Star Trek: Short Treks: Q&A
October 7, 2019 6:38 PM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Spock and Number One get stuck in an elevator.
Memory Alpha has some of the answers to your questions:
- There will be six episodes of Short Treks in this round.
- The episode is written by Michael Chabon, the showrunner for Star Trek: Picard.
- In this episode, Jenette Goldstein took over as the Enterprise's computer. The role was held by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry from 1966 until her death in 2008. Goldstein previously portrayed the science officer aboard the USS Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. [Also known, of course, for her roles in James Cameron movies Aliens and Terminator 2.]
- After beaming aboard, Spock stated his serial number "S 179-276 SP", which was also stated in TOS: "Court Martial".
- The episode establishes Number One's name as Una.
Poster's Log:
Mordin Solus would approve.
Memory Alpha has some of the answers to your questions:
- There will be six episodes of Short Treks in this round.
- The episode is written by Michael Chabon, the showrunner for Star Trek: Picard.
- In this episode, Jenette Goldstein took over as the Enterprise's computer. The role was held by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry from 1966 until her death in 2008. Goldstein previously portrayed the science officer aboard the USS Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. [Also known, of course, for her roles in James Cameron movies Aliens and Terminator 2.]
- After beaming aboard, Spock stated his serial number "S 179-276 SP", which was also stated in TOS: "Court Martial".
- The episode establishes Number One's name as Una.
Poster's Log:
Mordin Solus would approve.
That was a lot of fun. There are certainly worse running gags to have woven throughout a franchise than Gilbert & Sullivan. I do have to wonder though, just how much empty space do the current show runners think a starship would have? The Discovery has the same profligate waste around its turbolifts, and I found it just as startling last season when they showed it—it's totally at odds with how their traditional analogue of sea-going vessels are designed. Seems a little odd, though I guess it would align with Picard's eerily empty Enterprise.
Hoo boy, and I thought Gregory Peck's grandson looked good in a beard, but boy howdy does he clean up nice.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 9:28 PM on October 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
Hoo boy, and I thought Gregory Peck's grandson looked good in a beard, but boy howdy does he clean up nice.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 9:28 PM on October 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
They gave Rebecca Romjin things to do! Hurray! (Also, is anyone else getting a strong Commander Ivanova vibe from Number One?)
posted by Mr. Excellent at 4:19 AM on October 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Mr. Excellent at 4:19 AM on October 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
Yeah, it feels like they're committed to starships that are 80% empty engineering spaces?
posted by Kyol at 7:07 AM on October 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 7:07 AM on October 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
Apparently the original weird external turbolift shot from Discovery was not described like that in the script and was artistic license from the CGI rendering shop. Seems like they've doubled down on it, which, honestly, whatever, at this point.
posted by Automocar at 8:57 AM on October 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Automocar at 8:57 AM on October 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
P.S. Trekcore interview with Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin (with a bit from Michelle Paradise) about the upcoming shows, and says that the Short Treks this season will include more from the Pike Enterprise, one that's a Picard prequel, and a couple of animated ones. Also, Disco S3 filmed in Iceland.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:36 AM on October 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:36 AM on October 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
I loved this. It had a lot of Next Generation and original flavors, and I really liked Number One getting to be a whole character instead of a cool long cameo. I didn't think I wanted a Pike Enterprise series before this specific Short Trek, but why not? It looks like it could be delightful.
posted by xingcat at 12:00 PM on October 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by xingcat at 12:00 PM on October 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
A. I am 100% on board with a Pike Enterprise series. I want 1000% more Rebecca Romejin Number One in my life.
B. This episode was a little one-shot fanfic and I LOOOOOOOOOVED it. I am SHOCKED that there's only one fic on AO3 so far that uses this as a launching pad. I expected at least 20 Spock/Number One fanfics from this. It was adorable and delightful.
posted by rednikki at 12:07 PM on October 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
B. This episode was a little one-shot fanfic and I LOOOOOOOOOVED it. I am SHOCKED that there's only one fic on AO3 so far that uses this as a launching pad. I expected at least 20 Spock/Number One fanfics from this. It was adorable and delightful.
posted by rednikki at 12:07 PM on October 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
I mean, there's really no reason why a starship couldn't be 80% empty space, but it's at odds with not only the way the naval ships that Star Trek takes its inspiration from are designed*, but also the way Star Trek has been depicting its ships for 50 years. Why crawl through a tiny access tube when you could just put on a pressure suit and work in the vast empty spaces outside the pressurized hallways? Why even make tiny access tubes, when you could make full size access corridors that are only pressurized when needed?
* - Navy ships aren't actually as cramped as they're depicted in pop culture, I served on a submarine and even at 6'7" there were very few places aboard that felt cramped to me, and the engineering spaces especially are pretty roomy because it's important to allow for access to repair or replace equipment. That said, open spaces are always purposefully open, not just meaningless void space. Unnecessary open space tends to get filled up with storage.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:09 PM on October 8, 2019 [10 favorites]
* - Navy ships aren't actually as cramped as they're depicted in pop culture, I served on a submarine and even at 6'7" there were very few places aboard that felt cramped to me, and the engineering spaces especially are pretty roomy because it's important to allow for access to repair or replace equipment. That said, open spaces are always purposefully open, not just meaningless void space. Unnecessary open space tends to get filled up with storage.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:09 PM on October 8, 2019 [10 favorites]
"I want 1000% more Rebecca Romejin Number One in my life."
Wholeheartedly agree. This was really good.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:24 PM on October 8, 2019
Wholeheartedly agree. This was really good.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:24 PM on October 8, 2019
Yeah, that sort of seems like "well, the guys who did the CGI kind of went their own way because there was no other good way of depicting a turbolift system that isn't just a boring tube, and now we're stuck with it."
My headcanon is that it's just, like, only showing the turbolift system layer + a few other things, and all the living spaces and such are made transparent.. Yyyyeah. That's the ticket.
Still, the shuttlepod bay is, y'know, as big as a jumbo jet hangar, so there is a wee small scale problem in modern Trek.
posted by Kyol at 3:38 PM on October 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
My headcanon is that it's just, like, only showing the turbolift system layer + a few other things, and all the living spaces and such are made transparent.. Yyyyeah. That's the ticket.
Still, the shuttlepod bay is, y'know, as big as a jumbo jet hangar, so there is a wee small scale problem in modern Trek.
posted by Kyol at 3:38 PM on October 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
(Also, is anyone else getting a strong Commander Ivanova vibe from Number One?)
Oh, I love Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and I loved Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova, but I'm not seeing that much similarity. Number One is coming off as fairly lighthearted, while Ivanova always had a bit of darkness to her, even when she was having fun.
I can't imagine Number One delivering something like Ivanova's "God sent me" speech, for example.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:39 PM on October 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
Oh, I love Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and I loved Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova, but I'm not seeing that much similarity. Number One is coming off as fairly lighthearted, while Ivanova always had a bit of darkness to her, even when she was having fun.
I can't imagine Number One delivering something like Ivanova's "God sent me" speech, for example.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:39 PM on October 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
Devil's Advocate - perhaps not, but I could absolutely see Number One doing Ivanova's "sex" scene. Heck, she very nearly did. (Link is safe for work, I promise!)
posted by Mr. Excellent at 9:20 PM on October 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr. Excellent at 9:20 PM on October 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
(maybe i am old and dumb, but where is the link to said short trek?)
posted by mwhybark at 11:08 PM on October 8, 2019
posted by mwhybark at 11:08 PM on October 8, 2019
There are certainly worse running gags to have woven throughout a franchise than Gilbert & Sullivan.
I was in the same junior high school production of The Pirates of Penzance as Rebecca Romijn and this had me laughing and singing along. This was delightful and far and away my favorite thing I've seen her in since.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 4:57 PM on October 13, 2019 [4 favorites]
I was in the same junior high school production of The Pirates of Penzance as Rebecca Romijn and this had me laughing and singing along. This was delightful and far and away my favorite thing I've seen her in since.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 4:57 PM on October 13, 2019 [4 favorites]
If you can document that, it'd be a delightful tidbit to add to IMDB, Memory Alpha, Wikipedia, etc.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 6:25 PM on October 14, 2019
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 6:25 PM on October 14, 2019
Michael Chabon on writing this episode in the New Yorker.
posted by mwhybark at 2:25 AM on November 12, 2019
posted by mwhybark at 2:25 AM on November 12, 2019
Good heavens, he’s using the New Yorker to demonstrate his trufan status as he mourns his father. Who knew Chabon was such a multitasker? The piece covers some of the same ground as the shorts he did at startrek.com about the time that Q&A was released.
posted by mwhybark at 2:34 AM on November 12, 2019
posted by mwhybark at 2:34 AM on November 12, 2019
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posted by mwhybark at 8:05 PM on October 7, 2019 [3 favorites]