Alex Kurtzman: 'Star Trek: Discovery' Will Spark Debate And Adhere To Canon

[Kor]

Spock suddenly having an adoptive/foster human sister actually follows very well on the tradition established in TOS itself of previously unknown, off-the-wall stuff about Spock suddenly being revealed out of absolutely nowhere.

Oh how nice... every seven years he loses all semblance of emotional control and he must mate or die. Never expected that, did we?

His father is the Vulcan ambassador, and nobody ever knew! It's funny that his personnel file said absolutely nothing about it, and not even his commanding officer or physician knew.

Uh oh, now he's exposed to intense light that would leave any humanoid permanently blind. What ever shall we do? Actually not a problem at all, thanks to those trusty Vulcan inner eyelids!

Kor

 

[BillJ]

Spock suddenly having an adoptive/foster human sister actually follows very well on the tradition established in TOS itself of previously unknown, off-the-wall stuff about Spock suddenly being revealed out of absolutely nowhere.

Oh how nice... every seven years he loses all semblance of emotional control and he must mate or die. Never expected that, did we?

His father is the Vulcan ambassador, and nobody ever knew! It's funny that his personnel file said absolutely nothing about it, and not even his commanding officer or physician knew.

Uh oh, now he's exposed to intense light that would leave any humanoid permanently blind. What ever shall we do? Actually not a problem at all, thanks to those trusty Vulcan inner eyelids!

Kor

I think it is one thing to reveal something about a character as a series runs its course, quite another to reveal it as a central character in a fifty-year later prequel.

It may play great, but personally I think it is as dumb as having C-3PO being built by Darth Vader.

 

[Mudd]

Actually not a problem at all, thanks to those trusty Vulcan inner eyelids!

...That he forgot he had!

 

[BillJ]

I just wonder what purpose Sarek and Spock serve in Burnham's character beyond fan service?

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

I just wonder what purpose Sarek and Spock serve in Burnham's character beyond fan service?

I'm guessing she sometimes uses logic in a Vulcan-like style. And she probably has some control over her emotions (more so than the average human).

 

[BillJ]

I'm guessing she sometimes uses logic in a Vulcan-like style. And she probably has some control over her emotions (more so than the average human).

But any Vulcan adoptive parent could serve that purpose in the story.

 

[Mudd]

Yeah, but it's more interesting initially to some long-time viewers if it's about people they know. It probably was more interesting to Fuller that way.

It's not an example of anything like "small universe syndrome," it's just a writer deciding who he wants to tell his story about.

An incredible number of stories feature one or more unlikely coincidences early in the plot; as a general rule, this isn't a problem as long as the events are (as said) early enough and by their nature are a primary turning point in the story.

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

Indeed.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

But any Vulcan adoptive parent could serve that purpose in the story.

Yeah. Does that matter? Sarek could also serve that purpose just as well.

If you are asking what specifically is special about the Sarek-Burnham relationship that could not also be served by a Vulcan X-Burnham relationsship -- other than including a Vulcan the fans know -- then my answer would be "nothing, but does there need to be another purpose?"

But if there is another purpose (and I don't think there NEEDS to be), maybe they will explore some of the reservations Serek displayed in "Journey to Babel" about Starfleet, or maybe events in DSC will help create those reservations.

Personally, though, sometimes I think I'd rather not see things like Sarek's reservations about Starfleet in 'Babel' explained. Some things might be better off left to our imaginations. However, if they do it, hopefully they do it well.

 

[BillJ]

It's not an example of anything like "small universe syndrome," it's just a writer deciding who he wants to tell his story about.

It begins to feel like it after a while though. More Klingons, Mudd, Sarek, Spock's adoptive sister. It makes things feel cramped.

One of the things I really hated about Rogue One, was all the wink-nod moments. It's "Star Wars", I get it. I hope I don't end up feeling the same way about Discovery.

 

[Mudd]

I really don't care whether the characters are old ones or new ones. If they want to have Kirk and Spock pop in any time, that's fine.

I mean, I'm watching the sixth TV series about Starfleet. Surely there are lots of other kinds of people and things going on in the 23rd century besides folks serving in the Space Navy, right?

I do find the "ancestor of..." kinds of stories annoying. The writing of Brent Spiner's part in Enterprise was barely tolerable until the fanboys at their keyboards launched into his little parting speech about switching his field of study to cybernetics and mounting an AI project that "would take several lifetimes."

Wink-wink-nudge-nudge-Say-no-more, eh?

 

[N-121973]

I really don't care whether the characters are old ones or new ones. If they want to have Kirk and Spock pop in any time, that's fine.

I mean, I'm watching the sixth TV series about Starfleet. Surely there are lots of other kinds of people and things going on in the 23rd century besides folks serving in the Space Navy, right?

I do find the "ancestor of..." kinds of stories annoying. The writing of Brent Spiner's part in Enterprise was barely tolerable until the fanboys at their keyboards launched into his little parting speech about switching his field of study to cybernetics and mounting an AI project that "would take several lifetimes."

Wink-wink-nudge-nudge-Say-no-more, eh?

I would have loved to have seen an episode of ENT in which Leonard Nimoy played one of his human ancestors. Perhaps a great great grandfather who was a diplomat on Vulcan? Regardless I always felt Spock's human half was under-utilised and it would have been fun to see Nimoy in Star Trek sans ears and make-up.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The writing of Brent Spiner's part in Enterprise was barely tolerable until the fanboys at their keyboards launched into his little parting speech about switching his field of study to cybernetics and mounting an AI project that "would take several lifetimes."

Wink-wink-nudge-nudge-Say-no-more, eh?

Maybe the fact that it was originally supposed to be Colonel Green (they only changed it to Arik Soong because Spiner wanted to be on the show) had something to do with it.

Of course there would have been winks & nudges there too.

 

[BillJ]

Maybe the fact that it was originally supposed to be Colonel Green (they only changed it to Arik Soong because Spiner wanted to be on the show) had something to do with it.

That part had to be radically rewritten if it was originally supposed to be Colonel Green.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I wonder who they were planning to have play Green...

...and if he'll turn up on DSC.

 

[Kor]

The whole idea of your ancestor looking just like you is rather daft. Go back just a few generations in old family photos, and you might not notice any family resemblance at all!

Kor

 

[BillJ]

The whole idea of your ancestor looking just like you is rather daft. Go back just a few generations in old family photos, and you might not notice any family resemblance at all!

Kor

Then again, we have a picture of my oldest son when he was in ROTC and he looked exactly like my wife's grandpa when he was in the military at that age.

It was fucking creepy.

 

[Mr Awe]

Of course, which is why I said "like." If it was an accident, then it's amusing how the specific choice of words in Data's line nonetheless seems like it's going out of its way to be contradictory.

Then again, they had people on staff like Sternbach & Okuda who knew TOS very well and could've pointed out the discrepancy. So it's hard to believe nobody on the entire production noticed the similarity.

I don't remember much about the episode but is it possible that perhaps Sternback & Okuda read the script and the description wasn't clear enough for them to see the similarity. Or, maybe the SFx ended up being different than originally planned? I don't know but I could see it being something like that. Or, maybe it just wasn't a big enough deal to make a fuss over.

 

[fireproof78]

I just wonder what purpose Sarek and Spock serve in Burnham's character beyond fan service?

It's a different look at a character's background and their life.

I wonder who they were planning to have play Green...

...and if he'll turn up on DSC.

Wasn't there a recording of him in "Terra Prime?"

 

[BillJ]

It's a different look at a character's background and their life.

Then make it a reboot. Problems with conflicting continuity evaporates.

 

[fireproof78]

Then make it a reboot. Problems with conflicting continuity evaporates.

I have yet to see a conflict that could not be explained.