Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 2x01 - "Brother"

[Campe]

Is Hugh only going to exist in Staments' memory?

Naah, I have a feeling Tilly's mention of the mycelial network being strong in the area to Burnham and the object that couldn't be beamed back, coupled with the little mycellial spark going into Tilly's sleeve late in season 1 is going to have something to do with Culber's return.

In other words, they're gonna tech the tech him back into existence.

 

[bookworm8571]

I’m going to have to watch it again to catch some of the small details, but I really liked it.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to Vulcan and young Burnham’s first meeting with Sarek and Amanda and Spock. No, little Spock did not want a new friend and did not appreciate a human child taking away his mother. Did Sarek really think he would, or did he care more about his ongoing social experiment? I’m still curious about why Sarek and Amanda ended up with custody of Burnham, who was older than I thought when they got her. Weren’t there human relatives on Earth who wanted her? Did some human or Vulcan judge just think it would be fine because there was a random human woman in the household? I’d like more explanation for the whys here. Maybe Burnham’s parents were friends to Sarek and he felt obligated? Maybe she was already used to Vulcan ways because she had been living on a Vulcan colony? Maybe one of her parents was distantly related to Amanda?

I really liked the engineer they rescued. I hope she is staying around.

I liked Pike but I also liked Lorca and the more serious tone last season.

I’d like to see Discovery’s crew in the “new” uniform that Pike is wearing.

 

[Jadeb]

Can somebody who didn't like S1 tell me if they liked this episode?

I did, yes. And I've seen several other posters who were critical of season 1 say they liked it, which has the potential to really interfere with the narrative that we're blind haters.

The episode is almost a soft reboot, at least in terms of tone. Worth a look even if you didn't like the first season.

 

[eschaton]

I did, yes. And I've seen several other posters who were critical of season 1 say they liked it, which has the potential to really interfere with the narrative that we're blind haters.

The episode is almost a soft reboot, at least in terms of tone. Worth a look even if you didn't like the first season.

Yeah. About the only things I didn't like this episode were basically every time Tilly was onscreen (weirdly, because I liked her last season) and the references to things I wanted to forget from last season - like Chancellor L'Rell.

 

[Scout101]

I liked it, although really don't care much for Tilly. I mean, she's fine, just feel like it's over the top and too much. Liked that they showed the Redshirt for the landing party, built up the science officer more, and then killed him instead. Figured she was a goner.

Too many flashbacks and young Spock stuff in this one for me. All done fine, just a little more screen time than i cared for.

Overall, liked where this one pointed the season. But already the 'this season on Discovery' promo showed me we're going back into some Klingon nonsense again, unfortunately...

 

[Campe]

And I doubt I'll be alone on this one. Can't wait to see the reactions to Speck on YT when he debuts./

Man, what is with your obsession with YouTube?

Also, I'd like to point out that Liam Hughes and Ethan Peck are the 9th and 10th actors respectively to play Spock:

1. Leonard Nimoy - TOS ("The Cage" - "Turnabout Intruder", "Beyond the Farthest Star" - "The Counter-Clock Incident,") I-VI, TNG ("Unification I & II"), Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness
2. Billy Simpson - TAS ("Yesteryear" (young Spock, voice))
3. Carl Steven - III (age 9)
4. Vadia Potenza - III (age 13)
5. Stephen Manley - III (age 17)
6. Joe W. Davis - III (age 25)
7. Jacob Kogan - Star Trek (2009) (young Spock)
8. Zachary Quinto - Star Trek (2009) - Beyond (Kelvin Spock)
9. Liam Hughes - DISCO ("Brother" (young Spock))
10. Ethan Peck - DISCO ("Brother", voice [obviously will appear onscreen as the season goes on])

My thing about it is that I don't think it's particularly fair to suggest that when six different actors have portrayed Spock prior to the 2009 reboot (even if many were one-offs), I don't think its particularly fair to judge Ethan Peck based upon some of the complaints I've seen until we've actually seen him do the role outside of a three-second clip! I mean, if you want to get technical about it, between the ages of 24 and 35, Spock changed quite a bit. He goes from looking like this in 2254 ("The Cage"):

to looking something like this to this in 2255 (III):

to this in 2257 (Discovery):

to this develish, more yellow-skinned look in 2264 ("Where No Man Has Gone Before"):

to 2265 where he's a little smirky ("The Corbomite Maneuver"):

seems to have gotten an ear job here, but still smirky ("Mudd's Women"):

to the more stoic look we're used to ("The Man Trap"):

Look, I'm not saying that it won't seem out of place for Peck to play Spock in Disco. But Spock was an evolving character. Continuing to have him evolve, if the story's good, makes sense. It's a hard sell to have someone else play an iconic character, I get it. But let's give him a chance and not make a judgment until we see him. Picking the right actor to try to step into the shoes of an iconic part goes well beyond just having the right facial features. It has to do with a mood and an affect. We won't know that until we see him actually play the character. And, like Nimoy, it might take a few episodes to get it to that iconic status.

 

[Jadeb]

Yeah. About the only things I didn't like this episode were basically every time Tilly was onscreen (weirdly, because I liked her last season) and the references to things I wanted to forget from last season - like Chancellor L'Rell.

Agree. Seeing Georgiou in the trailer kinda harshed my buzz, and some of the humor didn't land for me, including some of Tilly's stuff and the elevator sneeze. But my complaints about the comedy are minor when the tone was so much improved. I'll give them some time to calibrate the instruments.

Other thoughts:

Some of the childhood flashbacks felt a little ploddy in the moment, but the ending made them worthwhile. I liked how it all tied together. Good job on the narrative payoff, writers.

In general, I thought the ep started a little slow -- the speechifying took me back to season 1 in a bad way -- but it really built up speed as it went along. And I'm not just referring to the action sequences. Everything just sort of gelled. I was actually enjoying my time with these characters.

It's a shame they didn't give us a couple of seasons like this before doing the mutiny/Lorca/war arc. Being better invested in the characters would have gone a long way, and it would have provided much-needed contrast to the intruding darkness.

 

[Vger23]

That episode was so much fun! It was exactly what I wanted from modern series; JJ's bling but doing more traditional ST things. Guys, they were totally doing Star Trek things! And not just for the hell of it, but for Star Trek reasons! ...and even used all the Star Trek tech speak, while also looking fantastic. I mean, a rescue mission for a ship embedded in an asteroid on a collision with a pulsar? We might not have gotten the solution the TNG crew might have come up with, but it was damn entertaining anyway!

The TNG solution would have been to have Geordi and Data sitting in a conference room talking about remodulating the deflector array by reversing polarity through the phase inducers to emit an inverse particle beam, reducing the force of gravity and mass, and thereby allowing a modified tractor beam to deflect the asteroid just enough so that it stays out of the gravimetric sheer of the pulsar.









.....It just might work.

 

[XCV330]

One of my kids called Jet Reno "Engineering McCoy"
in a good way
I like her. Also, jet is a badass name for a starship engineer

 

[Jadeb]

The TNG solution would have been to have Geordi and Data sitting in a conference room talking about remodulating the deflector array by reversing polarity through the phase inducers to emit an inverse particle beam, reducing the force of gravity and mass, and thereby allowing a modified tractor beam to deflect the asteroid just enough so that it stays out of the gravimetric sheer of the pulsar.

This ep was much more of what I was hoping for when they announced the proximity to TOS: an optimistic, two-fisted approach to storytelling that stripped away the beige technobabble of the later series.

I care a lot less about stuff like viewscreen shape and lighting levels when the show feels more like TOS. It doesn't need to be a literal return to that era if it feels like a spiritual one.

 

[Tim Thomason]

This ep was much more of what I was hoping for when they announced the proximity to TOS: an optimistic, two-fisted approach to storytelling that stripped away the beige technobabble of the later series.

I care a lot less about stuff like viewscreen shape and lighting levels when the show feels more like TOS. It doesn't need to be a literal return to that era if it feels like a spiritual one.

They actually made fun of technobabble, with Burnham's simile for Connolly's long explanation for what they planned to do.

 

[Vger23]

I’m sure His portrayal as Spock will be fine. I just think it won’t be anything special without Kirk and McCoy.
Anyone know what type of ship the medical one was? The turbo lifts made it look massive

Could be the turbos were huge to allow quick movement of patients on gurneys / attached to medical equipment, etc.

I did, yes. And I've seen several other posters who were critical of season 1 say they liked it, which has the potential to really interfere with the narrative that we're blind haters.

The episode is almost a soft reboot, at least in terms of tone. Worth a look even if you didn't like the first season.

I never viewed you as a blind hater. On the contrary, I'm not sure anyone (whether I agree or disagree with the opinions being offered) has expressed themselves in a more tempered and balanced way with regard to criticism of the ups-and-downs of S1.

 

[Vger23]

I really liked this episode. It was extremely entertaining, in a "Star Trek 2009" sort of way. I do feel conflicted about the huge tonal shift, because I did find that unique and refreshing in S1...but since I don't dislike lighter tones either...it doesn't really bother me. In absolute fairness....they really nailed the TOS / JJTrek vibe of humor, wit, and character interplay. For all the action and spectacle, the scene between Tillly and Stamets in Engineering was my favorite.


I have waited until now to offer a rating, and I think I'm going with an "8."

If the plot / story had been a little more involved, and if some of the humor had stuck a better landing (most of it was great...some was trying to hard)...it would have been a "9."

10's are reserved for TOS classics, TWOK, and Berman-era episodes like "Inner Light," "Best of Both Worlds" and "The Visitor."

Solid 8. Best season opener I can remember in a LONG time for the franchise.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

...to this develish, more yellow-skinned look in 2264 ("Where No Man Has Gone Before"):

That's a great still image because it does reflect the sarcastic comment he was delivering at the time, feigning not knowing (at first) what "irritating" means.

Who knew Spock could mock?

 

[Visitor1982]

I loved it. Watched it twice. Gave it a 9, only because it's not a 'The Visitor', 'Duet' or 'In The Pale Moonlight' and some of the humor was a bit too much...

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

One of my kids called Jet Reno "Engineering McCoy"
in a good way
I like her. Also, jet is a badass name for a starship engineer

The actor's name -- "Tig Notaro" -- works just as well.

Although, Tig Notaro does sound more like a Star Wars character, like maybe a squadron leader alongside Wedge Antilles.

 

[Campe]

That's a great still image because it does reflect the sarcastic comment he was delivering at the time, feigning not knowing (at first) what "irritating" means.

Who knew Spock could mock?

Sounds like Dr. Seuss.

I grok Spock
Spock wears socks
Spock can mock?

 

[XCV330]

The actor's name -- "Tig Notaro" -- works just as well.

Although, Tig Notaro does sound more like a Star Wars character, like maybe a squadron leader alongside Wedge Antilles.

She's probably a time traveller. You got to pay the bills somehow if you're marooned on Earth.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I was going to give this episode a 10, if not for the completely unnecessary and frankly insulting recasting of one of the greatest Star Trek characters. So I give it a 3.

#BringBackAiriam #Mitich4Ever

 

[Tuskin38]

TrekCore thinks that Stamets colleague aboard the Enterprise might be a reference to Sulu

• Stamets refers to a pal aboard the Enterprise — “a former collegue who is an ethno-botanist aboard that ship” — who can be none other than Hikaru Sulu, who was a Starfleet sciences blue-shirt during this era, and was later seen showing off his love of alien plant life back in “The Man Trap.”

Also anyone else think the Bridge crew gushing over the Enterprise at the start was a bit odd? It just felt weird to me. Awkward.