Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 2x01 - "Brother"

[Boomer359]

The Enterprise was heading to investigate one of the signals and as they got close to it all of the main systems blew out.

That was my assumption. Must have missed it in dialog.

Very convenient that Enterprise happened to fall adrift along a direct course from Earth to Vulcan, and at an instance within travel time between those worlds at maximum warp.

 

[Noname Given]

Like it or not, it's nothing like TOS.

And that's fine.

Then you haven't really watched TOS.

 

[DaveyNY]

I think Nyotarules is of the school of (which I am also part of) that the intent does not need to be racist for the result to be racist. The intent was the tell a story about a human woman who adopted the hairstyle of her Vulcan saviors. This, on its own, is not a problematic or racist when we're trying to tell a story sci-fi story about a human girl in an alien situation. But, when you cast a black woman as that character, it brings up a whole new set of connotations and meaning that wasn't intended, but the result is this: a TV show asked a black woman to not have a black woman's natural hair, during a time in (real world) history that the very subject is touchy.

If anything, SMG made a point to say that in the interview for the purpose of quelling anger about it in the first place, much like how in interviews after Culber's death were quick to say they didn't bury any gays. She may even have brought up the point, but was satisfied with the rationalization. I doubt anyone on production intended to do something racist, but that's the problem with pervasive racism...it exists and happens without you even realizing it.

One would think that even if They had hired a Caucasian or an Asian Woman to play the part, the Vulcan Hairstyle would still have been used.
It's obviously a very important part of the plot for the character.
She LIVES on Vulcan and is desperately attempting to "fit in" therefore, she needs to adapt to the fashion of the time and place.

The thing that needs to change now, is the perception that causality is Always the intent.
Sometimes it's just a necessary part of the story being told and nothing nefarious was ever predetermined.

Jumping to the Isle of Conclusions, has long been shown to involve a very strenuous swim back through strong currents of heartache and at times, embarrassingly misplaced rancor.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

I think Nyotarules is of the school of (which I am also part of) that the intent does not need to be racist for the result to be racist. The intent was the tell a story about a human woman who adopted the hairstyle of her Vulcan saviors. This, on its own, is not a problematic or racist when we're trying to tell a story sci-fi story about a human girl in an alien situation. But, when you cast a black woman as that character, it brings up a whole new set of connotations and meaning that wasn't intended, but the result is this: a TV show asked a black woman to not have a black woman's natural hair, during a time in (real world) history that the very subject is touchy. They could have easily not done this, and her entire story would have been 100% exactly the same.

If anything, SMG made a point to say that in the interview for the purpose of quelling anger about it in the first place, much like how in interviews after Culber's death were quick to say they didn't bury any gays. She may even have brought up the point, but was satisfied with the rationalization. I doubt anyone on production intended to do something racist, but thats the problem with pervasive racism...it exists and happens without you even realizing it.

They changed Kim Catrall's hair to play Valeris.
They changed Troi/Marina Sirtis' hair to play a Romulan (similar hair to Vulcans).

EDIT TO ADD:
I bet they wanted Jolene Blalock to get the short bob to have hair that looked more Vulcan-like.

 

[Noname Given]

• The ever more complicated Spock-Sarek-Amanda-Burnham relationship. Now I could be wrong but it seemed that they might be going into the possibility of some sort of romantic/sexual relationship between Spock and Burnham - did anyone else get that sense of things? Plus I just don't buy that, if they are going for building a meaningful relationship between Burnham and Sarek's family that she would never be mentioned again by him later on. This is obviously impossible given that Burnham was only recently invented, the point is really - why set up your series with such obvious questions unnecessarily? There is really nothing about Burnham's character so far that actually requires her to be Spock's long unknown foster sister - I would argue that here character choices would actually be better explained if she wasn't.

IDK if it went as far as actual sex. I COULD see Burnham helping Spock through an early Ponn Far episode (that he and she kept from their Parents) - in the way Savak did for the quickly maturing Spock in STIII:TSFS.

As for Spock not ever mentioning family relationships (even to close friends); remember from TOS S2 - "Journey To Babel":
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/44.htm

AMANDA: Captain Kirk.

KIRK: Our pleasure, madam. As soon as you're settled I'll arrange a tour of the ship. Mister Spock will conduct you.

SAREK: I'd prefer another guide, Captain.

KIRK: As you wish, Ambassador. Mister Spock, we'll leave orbit in two hours. Would you care to beam down and visit your parents?

SPOCK: Captain, Ambassador Sarek and his wife are my parents.

^^^
And this happened AFTER TOS' S2 episode "Amok Time"; so yeah, Spock not mentioning Burnham to anyone? Not a surprise or at all out of character given how he was portrayed in TOS.

 

[Amaris]

IDK if it went as far as actual sex. I COULD see Burnham helping Spock through an early Ponn Far episode (that he and she kept from their Parents) - in the way Savak did for the quickly maturing Spock in STIII:TSFS.

As for Spock not ever mentioning family relationships (even to close friends); remember from TOS S2 - "Journey To Babel":
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/44.htm

^^^
And this happened AFTER TOS' S2 episode "Amok Time"; so yeah, Spock not mentioning Burnham to anyone? Not a surprise or at all out of character given how he was portrayed in TOS.

Indeed. Spock is notoriously tight lipped about family.

 

[IMC Headquarters]

Anyone else do a doubletake with the transporter technician with the VISOR?

 

[Mechanoid1]

I loved the first season, but I worry that they're going to fundamentally change the show to try to win back people who are never going to give it a fair go - and in doing so drive away the viewers they've already got.

Wow you really can't please everybody all of the time. I HATED the 1st season. I started watching it with such an eager optimistic view and ended up just consistanlty dissapointed yet I stuck through it hoping that it would get better.
Now finally a real glimmer of hope, and people fear that this show is going in the wrong direction!
Is there any way we can get real polling numbers? I mean could CBS All Access App have a way for the user to rate the episode at the end of the show and be rewarded with a clip or a short end scene.
I ask this because the vast majority of my friends feel the same way as I do. They liked it, most said it was night and day. Yet they dont belong to this BBS and dont vote here.
So I would like to see the real numbers, and that in turn might fix the issues or arguments of what real star trek fans want.

 

[DaveyNY]

IDK if it went as far as actual sex. I COULD see Burnham helping Spock through an early Ponn Far episode (that he and she kept from their Parents) - in the way Savak did for the quickly maturing Spock in STIII:TSFS.

As for Spock not ever mentioning family relationships (even to close friends); remember from TOS S2 - "Journey To Babel":
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/44.htm

^^^
And this happened AFTER TOS' S2 episode "Amok Time"; so yeah, Spock not mentioning Burnham to anyone? Not a surprise or at all out of character given how he was portrayed in TOS.

I completely agree with this line of reasoning.
Especially with the way Michael seemed extremely uncomfortable even thinking about it around Sarek, never mind actually discussing it with him.
Though that does leave hanging the fact that the two of them shared their minds to an extreme level.

How did Burnham managed to keep that from her father-figure/mentor?

Curiouser and Curiouser...

 

[Tuskin38]

Anyone else do a doubletake with the transporter technician with the VISOR?

Yeah it looked like a primitive 23rd century VISOR.

 

[Noname Given]

I think it's likely that they'll promote her in the series finale with the TOS uniforms...the 'end' of her journey to captaincy, and the end of our journey to TOS. ...Either that or she dead.

Actually, I think her dying at the end of the series could work well (and I like the character but this WOULD be something very different for a Trek show.)

Hell, if they tie it into a story where she dies because Spock had a chance to save her, but didn't/wasn't able to (and not for any 'bad/evil' reason on Spock's part) - it would ADD to why he never ever mentions her, PLUS it would give added subtext to the whole reason WHY he went so far as to mutiny himself (against Kirk and Starfleet - and make no mistake that's EXACTLY what he did) and STEAL the 1701 AND return Captain Pike to Talos IV (risking the death penalty himself) in the events of TOS S1 "The Menagerie I & II".

 

[XCV330]

Anyone else do a doubletake with the transporter technician with the VISOR?

I like that!

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

Yeah it looked like a primitive 23rd century VISOR.

It could only see 50% fewer wavelengths than the 24th century model.

 

[CorporalClegg]

and her entire story would have been 100% exactly the same.

Well the Expository Hairstyle Change is a pretty common trope. * It's also the most obvious expression of her metamorphosis between Binary Stars and Context. Could they have done without it? I suppose, but it would have deluded the season-long theme from the start.

*On point, Spock's beard is also an example of this trope and I have no doubt this giving him a beard was intentional as a thematic callback, as their stories are so heavily intertwined.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It could only see 50% fewer wavelengths than the 24th century model.

25%

 

[DaveyNY]

It could only see 50% fewer wavelengths than the 24th century model.

I could see it being an experimental improvement to the transporter technology.
As has oft been said before, DISCOVERY is a Testbed for new StarFleet Applied Sciences.
Where better to try out any new fangled, but hitherto proven equipment.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

That was my assumption. Must have missed it in dialog.

Very convenient that Enterprise happened to fall adrift along a direct course from Earth to Vulcan, and at an instance within travel time between those worlds at maximum warp.

I think they were purposefully trying to intercept discovery, pretty sure it was mentioned in dialogue but i need to watch the episode again.

 

[XCV330]

I could see it being an experimental improvement to the transporter technology.
As has oft been said before, DISCOVERY is a Testbed for new StarFleet Applied Sciences.
Where better to try out any new fangled, but hitherto proven equipment.

might have been a callback to Kelvin-verse scotty's eyepiece too

 

[Nyotarules]

A new ready room? I’m pretty sure the Enterprise didn’t have one.

yes it did

 

[Tyr]

I find Tilly absolutely unnerving. Are there no psychological evaluations in the future? How can someone like her get into command training at all? Anyone would freak out with a colleague like this around...

What about all this "transforming" equipment? Rather large Space Suit Helmets that "grow out" of a small harness, gravitational devices that end up the size of a swimming pool are folding out of small suitcase. That is way over the top. Its just too "Iron Man-y"...