This episode....
Well, it flew by. I was surprised when the credits rolled, it didn't seem a full episode had gone by. I didn't mind them doing a cliffhanger though, that was better than trying to wrap up a complex story in one part, I got a vibe of a TNG era 'Part 1' from the pacing, although I liked the self contained Saru story as well.
Liked the planet. Got a real
Stargate SG-1 vibe from the planetside stuff, and the 'Canada with colour filter' planet reminded me of the times that show pulled that trick. I thought this was a fun introduction to planetary exploration and I thought the idea of the planet and its harmonious inhabitants was very
Star Trek indeed. Although, to continue the
SG-1 parrallels, this episode was very similarly themed to the s1
Stargate episode
The Nox. Go to strange planet to explore the idea of a cloaking device, strange stuff happens, meet mysterious peaceful beings who won't let you fight your enemy. Helps that I loved
The Nox. Where did that tent come from though? Do these aliens have powers of illusion, like, say, for example, the Nox?
Saru's motivations were a little unclear through the episode but I think they just pulled it off with the final scene in sickbay and it played true to his setup as a character. Someone who desperately wants a life free from fear finds an oasis away from a terrifying war, it makes a kind of sense that he would be drawn to it. He is very trusting of his teammates though - he takes their communicators but not their weapons....
TOS nods aplenty this episode -
landing party (score 10 continuity points), the double handed Kirk smash, the communicator chirp, ten to the twelfth power, needs of the many...
The Klingon stuff (mostly) worked. The scenes in Klingon between L'Rell and Kor... not so much though. Those scenes are still too static, too staged, with big theatrical and overlong hand gestures that make them look like power rangers characters. The scenes in English between L'Rell and the Admiral were great and I'm disappointed to learn there was far more cut for time because I think that relationship was an interesting one and worth exploring. I think I've worked out what throws off the subtitled scenes. The language is so slow and cumbersome that it is hard for the actors to react naturally because the conversation doesn't flow at normal speed. When someone speaks, they have to stand there like a lemon for ages waiting for the sentence to finish so they can react to what was said. In English, their acting is much more fluid and natural.
The opening battle was great, well shot and more submarine than dogfight which I always like. Lorca's standing up, near the front style suits him very well and him flying into the path of the Klingon torpedoes is an interesting twist for those who insist he is selfishly motivated. The loss of the
Gargarin may not have had much screen time but Isaacs carries the moment perfectly and I bought his grief and sense of defeat.
Stamets seems to be seeing outside of time as well as space - that was my interpretation anyway. "Captain" he addresses the cadet. Based on recent movies, he's seeing about 8 months into the future.
Overall, enjoyed it more than
Magic to Irritate the Internet, not quite as much as
Choose Your Obvious Spy, so I'll give this one a
7/10.
So, Part II - I'm guessing this planet is a sort of Organian type setup (or, to continue to stretch my parallel, a Nox type setup) where an alien race who value peace above personal victory step in to mediate a conflict. I had a feeling something like this was coming, based on pre-show publicity about peaceful people finding solutions to war. I'm interested, anyway. So they've sold the concept well.
