Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 1x02 - "Battle at the Binary Stars"

[Tosk]

Though, I'd still prefer to think of that exchange as being between Burnham and "the left behind remnant of Sarek" rather than a long distance communication... unless something explicitly confirms the opposite.

I would prefer that too, but it's hard to see it as anything but communication between the two people. He knows about her situation, refers to advice he gave her earlier, and suffers pain..."Communicating with you in this manner...the physical cost is significant."

I hated the idea that Sarek could communicate with her over vast distances. I despise when they introduce super powers to fill a plot need.

Did you despise it when they introduced Spock's ability to copy everything he is and ever was into someone else by touching them and saying one word?

 

[cultcross]

He knows about her situation, refers to advice he gave her earlier, and suffers pain..."Communicating with you in this manner...the physical cost is significant

Which could all still be in her head. However, I'm reasonably sure it isn't, and they really are communicating across the galaxy though some BS means. That bit really threw me out of the story, especially how it wasn't needed. Just seemed like a way to shoehorn in more Sarek.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

Did you despise it when they introduced Spock's ability to copy everything he is and ever was into someone else by touching them and saying one word?

Wasn't that something different, where he was transferring his katra into McCoy so his spirit would be somewhere safe? To me, that's more of "making a backup of your hard drive" as opposed to what happened with Sarek and Burnham.

 

[cultcross]

Plus it didn't happen at light years distant.

 

[Mudd]

"Harvey" and "Head Six" served the story function of heightening stress and inner conflict for their hosts as well as presenting an easy way to present the host's interior monologue dramatically.

"Head Sarek" exists to give the occasional fatherly pep talk or "Attagirl!"

 

[KirkusOveractus]

"Harvey" and "Head Six" served the story function of heightening stress and inner conflict for their hosts as well as presenting an easy way to present the host's interior monologue dramatically.

"Head Sarek" exists to give the occasional fatherly pep talk or "Attagirl!"

I'd have given this episode a higher rating if they used "Head Six" instead of "Head Sarek"!

 

[Bad Thoughts]

And in these two quotes we have Star Trek fandom, all fandom, and even all of the internet in one microcosm. Too little action for some, too much action for others. Too much change for some, too little for others. No other real thoughts about that, except I am just glad we have Trek back on TV to disagree about.

Presumptuousness aside, the passages from me and Kirkus do not oppose one another, and neither of them are lackadaisical criticisms.

 

[Tosk]

Wasn't that something different, where he was transferring his katra into McCoy so his spirit would be somewhere safe? To me, that's more of "making a backup of your hard drive" as opposed to what happened with Sarek and Burnham.

And that's less silly in the grand scheme?

Plus it didn't happen at light years distant.

Sarek shared his katra with Michael physically.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

Presumptuousness aside, the passages from me and Kirkus do not oppose one another, and neither of them are lackadaisical criticisms.

Not at all. And like I was saying a little upthread, Star Trek in it's best moments had an amazing ability to balance the action with dialogue. It's not happening here yet.

 

[BillJ]

If they had set the show ten years earlier, they would've had more room to play with. Not only that, then you could see that Burnham's life sentence affected how Sarek saw Starfleet and the reason why he wouldn't talk to Spock for eighteen years after he joined.

 

[cultcross]

Sarek shared his katra with Michael physically

But then could use that to communicate with her across light years, in real time.

 

[Ometiklan]

Presumptuousness aside, the passages from me and Kirkus do not oppose one another, and neither of them are lackadaisical criticisms.

I didn't mean to presume or suggest lackadaisical criticisms. I was just trying to illustrate how there are fans that hold all different types of opinions on the same content and that the good thing is that there is more Trek to discuss.

 

[Zod]

I would prefer that too, but it's hard to see it as anything but communication between the two people. He knows about her situation, refers to advice he gave her earlier, and suffers pain..."Communicating with you in this manner...the physical cost is significant."

Did you despise it when they introduced Spock's ability to copy everything he is and ever was into someone else by touching them and saying one word?

I loved it at the time but I was just a child. Seeing it older I kind of shrugged. I find that as I get older I become less forgiving of this stuff. Overall I accepted it as a way to bring back Spock and kind of left it at that in my mind. Now we are decades later and past more shows and movies. I'm not thrilled at a new Vulcan super power to be honest.

 

[Mudd]

Yep, they got a telepathic species that can communicate in real time across the galaxy.

No troublesome future story implications for that, none at all. No siree...

You know, some rabid continuity analyst* could jump in here and claim that the "mental bond" between young Spock and young T'Pring mentioned in the episode "Amok Time" totally justifies this within canon.

Continuity lawyering is not respectable argument where story-telling is concerned.

*Or a producer named Goldsman desperately trying to tread water while doing PR.

 

[BillJ]

Yep, they got a telepathic species that can communicate in real time across the galaxy.

Seems like they would want at least one Vulcan on every starship.

 

[Mudd]

Seems like they would want at least one Vulcan on every starship.

There's no way the Vulcans would agree to that.

Because such a proposal would be too...logical.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

There's no way the Vulcans would agree to that.

Because such a proposal would be too...logical.

Not to mention the data and airtime fees...

 

[Mudd]

Okay, people, I'm assuming I missed the dialogue that explains this:

Lighting up the hugest beacon in the Universe is not going to accelerate all those lumens past 186,000 miles per second.

So that "new star" of Sarek's - what is it and where is it?

Star Trek has never suggested (that I recall) that humans, Klingons or the other usual suspects can pick up real-time light emissions across light years with their sensors.* So everyone's getting this off of something like the relay that Shenzhou was repairing, right? The Klingons, Starfleet...

*Maybe, sorta in the episode "Tin Man."

 

[Mirror_Barclay]

The long-range telepathy seemed odd but didn't bother me while watching, especially as they took care to establish it can't be used all the time. However... on reflection, even if it's really hard, it seems like something that should come up occasionally and which would be illogical not to use. Instant communication across vast distances, in a way that presumably is unaffected by jamming, radiation, etc. would be extremely useful even at a physical toll.

Also, the continuity issues with Sarek and his thoughts toward Starfleet do bother me a bit. I'm fine with the changed aesthetic, I'm fine ignoring or retconning minor stuff, but isn't this a big part of Spock's character and background? Why is her mentor Sarek and not a new Vulcan character? This doesn't bother me much so far... but it does some.

My main reservation is still Burnham's character and judgement. I liked her through most of ep 1, but we now have two instances of her making very poor decisions in a moment of crisis, even after appearing capable and calm previously. Possibly you could make an interesting character who consistently behaves this way - but I don't think a main character. And it isn't clear whether anyone else we've met is part of the main cast.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

Okay, people, I'm assuming I missed the dialogue that explains this:

Lighting up the hugest beacon in the Universe is not going to accelerate all those lumens past 186,000 miles per second.

So that "new star" of Sarek's - what is it and where is it?

Star Trek has never suggested (that I recall) that humans, Klingons or the other usual suspects can pick up real-time light emissions across light years with their sensors.* So everyone's getting this off of something like the relay that Shenzhou was repairing, right? The Klingons, Starfleet...

*Maybe, sorta in the episode "Tin Man."

I could have accepted it more if Sarek had said something more to the effect of some strange signal emanating from the sector her ship is in, or something to that effect.

A giant bat-signal would take time for the light to travel out into space, wouldn't it?