Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 2x02 - "New Eden"

[DaveyNY]

I'm of the thought that the particular shapes we are being presented with, really have very little bearing on who or what these Red Angels are.
(more of a decoy than anything tangible)

They are apparitions to the folks seeing them and as such, are most likely only being seen in the mind's eye.

What they actually turn out to be, may perhaps be completely off in left field from what is being presented.

 

[cooleddie74]

Interesting that they aren't retconning the dates of WWIII from First Contact despite us being twenty years closer to that date - however, sadly, it seems more realistic now than it did in the 90s.

Eh, it's a fictional version of Earth so it doesn't bother me that DY-100 sleeper ships didn't actually exist in 1996 or that we won't get our first fusion-driven sublight engine this year. In the Trek timeline World War III does happen in 2053, but that's fiction. Let's just hope nobody in real life has to endure a nuclear war either in 2053 or anytime before that.

 

[Tuskin38]

Just because the body shape isn't the same doesn't mean it's not an Iconian. Human body shapes are all different. Also, Discovery may have used the STO Iconians as a starting point, but then did their own thing with them. They've redesigned everything from TOS to make it their own, no reason to assume they wouldn't do it with the Iconians too while keeping the general idea of the design.

I don't see any evidence or reasoning for them to be using Iconians. It's most likely their own original design.

 

[PixelMagic]

I don't see any evidence or reasoning for them to be using Iconians. It's most likely their own original design.

Agree to disagree then, my dude.

 

[Tuskin38]

Agree to disagree then, my dude.

Will you be upset if you're wrong?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

So we now have at least three human-settled planets outside our own solar system that existed before Terra Nova was colonized in the late 21st century. The humans abducted from America's Old West by the Skagarans in the 19th century, the Briori planet in the Delta Quadrant where Amelia Earhart and the other humans were taken after being abducted from Earth in 1937 and now this ringed planet deep inside the Beta Quadrant.

Are we counting the planet seeded by the Preservers with Native Americans in "The Paradise Syndrome"?

That would make it at least four.

 

[cooleddie74]

Greg Cox already mentioned that planet, so yeah, there are at least four.

 

[dahj]

The Paradise Syndrome also implied that some of the other "human" aliens might be the result of Preservers preserving.

 

[PixelMagic]

Will you be upset if you're wrong?

No. It's just a TV show.

 

[SJGardner]

I liked the episode overall, even if I would've spent a bit more time with the colony. Its pace felt a bit too rushed for me, but it might have been just me being tired, and it still gave me a lot more to think about than what I would've expected. Once again, the crew's interactions with each other were great and I enjoyed them all, especially how both the Pike/Burnham and the Saru/Tilly dynamic worked out. I also loved seeing the supporting cast having more to do again, participating in away missions and of course the continued effort to flesh them out.

As for Tilly... well, to paraphrase Neil DeGrasse Tyson, I'm hitting fanboy levels that shouldn't even be possible. At this point, I'd seriously watch an episode that would just follow her through her average day for the whole 45 minute run time. I don't find her to be too much or obnoxious at all, but I can see why some would. I just had the fleeting thought however, that if Stamets became that hyperactive from immersing himself in the mycelial network, then Tilly herself might have already been experiencing a diluted version of the same effect from the spore falling on her, even before the accident with the asteroid brought about the seeing dead people phase.

Getting more and more curious about the red angels now; I'm really glad I'm not the only one getting a Preservers vibe about them.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Will you be upset if you're wrong?

Are you spoiling for a fight or something? They said "agree to disagree". Where do you go from that to asking them if they'll get upset if they're wrong? You're the one who seems like you have something to prove. They're just acknowledging a visual similarity.

 

[Tuskin38]

Are you spoiling for a fight or something?

No.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Gave this a 9, pretty much ticked all my boxes really. I read some reviews since that complain it didn't focus enough on the colonists, but it seemed fine to me. Pike was not cheesy like last week, and it has alleviated some of the fears about stylistic choice that the previous episode gave me.

More of this, please.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Yet Star Trek had quite a bit of religious ovetones (TMP, "Bread and Circuses", "Where No Man Has Gone Before", etc.)

To be fair, a lot of the religious references were treated more in a mythological light. Like when Pike is given a vision of being in hell, the Talosians refer to it as "from an old fable you heard in childhood". Another example like Decker's "they say there's no devil, Jim". The whole point of "Who Mourns for Adonais?" was that mankind had outgrown from worshipping Gods and has no need for them, which was so radical to put in 1960s television that the filmmakers were forced by someone higher up to put in the clunky line "the one is quite adequate" which honestly undermines the point the episode tried to make, but it had to be done so not to offend so many viewers at the time, as Christianity was so prevalent that the mere idea of questioning it was sacrilege. Quite a contrast to today's attitude.

I'm sure had censorship been different in the 1960s Gene would have been a lot more assertive with his atheist viewpoints, as he later would with TNG.

 

[Thrawn]

That episode was Star Trek as fuck.

 

[Xerxes82]

The second season is really off to a great start. I thought this was probably the strongest episode of the series to date. This was just generally good Trek.

Anson Mount is so good as Pike. I loved Lorca (until he went all two dimensional and mustache twirly, anyway), but Pike takes the show in a different direction altogether. I really enjoy how thoughtful they've kept the character. He has uncertainties, or doubts, but doesn't let them get in the way once he's made a choice. But he's also not afraid to reevaluate his decisions critically when new information presents itself.

I adore Tilly. Her entire plot this week had me grinning from ear to ear. Mary Wiseman is an absolute treasure, and the writers seem to be finding the sweet spot between the character's optimistism, her awkwardness and her potential to be truly great. I'm curious where they're going with this plotline with the hallucination/visitation. Spore infection of some kind, obviously. Hopefully something meaty for Wiseman to really go at.

And I think I'm in love with Detmer. The actress is beautiful, but the personality we've finally gotten to see from her these last two episodes is really selling the character. She's kind of the opposite of the Hot Shot Pilot trope, in many ways. But, in general, it's nice to finally get proper introductions to some of these crew members who we have been seeing. A few of them finally have names I can remember!

More of this please, Discovery. You're on the right track now.

 

[Gonzo]

The Preservers were first introduced in the TOS episode The Paradise Syndrome. They were the ones who took the Native Americans off Earth in order to save them from extinction, kind of like the Red Angel did with the people on New Eden.

In that case it could be the Preservers or the First Federation.

Both are more than capable of saving those people.

The Preservers make a big point about teaching the folly of the Prime Directive, there is also a link to the Mirror Universe but anything more would be a spoiler for the books.

 

[urbandefault]

Saru is a damn good Captain.

But he still hesitates. Great acting. Kudos Doug Jones.

 

[Succubint]

Loved it, gave it a 9. I liked the pacing in this one more than the premiere.

I disagree about Tilly needing to be dialed down a notch or 3. I think she's great at the level she's being portrayed.

Pike is becoming a fascinating character to me. Mount has got a ton of presence, but I also liked the writing for him this episode. We got to see a contemplative side to the character. That scene where he sat silently and listened to the origin tale of the colony, in the candlelight, really stood out to me. The fact that he just threw himself on that overloading phaser to protect the young girl without hesitation really is a lovely but sad foreshadowing of his fate.

I'm curious as to where Stamets' character goes from here. I wanted more than we got in the episode, but they're doing a good job of showing how he's still reeling from the tragic and extraordinary events of last season.

I enjoyed Burnham learning to trust her CO's judgment and Saru handling the Discovery crew (and Tilly in particular) well in times of crisis. Just really nice changes of tone in terms of leadership and team unity - which I guess is the whole point when you think about Lorca's negative influence on the crew.

I'm still thinking about this episode. Lots of things to unpack from it. Loved the questions raised about faith vs science and was very relieved they didn't go for a fanatical cult vibe with the colonists. I'm very curious as to how Tilly's dead schoolmate hallucination connects with other arcs. Is it related to the spores/mycelial network? Or just something weird from the non-baryonic asteroid sample? Or is it connected to the Red Burst phenomena they are investigating?

Next week can't come quickly enough for me; the whole family was pumped for more after the episode ended and we saw the preview for next episode.

 

[Hythlodeus]

After rewatching the episode, I'd give it an 8 instead of a 7.
I'm still not sure I like Pike was portrayed but the episode had qualities beyond that.
Detmer, Owo and Tilly saved the episode for me.
It will probably be never my favourite of the DSC episodes, but I can live with a subpar episode now and then, unless it becomes the new norm.