNW suffers from telling about characters rather than developing them which Discovery and Picard suffer from to massive detriment.
posted by juiceCake at 8:42 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Seems wild to me that La'an has been walking around with that famous last name for a season now and the explicit connection is just dropped in like it's no big deal. That could have been a big reveal. That could have been a twist in why La'an might support Una, rather than the more obvious backstory. But also the argument that genetic engineering is "unnatural" seems wild in a world with transporter technology - and that drug that M'Benga and Chapel used last week. I really think some of these previous references to manipulation of the human form might have made the arguments and the drama stronger.
posted by crossoverman at 9:22 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by crossoverman at 9:22 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seems wild to me that La'an has been walking around with that famous last name for a season now and the explicit connection is just dropped in like it's no big deal.
It was made explicit in the third episode.
posted by Etrigan at 10:54 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
It was made explicit in the third episode.
posted by Etrigan at 10:54 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
This episode is going to cause intense cognitive dissonance for progressives who happen to watch it ten to twenty years from now when public opinion will be extremely opposed to germline mods of any kind.
Well, almost any kind — that there will be support for some germline therapy to eliminate particularly awful heritable illnesses will leave some people ambivalent (although disability activists will be opposed in principle) but everything less dire will be taboo. The allegorical message of this episode will collide with the unpopularity of its literal message. As someone with a genetic illness, I'm extremely aware of both the advances that are rapidly happening as well as the social and ethical issues.
The failure of the show to recognize that the actual (literal) issues it presents are imminent didn't fill me with confidence that it wouldn't fumble its handling of the allegorical ones. As it turned out, assuming I didn't miss something, I don't think they stepped in it with regard to the allegory of LGBT+ rights, but I was kinda nervous throughout the episode.
It's good to see Melanie Scrofano appear again but with a substantial role. When the very first episode of the show presented her as having breakfast with Pike, and given the actor was the lead in her own well-loved series, I was sure she'd be a regularly recurring character. But we've hardly see her until now.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 7:31 AM on June 23, 2023
Well, almost any kind — that there will be support for some germline therapy to eliminate particularly awful heritable illnesses will leave some people ambivalent (although disability activists will be opposed in principle) but everything less dire will be taboo. The allegorical message of this episode will collide with the unpopularity of its literal message. As someone with a genetic illness, I'm extremely aware of both the advances that are rapidly happening as well as the social and ethical issues.
The failure of the show to recognize that the actual (literal) issues it presents are imminent didn't fill me with confidence that it wouldn't fumble its handling of the allegorical ones. As it turned out, assuming I didn't miss something, I don't think they stepped in it with regard to the allegory of LGBT+ rights, but I was kinda nervous throughout the episode.
It's good to see Melanie Scrofano appear again but with a substantial role. When the very first episode of the show presented her as having breakfast with Pike, and given the actor was the lead in her own well-loved series, I was sure she'd be a regularly recurring character. But we've hardly see her until now.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 7:31 AM on June 23, 2023
This also wraps up the Season 1 cliffhanger, possibly a bit too neatly and early? It’s a little jarring to see the writers completely press CTRL-Z on the previous season’s finale after just two episodes.
Honestly, I think this is what makes the show work as well as it does. Star Trek isn't really built for 10-episode long arcs; the story engine—a Wagon Train to the stars—is all about how the crew reacts to the situation of the week. Even Deep Space Nine wasn't as serialized as, say, Babylon 5. Each DS9 episode, even during the Dominion War arcs, was generally its own standalone story that moved the larger plot along.
So I think it would be really weird if all we saw of Una this season until, like, episode 8 was a weekly scene of her and Pike discussing what to do next (and even weirder if we just don't see her at all). Set the pins up in one episode, knock them down a few episodes later. It's a good balance that plays to serialization while keeping the meaty parts of the plot all within the same hour.
posted by thecaddy at 8:56 AM on June 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Honestly, I think this is what makes the show work as well as it does. Star Trek isn't really built for 10-episode long arcs; the story engine—a Wagon Train to the stars—is all about how the crew reacts to the situation of the week. Even Deep Space Nine wasn't as serialized as, say, Babylon 5. Each DS9 episode, even during the Dominion War arcs, was generally its own standalone story that moved the larger plot along.
So I think it would be really weird if all we saw of Una this season until, like, episode 8 was a weekly scene of her and Pike discussing what to do next (and even weirder if we just don't see her at all). Set the pins up in one episode, knock them down a few episodes later. It's a good balance that plays to serialization while keeping the meaty parts of the plot all within the same hour.
posted by thecaddy at 8:56 AM on June 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Paranoia and taboo against germline mods seems to be the default standard reaction now? I would think over time there'd be marginally more support over time as the effects and risks and boons are better understood and developed.
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:56 AM on June 23, 2023
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:56 AM on June 23, 2023
The GMO ban in Trek is totally inappropriate and nonsensical for Trek idealsMy read on this is slightly different.
The GMO ban is supposed to seem discordant and jarring to everyone outside of the federation (including us, the viewers).
It’s letting us know that even an advanced, progressive society often has difficulty looking past its own remaining prejudices. This is an extremely Trek-y trope, particularly in the more recent incarnations of the series.
posted by schmod at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2023 [15 favorites]
Hi. I'm trans. And this episode, well... fuck, I'm still reeling.
Star Trek, a show that has been with me since I was a literal child, a show I grew up on, has done an episode where they spoke to me and about me… and said in no uncertain terms that people like me are valid. Star Trek said Trans Rights.
And I know they’ve said it before but this time they’ve said it loudly, clearly, and as directly as possible while still telling a deep, resonant story cast in its universe.
I feel seen and in a way no piece of media has made me feel seen before. This episode feels like a rare and precious gift, and it may be on its way to becoming my favorite episode of any Star Trek series.
posted by SansPoint at 11:10 AM on June 23, 2023 [49 favorites]
Star Trek, a show that has been with me since I was a literal child, a show I grew up on, has done an episode where they spoke to me and about me… and said in no uncertain terms that people like me are valid. Star Trek said Trans Rights.
And I know they’ve said it before but this time they’ve said it loudly, clearly, and as directly as possible while still telling a deep, resonant story cast in its universe.
I feel seen and in a way no piece of media has made me feel seen before. This episode feels like a rare and precious gift, and it may be on its way to becoming my favorite episode of any Star Trek series.
posted by SansPoint at 11:10 AM on June 23, 2023 [49 favorites]
I thought the episode was a bit heavy-handed but what I really wanted to talk about is how cheap those dress uniforms looked. The gold accents and details were so tacky and badly done--it looked like some kind of reflective safety tape. The fit on Batel's uniform was so embarrassingly bad and the stretchy polyester (or whatever the material is) accented the fit problems by bulging and folding.
I should note, the uniform problem was in direct contrast to the courtroom setting, which was attractive and Katoul's costuming, which was impressive (if perhaps a bit dressy for business/court wear). I especially loved that colour-blocked knitted number.
posted by sardonyx at 11:17 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I should note, the uniform problem was in direct contrast to the courtroom setting, which was attractive and Katoul's costuming, which was impressive (if perhaps a bit dressy for business/court wear). I especially loved that colour-blocked knitted number.
posted by sardonyx at 11:17 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Although if that well-intentioned heavy-handedness led people like SansPoint feeling seen, then who am I to comment on it? Maybe that's what the show needed to do.
posted by sardonyx at 11:21 AM on June 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 11:21 AM on June 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
It's good to see Melanie Scrofano appear again but with a substantial role.
Agreed, I really like her character. I was glad that they included her (though silently) in the scene of Una's return to the Enterprise, to telegraph 'no hard feelings' which I assume means we'll see her going forward.
Star Trek said Trans Rights.
Hell yes it did, and knowing that this episode made you feel profoundly seen, SansPoint, is amazing and prompts me to watch it again later today with this specific framing in mind.
posted by LooseFilter at 11:27 AM on June 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Agreed, I really like her character. I was glad that they included her (though silently) in the scene of Una's return to the Enterprise, to telegraph 'no hard feelings' which I assume means we'll see her going forward.
Star Trek said Trans Rights.
Hell yes it did, and knowing that this episode made you feel profoundly seen, SansPoint, is amazing and prompts me to watch it again later today with this specific framing in mind.
posted by LooseFilter at 11:27 AM on June 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
what I really wanted to talk about is how cheap those dress uniforms looked.
Not just cheap, but exactly as practical as the duty uniform. "Oh, this one has more iron-on decals, certainly can't wear that day-to-day."
posted by Etrigan at 11:29 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Not just cheap, but exactly as practical as the duty uniform. "Oh, this one has more iron-on decals, certainly can't wear that day-to-day."
posted by Etrigan at 11:29 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Re: court room costuming, what were those cool, varied and multi-color badges everyone was wearing? Variations on the comm badge, I assume, but is there a key to what each shape/color scheme means individually?
posted by LooseFilter at 11:31 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by LooseFilter at 11:31 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is probably a better person to answer this, but it's their formal-dress military honours in a style reminiscent from TOS. I'm sure somebody with a handbook could decipher exactly what each colour means, but that's not me. If you're looking for a real-world analogy it's the difference between military people wearing their actual medals versus those colour-bar badges on their uniforms.
posted by sardonyx at 11:46 AM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 11:46 AM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Internet being the internet and Trekkies being Trekkies, someone already broke down what the TOS-era dress uniform ribbons stand for by cross referencing service record ls ti the badges.
posted by nathan_teske at 12:04 PM on June 23, 2023
posted by nathan_teske at 12:04 PM on June 23, 2023
In other news, PRO was just canceled and will be pulled from P+.
posted by rhymedirective at 12:06 PM on June 23, 2023
posted by rhymedirective at 12:06 PM on June 23, 2023
Oh no! I didn't love Prodigy, but it had potential.
Now how will we find out what happened to Chakotay?
posted by suelac at 1:37 PM on June 23, 2023
Now how will we find out what happened to Chakotay?
posted by suelac at 1:37 PM on June 23, 2023
Well, that sucks. PRO was definitely far afield of the usual Trekness, but that's not a bad thing.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:38 PM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:38 PM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
PRO was just canceled and will be pulled from P+
I am kind of incandescently furious about this. My 12-year-old loves Prodigy, the first time Star Trek ever appealed to him, and he was really looking forward to finishing it with me when I go visit him next week. I hope the last half of season one, at least, is still available by then.
posted by hanov3r at 3:00 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I am kind of incandescently furious about this. My 12-year-old loves Prodigy, the first time Star Trek ever appealed to him, and he was really looking forward to finishing it with me when I go visit him next week. I hope the last half of season one, at least, is still available by then.
posted by hanov3r at 3:00 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I hope the last half of season one, at least, is still available by then.
They’re pulling it June 30. Unclear if that means it’s available to stream through June 30 or June 29, though.
I think this new trend of not only canceling shows but pulling them from the only place you can watch them is absolute bullshit and I’m in the process of deciding if I want to cancel P+ over this. I want absolutely no part of financially supporting vertically integrated corporations from shitting all over culture by making it impossible to access vast swaths of television and movies.
I just hope the back half of PRO S1 gets a Blu-Ray release.
posted by rhymedirective at 3:25 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
They’re pulling it June 30. Unclear if that means it’s available to stream through June 30 or June 29, though.
I think this new trend of not only canceling shows but pulling them from the only place you can watch them is absolute bullshit and I’m in the process of deciding if I want to cancel P+ over this. I want absolutely no part of financially supporting vertically integrated corporations from shitting all over culture by making it impossible to access vast swaths of television and movies.
I just hope the back half of PRO S1 gets a Blu-Ray release.
posted by rhymedirective at 3:25 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ahh crap. Here’s the link to the TOS dress uniform ribbons
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/starfleet1701st/actual-tos-award-ribbons-ribbon-medal-study-t589.html
posted by nathan_teske at 3:25 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/starfleet1701st/actual-tos-award-ribbons-ribbon-medal-study-t589.html
posted by nathan_teske at 3:25 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Dang! For me, Star Trek: Prodigy really started to feel promising.
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 4:42 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 4:42 PM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Netflix is looking to buy Paramount, which is open to being acquired, so they are cleaning up their balance sheet. Too bad, because Prodigy was really good once it got going.
posted by briank at 5:04 PM on June 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by briank at 5:04 PM on June 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Christ, that would be the worst thing to happen to Star Trek, pretty much ever.
posted by rhymedirective at 5:31 PM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rhymedirective at 5:31 PM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Further PRO/Paramount+ clarification from TrekMovie.com; word is PRO's 2nd season is done and will still be released somewhere. Also, the show may not be DEAD dead, but only if a new buyer elects to resuscitate it.
IIRC Paramount+ being doomed was predicted by, um, everyone? but I'm impressed it lasted this long, TBH, and even more impressed that it generated a true Small-Screen Trek renaissance, albeit with a success/failure rate rocky enough to overall resemble that of, I'd say, VOY—maybe TNG if I'm feeling generous (I guess I'd have to re-watch a lot of DISCO to be sure).
And I sure as shit won't miss the Paramount+ app "experience." What's the symbol we use instead of the Lament Period? I think it's * ?
What I'm wondering now, though, is (A) the extent to which the strike is influencing/accelerating what the TrekMovie article calls the industry trend of cancelling shows, and (B) if there are any whispers at all yet of an end to the strike. (O'Brien weighs in)
And back on topic:
I also have to appreciate Graeme Somerville as Pasalk; his serene little half-smile was chilling.
And his overall body acting. AND his serial-killer voice acting! He really jumped out at me on rewatch.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:42 AM on June 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
IIRC Paramount+ being doomed was predicted by, um, everyone? but I'm impressed it lasted this long, TBH, and even more impressed that it generated a true Small-Screen Trek renaissance, albeit with a success/failure rate rocky enough to overall resemble that of, I'd say, VOY—maybe TNG if I'm feeling generous (I guess I'd have to re-watch a lot of DISCO to be sure).
And I sure as shit won't miss the Paramount+ app "experience." What's the symbol we use instead of the Lament Period? I think it's * ?
What I'm wondering now, though, is (A) the extent to which the strike is influencing/accelerating what the TrekMovie article calls the industry trend of cancelling shows, and (B) if there are any whispers at all yet of an end to the strike. (O'Brien weighs in)
And back on topic:
I also have to appreciate Graeme Somerville as Pasalk; his serene little half-smile was chilling.
And his overall body acting. AND his serial-killer voice acting! He really jumped out at me on rewatch.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:42 AM on June 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
This episode gave me all the feels, the occasional less than subtle-handedness didn't put me off. Such powerful lines. "It's been drilled into you", goddamn. That hug at the end. "Ship pretty much flies itself..." and so much more.
What I love about FanFare and Mefi in general is, I feel many folk understand that someone enjoying an armchair critic moment, or being honest about any feelings or thoughts about a show, doesn't always mean they want to throw shade on the fandom. Thanks everybody who endures the diversity of opinion, and provides that freedom, also +x for loving the heck out of SNW.
posted by yoHighness at 6:37 AM on June 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
What I love about FanFare and Mefi in general is, I feel many folk understand that someone enjoying an armchair critic moment, or being honest about any feelings or thoughts about a show, doesn't always mean they want to throw shade on the fandom. Thanks everybody who endures the diversity of opinion, and provides that freedom, also +x for loving the heck out of SNW.
posted by yoHighness at 6:37 AM on June 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
Sorry - not to appear like I'm criticising by omission or weasel-wording: Thanks also to everybody who pushes back if I make a persnickety comment.
posted by yoHighness at 7:08 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by yoHighness at 7:08 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Wow this is the queerest scifi I've seen on TV since the transgender episodes of Orville. Thank you to SansPoint for sharing what the episode meant to them and Etrigan for referencing the US 1950s Lavender Scare.
For me this episode recalls The Host, the TNG episode that came so close to being a pro-LGBT episode and then pulled back, disappointing some of us bitterly. Over the years Star Trek has gotten a lot more LGBT friendly. But in a simple way, like featuring gay characters in ways that are not complex or different from straight characters. This episode felt like a much more nuanced queer story.
And a complicated story. An Illyrian is not exactly like a transgender person, nor like a lesbian/gay person. There's a bit of Jewish identity too here, and also something entirely new with a somewhat legitimate concern about the risks of genetically modified people in Starfleet. It was complicated and subtle and sympathetic and I appreciate it.
I agree that the emphasis on Ketoul felt a little off balance. Also the unexplained mystery about which Illyrians could pass for human and which couldn't. I'm hoping the writers have set up a future story here and they'll return to it.
posted by Nelson at 9:45 PM on June 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
For me this episode recalls The Host, the TNG episode that came so close to being a pro-LGBT episode and then pulled back, disappointing some of us bitterly. Over the years Star Trek has gotten a lot more LGBT friendly. But in a simple way, like featuring gay characters in ways that are not complex or different from straight characters. This episode felt like a much more nuanced queer story.
And a complicated story. An Illyrian is not exactly like a transgender person, nor like a lesbian/gay person. There's a bit of Jewish identity too here, and also something entirely new with a somewhat legitimate concern about the risks of genetically modified people in Starfleet. It was complicated and subtle and sympathetic and I appreciate it.
I agree that the emphasis on Ketoul felt a little off balance. Also the unexplained mystery about which Illyrians could pass for human and which couldn't. I'm hoping the writers have set up a future story here and they'll return to it.
posted by Nelson at 9:45 PM on June 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
Some thoughts:
It really does seem to me that this episode, and the "oppressed for genetic modification" storyline overall, should have been about La'an, and every time the storyline comes up I keep waiting for somebody to say, "Hey...?" So while I was glad this episode explicitly addressed the issue, it still feels weird to me.
I spent the whole episode thinking, "This is all well and good, but we know Una doesn't get kicked out of Starfleet because she was still the first officer in 'The Cage'"...forgetting that "The Cage" has already happened, so they actually could have written her off the show without contradicting canon.
posted by The Tensor at 11:44 PM on June 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
- After the episode, my wife asked, "OK, she's got asylum, but how does that make her not guilty of lying on her application, etc.?" I pointed out something that I don't think the episode stressed clearly enough: the tribunal is applying a Starfleet regulation granting asylum to oppressed people to a person who is being oppressed by the Federation itself. So while it might have made a strict, Vulcan sort of sense to then convict her anyway, it would be frankly contradictory to grant her asylum from oppression, and then immediately continue that oppression.
- I spent the episode, as I often do with TV and movies, trying to anticipate where it was going. Two ideas that didn't happen but that I think would have been interesting:
- Neera gets the Tellarite and the Vulcan members of the tribunal on the stand and asks them, "Did your species ever experiment with genetic modification? Are you the descendant of a genetically modified person? Did your planet ever have a genocidal war caused by genetic modification? If not, why should Earth's peculiar bad history with GM lead to the mistreatment of non-human Federation citizens?" (Leading to a 2-to-1 vote to acquit Una.)
- Neera gets La'an on the stand (as happened), but then during the feel-good round-robin about how awesome Una is, suddenly asks, "Aren't you genetically modified? Or at least, didn't you inherit your infamous ancestor's genetic modification? How is it that you were allowed to join Starfleet?" Cue feelings of betrayal—"You used me!"—but then interesting revelations about how Earth turns a blind eye to what must be many thousands of descenants of Khan's Augments who are still around.
posted by The Tensor at 11:44 PM on June 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
Also the unexplained mystery about which Illyrians could pass for human and which couldn't.
We saw Illyrians back in Enterprise and they appeared much more of the traditional Trek-forehead-prosthetic sort then. Perhaps there are different subspecies or maybe it’s changed makeup (like Trills after their first appearance or Klingons on a regular basis) or possibly it’s a Georgia-the-country-versus-Georgia-the-state kind of deal.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:26 AM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
We saw Illyrians back in Enterprise and they appeared much more of the traditional Trek-forehead-prosthetic sort then. Perhaps there are different subspecies or maybe it’s changed makeup (like Trills after their first appearance or Klingons on a regular basis) or possibly it’s a Georgia-the-country-versus-Georgia-the-state kind of deal.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:26 AM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's good to see Melanie Scrofano appear again but with a substantial role. When the very first episode of the show presented her as having breakfast with Pike, and given the actor was the lead in her own well-loved series, I was sure she'd be a regularly recurring character. But we've hardly see her until now.
I didn't recognize her from Wynnona Earp since I'd only seen the pilot, but I may have to start watching that. I guess that she also has a recurring part in Letterkenny, another beloved show that I'd never gotten into, but I watched a few episodes of that last night and I may get further into that, as well.
What I'm wondering now, though, is (A) the extent to which the strike is influencing/accelerating what the TrekMovie article calls the industry trend of cancelling shows, and (B) if there are any whispers at all yet of an end to the strike.
I think that the strike may have hastened the end for a few shows, and may be being used by the executives to try to put some pressure on the strikers, but I also have very little respect or expectations on Paramount/Viacom/CBS/Section 32: All the Ruthlessness, None of the Competence, or whatever they're calling themselves this week. There have been some rumors that they may simply sell off P+, which isn't great but does hold out the faint promise of the franchise being taken over by a more capable management.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:45 AM on June 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
I didn't recognize her from Wynnona Earp since I'd only seen the pilot, but I may have to start watching that. I guess that she also has a recurring part in Letterkenny, another beloved show that I'd never gotten into, but I watched a few episodes of that last night and I may get further into that, as well.
What I'm wondering now, though, is (A) the extent to which the strike is influencing/accelerating what the TrekMovie article calls the industry trend of cancelling shows, and (B) if there are any whispers at all yet of an end to the strike.
I think that the strike may have hastened the end for a few shows, and may be being used by the executives to try to put some pressure on the strikers, but I also have very little respect or expectations on Paramount/Viacom/CBS/Section 32: All the Ruthlessness, None of the Competence, or whatever they're calling themselves this week. There have been some rumors that they may simply sell off P+, which isn't great but does hold out the faint promise of the franchise being taken over by a more capable management.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:45 AM on June 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
What I'm wondering now, though, is (A) the extent to which the strike is influencing/accelerating what the TrekMovie article calls the industry trend of cancelling shows, and (B) if there are any whispers at all yet of an end to the strike.
There is not. The AMPTP isn’t even negotiating with the WGA currently because both the DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts were/are up June 30. The DGA struck a new deal last week, but the scuttlebutt is that SAG-AFTRA is very close to striking. That would put quite a bit of pressure on the AMPTP because all productions would immediately shut down.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:07 PM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is not. The AMPTP isn’t even negotiating with the WGA currently because both the DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts were/are up June 30. The DGA struck a new deal last week, but the scuttlebutt is that SAG-AFTRA is very close to striking. That would put quite a bit of pressure on the AMPTP because all productions would immediately shut down.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:07 PM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
At about 45:40 there's a scene where Pasalk reminds Number One that she's under oath and doesn't want to perjure herself, and we cut to the glowing pad that all the witnesses have their right hand on whilst they testify. Is this meant to be some sort of lie detector or monitor? If so, then I would have thought that poses significant issues as regards questions that might require the witness to incriminate someone else (in particular, as here, someone who is not on trial and is not able to defend themselves.)
posted by Major Clanger at 3:20 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Major Clanger at 3:20 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
>> I guess that she also has a recurring part in Letterkenny...
(jaw drops) OMG, I knew I knew her from somewhere. It's Mrs. McMurray!
posted by Molesome at 3:49 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
(jaw drops) OMG, I knew I knew her from somewhere. It's Mrs. McMurray!
posted by Molesome at 3:49 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
We saw Illyrians back in Enterprise
And they were the people Archer stole warp technology from to keep their mission to stop the Xindi on schedule, stranding the Illyrians three years from home. Starfleet really has it in for these guys!
posted by Servo5678 at 5:23 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
And they were the people Archer stole warp technology from to keep their mission to stop the Xindi on schedule, stranding the Illyrians three years from home. Starfleet really has it in for these guys!
posted by Servo5678 at 5:23 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
At about 45:40 there's a scene where Pasalk reminds Number One that she's under oath and doesn't want to perjure herself, and we cut to the glowing pad that all the witnesses have their right hand on whilst they testify. Is this meant to be some sort of lie detector or monitor?
I think so--it also shows up in TOS' "Court Martial" and "Wolf in the Fold." Memory Alpha doesn't have a lot of info on it.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:40 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think so--it also shows up in TOS' "Court Martial" and "Wolf in the Fold." Memory Alpha doesn't have a lot of info on it.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:40 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
And they were the people Archer stole warp technology from to keep their mission to stop the Xindi on schedule, stranding the Illyrians three years from home. Starfleet really has it in for these guys!
Mistakes were made.
I think so--it also shows up in TOS' "Court Martial" and "Wolf in the Fold." Memory Alpha doesn't have a lot of info on it.
Weirdly, the clearest photo of it on Memory Alpha — last time I looked, anyway — was under the images for Eddie Paskey. He was a regular background actor, often playing Mr Leslie. He is a bonanza of weird Trek trivia: Leslie was the first redshirt to die (in “Obsession”, IIRC) and then get better. Also one of the very few people outside Kirk-Spock-Scott to have the conn.
Paskey played the guy who drove the truck that killed Edith Keeler. Despite leaving after the second season, he still appears in more episodes that Takei or Koenig. And the aforementioned photo is a shot from when he played Mr. Scott for the insert shots in “Wolf in the Fold”: Scott is on trial and has his hand on the gizmo. However, James Doohan was missing a finger on his right hand so Paskey’s hand stood in for his.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:53 AM on June 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
Mistakes were made.
I think so--it also shows up in TOS' "Court Martial" and "Wolf in the Fold." Memory Alpha doesn't have a lot of info on it.
Weirdly, the clearest photo of it on Memory Alpha — last time I looked, anyway — was under the images for Eddie Paskey. He was a regular background actor, often playing Mr Leslie. He is a bonanza of weird Trek trivia: Leslie was the first redshirt to die (in “Obsession”, IIRC) and then get better. Also one of the very few people outside Kirk-Spock-Scott to have the conn.
Paskey played the guy who drove the truck that killed Edith Keeler. Despite leaving after the second season, he still appears in more episodes that Takei or Koenig. And the aforementioned photo is a shot from when he played Mr. Scott for the insert shots in “Wolf in the Fold”: Scott is on trial and has his hand on the gizmo. However, James Doohan was missing a finger on his right hand so Paskey’s hand stood in for his.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:53 AM on June 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
James Doohan was missing a finger on his right hand so Paskey’s hand stood in for his.well that's the weirdest piece of star trek trivia I've picked up lately. I wonder who made THAT decision.
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 9:01 AM on June 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
[Paskey as Mr.] Leslie was the first redshirt to die (in “Obsession”, IIRC) and then get better.
Paskey [also] played the guy who drove the truck that killed Edith Keeler.
Damn Lanthanites!
posted by fairmettle at 10:06 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Paskey [also] played the guy who drove the truck that killed Edith Keeler.
Damn Lanthanites!
posted by fairmettle at 10:06 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
James Doohan was missing a finger on his right hand so Paskey’s hand stood in for his.
well that's the weirdest piece of star trek trivia I've picked up lately. I wonder who made THAT decision.
A fellow Canadian who was a little jumpy on the trigger the evening of D-Day.
posted by Etrigan at 11:55 AM on June 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
well that's the weirdest piece of star trek trivia I've picked up lately. I wonder who made THAT decision.
A fellow Canadian who was a little jumpy on the trigger the evening of D-Day.
posted by Etrigan at 11:55 AM on June 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
There was a fun round of emails at work this morning because the CGI for Star Fleet HQ included a clear shot of the Point Bonita Lighthouse (my office is doing a project there), except the lighthouse itself is gone, and replaced with some weird SF facility.
However they kept the suspension bridge! Which is in fact not historic (it was replaced in about 2010), but the lighthouse is really old and I'm disappointed in the Federation's historic preservation compliance.
posted by suelac at 12:42 PM on June 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
However they kept the suspension bridge! Which is in fact not historic (it was replaced in about 2010), but the lighthouse is really old and I'm disappointed in the Federation's historic preservation compliance.
posted by suelac at 12:42 PM on June 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
A fellow Canadian who was a little jumpy on the trigger the evening of D-Day.
Yeah, every June 6 Star Trek boards get filled up with memes about how Doohan was wounded on D-Day at Normandy. While I give him respect for that, he was in fact shot several times by a nervous sentry that evening, many hours after the landings were over. Context is a thing.*
If you know about the missing finger, you can notice that he frequently stands with his left side to the camera so it is hidden behind his body. One of the few times it comes up onscreen is in “The Trouble with Tribbles” when he walks into the mess with a double armful of tribbles (“Aye, they’re into the machinery all right.”) The gap of the missing finger is visible for a few seconds.
*Calvin Trillin’s wife passed away after a long battle with cancer, but he has ruefully observed that because she died in New York City on September 11, 2001, many people make an understandable if incorrect assumption.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:53 PM on June 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, every June 6 Star Trek boards get filled up with memes about how Doohan was wounded on D-Day at Normandy. While I give him respect for that, he was in fact shot several times by a nervous sentry that evening, many hours after the landings were over. Context is a thing.*
If you know about the missing finger, you can notice that he frequently stands with his left side to the camera so it is hidden behind his body. One of the few times it comes up onscreen is in “The Trouble with Tribbles” when he walks into the mess with a double armful of tribbles (“Aye, they’re into the machinery all right.”) The gap of the missing finger is visible for a few seconds.
*Calvin Trillin’s wife passed away after a long battle with cancer, but he has ruefully observed that because she died in New York City on September 11, 2001, many people make an understandable if incorrect assumption.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:53 PM on June 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
was in fact shot several times by a nervous sentry that evening, many hours after the landings were over.
I've heard that hurts much less.
posted by biffa at 10:29 AM on June 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've heard that hurts much less.
posted by biffa at 10:29 AM on June 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
That's all interesting back-story but I was referring to the decision to not show the hand on-screen. Was it Doohan's preference? Roddenberry thought there should be nobody with missing digits in the future? Someone just thought showing a hand with a missing digit would be disturbing for the audience?
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 11:23 AM on June 27, 2023
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 11:23 AM on June 27, 2023
Roddenberry thought there should be nobody with missing digits in the future?
No, that was Space: 1999, "Mission of the Darians".
posted by The Tensor at 12:12 PM on June 27, 2023
No, that was Space: 1999, "Mission of the Darians".
posted by The Tensor at 12:12 PM on June 27, 2023
Was it Doohan's preference? Roddenberry thought there should be nobody with missing digits in the future? Someone just thought showing a hand with a missing digit would be disturbing for the audience?
Doohan hid it throughout his career and was said to be self-conscious about it at the time; however, by the '90s, he had added it to his list of anecdotes that he would tell at cons and media scrums and appearances and the like.
(And let me tell you, there's nothing quite like hearing a crowd roaring at a "Here's how I lost my finger" story to make you realize that James Doohan could sell ice to a penguin.)
posted by Etrigan at 12:49 PM on June 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
Doohan hid it throughout his career and was said to be self-conscious about it at the time; however, by the '90s, he had added it to his list of anecdotes that he would tell at cons and media scrums and appearances and the like.
(And let me tell you, there's nothing quite like hearing a crowd roaring at a "Here's how I lost my finger" story to make you realize that James Doohan could sell ice to a penguin.)
posted by Etrigan at 12:49 PM on June 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
I've heard that hurts much less.
Really? I’d imagine they hurt about the same.
I just like disingenuous shit; this to me is not much different from the Blue Lives Matter folks declaring that, say, six police officers died in the line of duty in whatever state last year when five were in auto accidents and one had a heart attack at his desk.
Yes, he saw combat that day; yes, he was injured. But he did not suffer any injuries in combat and other people pretending he did is pretty close to what I think veterans refer to as “borrowed glory.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:11 AM on June 28, 2023
Really? I’d imagine they hurt about the same.
I just like disingenuous shit; this to me is not much different from the Blue Lives Matter folks declaring that, say, six police officers died in the line of duty in whatever state last year when five were in auto accidents and one had a heart attack at his desk.
Yes, he saw combat that day; yes, he was injured. But he did not suffer any injuries in combat and other people pretending he did is pretty close to what I think veterans refer to as “borrowed glory.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:11 AM on June 28, 2023
I invite you to find a veteran and ask if they think that storming a Normandy beach on D-Day, then getting wounded by friendly fire the following night, counts as being "injured in combat".
posted by The Tensor at 10:53 AM on June 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The Tensor at 10:53 AM on June 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
My great-uncle was a veteran. He arrived in France by way of Normandy, but two weeks after D-Day. He was injured in combat in the Low Countries months later, but there is no way on earth he would ever have pretended his wounds were received on D-Day.
We were once talking about landmark birthdays. I mentioned I had spent mine playing the black market in Tel Aviv, and it was the one year that being continents away from all my friends and family, I received no presents or well-wishes. He pointed out that his 25th birthday was the day Germany surrendered. He was a couple hundred miles from Berlin at the time, so his birthday present was to hear he was going home alive. He lived to see 100.
In any event, this is a derail.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:44 AM on June 28, 2023
We were once talking about landmark birthdays. I mentioned I had spent mine playing the black market in Tel Aviv, and it was the one year that being continents away from all my friends and family, I received no presents or well-wishes. He pointed out that his 25th birthday was the day Germany surrendered. He was a couple hundred miles from Berlin at the time, so his birthday present was to hear he was going home alive. He lived to see 100.
In any event, this is a derail.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:44 AM on June 28, 2023
Getting back on track with episode talk - la'haan (sorrry can't check spelling right now), lied on the witness stand.
Did ya notice that?
Something about her physiology allows her to defeat whatever lie detecting technology they were using in the courtroom.
I wonder if this will ever come up again?
posted by Faintdreams at 2:37 PM on June 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
Did ya notice that?
Something about her physiology allows her to defeat whatever lie detecting technology they were using in the courtroom.
I wonder if this will ever come up again?
posted by Faintdreams at 2:37 PM on June 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I liked the dress uniforms, and suspected that there was a reason and inspiration behind them. Today I read this article, which goes into more detail, including one awesome tiny little Easter Egg in a photo on Pike's desk.
I also think people's complaints about the fabric looking wrinkled has something to do with the show being shot at higher resolution than the original series. At 1080 and higher you are much more likely to notice these details than at 480 from the 1960s.
posted by seasparrow at 4:14 PM on June 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
I also think people's complaints about the fabric looking wrinkled has something to do with the show being shot at higher resolution than the original series. At 1080 and higher you are much more likely to notice these details than at 480 from the 1960s.
posted by seasparrow at 4:14 PM on June 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
I’ve been loving this show! My only real quibble is with the extreme anti-GE stuff going on because then the heck does Spock not in trouble? But then I remind myself that Star Trek has always been morality plays of our real world conflicts and concerns. Having a strident character (the lawyer) arguing a moral position is just so very trek.
posted by R343L at 12:17 AM on July 1, 2023
posted by R343L at 12:17 AM on July 1, 2023
This was a great episode, but I could have done without the flashbacks to the episode that we were watching during the reading of the law on asylum. It's like they didn't trust the audience to put two and two together to come up with four.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:02 PM on July 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:02 PM on July 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
Nitpick: they keep asking witnesses to answer a hypothetical then pressure them to do it by reminding them they’re under oath, e.g. “would you have supported her had you known she was Ilyrian.” If Star Trek court can enforce truth condition reporting for counterfactuals it is some advanced technology…
posted by brendano at 11:32 AM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by brendano at 11:32 AM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
> An Illyrian is not exactly like a transgender person, nor like a lesbian/gay person. There's a bit of Jewish identity too here, and also something entirely new with a somewhat legitimate concern about the risks of genetically modified people in Starfleet.
an ouster?
What makes them unique and opposed to the Hegemony's sensibilities?
posted by kliuless at 11:18 PM on July 18, 2023
an ouster?
What makes them unique and opposed to the Hegemony's sensibilities?
- The Ousters have a strong ecological sensibility. Their society has learned the lessons of the destruction of Old Earth, and decided that terraforming is the wrong path. Rather than altering existing planets to suit humans, the Ousters alter themselves to fit the environment. Thus the Ousters come in a huge variety of appearances and forms.
posted by kliuless at 11:18 PM on July 18, 2023
I don’t think this is possible at this point but I wish they could retcon the genetic engineering ban to apply just to Starfleet, and say that the Federation as a whole is mostly okay with it in certain situations, such as bringing someone's health and quality of life to baseline human standards.
It would still be a thorny issue and require some handwaving on an episode-by-episode basis, but I think "due to our history we don't want augmented humans serving in our military" is much easier to accept than the idea that the Federation believes some children just have to suffer.
In general, though I liked this episode, I feel like its biggest weakness is that it didn't really show us why the Federation is so against GM in the first place, like by recounting some of the horrors of the Eugenics War. The episode doesn't have to "both sides" the issue, but Starfleet's prejudice needs to be established as being grounded in something. Otherwise it’s just “You know that utopia you've loved your entire life? Well this week they’re holding the bigot ball.”
• I loved the brief scene in the crew lounge because it reminded me of one of my favorite periods of Trek: the first half of TOS' first season, when the show was still figuring itself out and the core cast hadn't fully gelled yet. It felt much more like a show about an entire ship...there were scenes just like this one, with the crew just hanging out in their time off. Not playing poker or going to a Shakespeare recital, just sitting in the lounge being goofballs together.
• I also loved the scene with Uhura respectfully shutting down La'an's privacy-breaking request.
• Did anyone else feel like this episode/series throws around actual AD years more than usual? I could be wrong but I think we're getting a lot of "the year 21XX"s here where before we'd just get a stardate or "in the 22nd century".
• It's so bizarre to me that when they were breaking out the main characters and plotlines before the show even started, the writers were like "okay, we want to have a character who has secretly been genetically modified and we want to have a character who has the same name as Khan. We should totally make those two different characters!"
• I can't believe they did an "and everybody clapped" ending! Gosh, I love this cornball show so much.
posted by Ian A.T. at 12:06 AM on July 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
It would still be a thorny issue and require some handwaving on an episode-by-episode basis, but I think "due to our history we don't want augmented humans serving in our military" is much easier to accept than the idea that the Federation believes some children just have to suffer.
In general, though I liked this episode, I feel like its biggest weakness is that it didn't really show us why the Federation is so against GM in the first place, like by recounting some of the horrors of the Eugenics War. The episode doesn't have to "both sides" the issue, but Starfleet's prejudice needs to be established as being grounded in something. Otherwise it’s just “You know that utopia you've loved your entire life? Well this week they’re holding the bigot ball.”
• I loved the brief scene in the crew lounge because it reminded me of one of my favorite periods of Trek: the first half of TOS' first season, when the show was still figuring itself out and the core cast hadn't fully gelled yet. It felt much more like a show about an entire ship...there were scenes just like this one, with the crew just hanging out in their time off. Not playing poker or going to a Shakespeare recital, just sitting in the lounge being goofballs together.
• I also loved the scene with Uhura respectfully shutting down La'an's privacy-breaking request.
• Did anyone else feel like this episode/series throws around actual AD years more than usual? I could be wrong but I think we're getting a lot of "the year 21XX"s here where before we'd just get a stardate or "in the 22nd century".
• It's so bizarre to me that when they were breaking out the main characters and plotlines before the show even started, the writers were like "okay, we want to have a character who has secretly been genetically modified and we want to have a character who has the same name as Khan. We should totally make those two different characters!"
• I can't believe they did an "and everybody clapped" ending! Gosh, I love this cornball show so much.
posted by Ian A.T. at 12:06 AM on July 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's so bizarre to me that when they were breaking out the main characters and plotlines before the show even started, the writers were like "okay, we want to have a character who has secretly been genetically modified and we want to have a character who has the same name as Khan. We should totally make those two different characters!"
IIRC Una (who wasn't called that until Stream Trek, and known only as "Number One" in TOS: "The Cage") was always said to be somehow superhuman. I don't remember quite how much detail, if any, canon went into about that in the old days. I do remember that she was the first example of Roddenberry's idea for a cold supercomputer-type mind in the main cast (which is why "The Cage" Spock is so…not Spock), an idea he repeated in, like, all? of his subsequent productions: actual-TOS-Spock, Ilya, Data, Questor, and I never saw Genesis II but I'll just assume there was one in there too.
Given Number One's only real established trait prior to Stream Trek, giving her a Khan to befriend makes a certain amount of sense. The bizarre thing to ME is even putting a Khan in this show at all, but I would wager a not inconsiderable sum that the network insisted on it. If that's the case, they've done a good job working within that constraint w/r/t La/an.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 3:49 AM on July 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
IIRC Una (who wasn't called that until Stream Trek, and known only as "Number One" in TOS: "The Cage") was always said to be somehow superhuman. I don't remember quite how much detail, if any, canon went into about that in the old days. I do remember that she was the first example of Roddenberry's idea for a cold supercomputer-type mind in the main cast (which is why "The Cage" Spock is so…not Spock), an idea he repeated in, like, all? of his subsequent productions: actual-TOS-Spock, Ilya, Data, Questor, and I never saw Genesis II but I'll just assume there was one in there too.
Given Number One's only real established trait prior to Stream Trek, giving her a Khan to befriend makes a certain amount of sense. The bizarre thing to ME is even putting a Khan in this show at all, but I would wager a not inconsiderable sum that the network insisted on it. If that's the case, they've done a good job working within that constraint w/r/t La/an.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 3:49 AM on July 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I never saw Genesis II but I'll just assume there was one in there too
Quoting Lyra-A, played by Mariette Hartley:
posted by hanov3r at 8:24 AM on July 19, 2023
Quoting Lyra-A, played by Mariette Hartley:
But I'm incapable of feeling love as you understand it.So, yeah, he kinda carried it into G2, as well.
Oh, Dylan... I don't know. But I can't love you. I'd be human then. I'd be weak and foolish, like them.
That's why I'm superior. I know self-interest is the natural order of life.
posted by hanov3r at 8:24 AM on July 19, 2023
Also, you should watch Genesis II. YouTube has it in full, even if it's only 360p.
posted by hanov3r at 8:27 AM on July 19, 2023
posted by hanov3r at 8:27 AM on July 19, 2023
I also loved the scene with Uhura respectfully shutting down La'an's privacy-breaking request.
God damn. Say it loud. As a working privacy engineer, I see so many "it's okay if we hack the computer to steal someone's files just this once to save our friend" plots, and I love that they made it a minor plot point that, no, violating people's privacy isn't the right answer here. Una's in this mess because Federation law trampled her right to bodily autonomy, this is literally a "right to privacy" episode, and while reading colleagues' diaries seemed like it might have been the right thing to do at the time, I'm so so so glad this show not only didn't take that route but used some of its time to repudiate it!
posted by potrzebie at 11:20 PM on July 30, 2023 [7 favorites]
God damn. Say it loud. As a working privacy engineer, I see so many "it's okay if we hack the computer to steal someone's files just this once to save our friend" plots, and I love that they made it a minor plot point that, no, violating people's privacy isn't the right answer here. Una's in this mess because Federation law trampled her right to bodily autonomy, this is literally a "right to privacy" episode, and while reading colleagues' diaries seemed like it might have been the right thing to do at the time, I'm so so so glad this show not only didn't take that route but used some of its time to repudiate it!
posted by potrzebie at 11:20 PM on July 30, 2023 [7 favorites]
That's interesting about privacy. A few episodes later a minor character from another ship dies and Pike says, "But since
So the right to privacy seems to be well established in Starfleet, if even the captain of the ship in an emergency situation needs to go up the chain of command for special permission to view relevant logs of a deceased crew member.
I used the Details tag, because the Spoiler tag didn't work for me.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:16 PM on July 31, 2023
Lieutenant Ramon
is deceased, Starfleet gave me permission to decrypt his personal logs and private medical files." So the right to privacy seems to be well established in Starfleet, if even the captain of the ship in an emergency situation needs to go up the chain of command for special permission to view relevant logs of a deceased crew member.
I used the Details tag, because the Spoiler tag didn't work for me.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:16 PM on July 31, 2023
I love that they are writing Starfleet as an org with established, consistent data privacy practices! I'll be looking out for that as I catch up on the rest of the season.
posted by potrzebie at 3:21 PM on July 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 3:21 PM on July 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's so bizarre to me that when they were breaking out the main characters and plotlines before the show even started, the writers were like "okay, we want to have a character who has secretly been genetically modified and we want to have a character who has the same name as Khan. We should totally make those two different characters!"
Am I wrong or did La'an also admit to suspecting that she has genetic modifications?
As a working privacy engineer, I see so many "it's okay if we hack the computer to steal someone's files just this once to save our friend" plots, and I love that they made it a minor plot point that, no, violating people's privacy isn't the right answer here.
It occurs to me that La'an might have been testing her to see if she would have turned over those records to a previous request from headquarters.
posted by bq at 3:51 PM on August 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Am I wrong or did La'an also admit to suspecting that she has genetic modifications?
As a working privacy engineer, I see so many "it's okay if we hack the computer to steal someone's files just this once to save our friend" plots, and I love that they made it a minor plot point that, no, violating people's privacy isn't the right answer here.
It occurs to me that La'an might have been testing her to see if she would have turned over those records to a previous request from headquarters.
posted by bq at 3:51 PM on August 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Really enjoyed this one. Basically a redo of “The Measure of a Man”, but as a proper legal drama with lawyers and semi-plausible legal procedure and stuff, instead of silliness like appointing Riker as opposing counsel. The legal-procedural twist ending was hilarious (if credulity-straining). “I know you all think this is a court martial, but actually this is an asylum review and you are now an asylum review board!”
posted by Syllepsis at 9:09 PM on September 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Syllepsis at 9:09 PM on September 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
From a purely sci-fi perspective, I'm interested to know the difference between passing and not-passing Illyrians.
But what I liked most about this courtroom episode is that Katoul used the oppressor's own tools against itself. It's such a judo move.
It's not Katoul's job to heal the whole system, but patching a leak for your oppressor is pretty generous, all things considered. My metaphors are getting muddled but you get what I mean.
posted by harriet vane at 8:03 AM on September 30, 2023
But what I liked most about this courtroom episode is that Katoul used the oppressor's own tools against itself. It's such a judo move.
It's not Katoul's job to heal the whole system, but patching a leak for your oppressor is pretty generous, all things considered. My metaphors are getting muddled but you get what I mean.
posted by harriet vane at 8:03 AM on September 30, 2023
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Strange New Worlds is, to me, a distillation of the best of Trek - not every episode, every character, every line of dialogue, but the intention behind it and the efforts it goes to to build upon a legacy laid down over decades. This episode reaffirms that. Even if most of the cast sat passively and mostly just witnessed the proceedings in this particular episode, the summation of our differences and diversity making Starfleet, and by extension the Federation stronger, was such a hopeful and timely message. But then that's what Star Trek has always meant to me; hope for the future.
posted by Molesome at 6:45 AM on June 22, 2023 [13 favorites]