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

[DigificWriter]

They would have known who there captain was. Saru wouldn’t have been surprised by Starfleets orders.

Starfleet didn't tell the Discovery crew who their new Captain was going to be because they had entrusted Pike with the duty of taking command and explaining the "red signals" situation to them. The only thing that changed was the location and timing of that briefing.

This isn't speculation on my part; it comes directly from "Brother", but isn't being talked about.

 

[DaveyNY]

I have issues with this. They are humans originally from Earth taken against their will with no "source code" for any technology. Yes you can't tell them about warp, but you can give them back some of their history. These people will take centuries to grow a society big enough to recreate the scientific knowledge of the 21st century. Pike should have left them some physics books. It's not like they have never seen electricity.

It's also quite likely since it is stated that there were Scientists among those taken, that they are well aware of "Physics" and other Sciences.
But I got the impression that the Society as a whole had chosen to mostly forgo technological advancement in favor of a more Agricultural Civilization.
Their cultural stagnation seems very much self imposed.

 

[Takeru]

The episode was pretty good but once again I'm annoyed by the prime directive (or general order 1 ... whatever). It shouldn't even have applied here, those people knew their ancestors came from earth and were transported to another planet.

 

[Tuskin38]

Starfleet didn't tell the Discovery crew who their new Captain was going to be because they had entrusted Pike with the duty of taking command and explaining the "red signals" situation to them. The only thing that changed was the location and timing of that briefing.

This isn't speculation on my part; it comes directly from "Brother", but isn't being talked about.

You’re grasping at straws, nothing in that episode says or implied that Pike was the captain waiting for them at Vulcan.

Unless you can find me a direct quote that I missed, that’s just speculation.

 

[Longinus]

It's also quite likely since it is stated that there were Scientists among those taken, that they are well aware of "Physics" and other Sciences.
But I got the impression that the Society as a whole had chosen to mostly forgo technological advancement in favor of a more Agricultural Civilization.
Their cultural stagnation seems very much self imposed.

I think it was just that they didn't have the sufficient infrastructure to maintain the tech.

 

[DaveyNY]

Starfleet didn't tell the Discovery crew who their new Captain was going to be because they had entrusted Pike with the duty of taking command and explaining the "red signals" situation to them. The only thing that changed was the location and timing of that briefing.

This isn't speculation on my part; it comes directly from "Brother", but isn't being talked about.

Actually, Pike and the Enterprise were already investigating the Red Spots while Discovery was on its way to Vulcan.
He came looking for the Discovery only after, the Enterprise became incapable of continuing that mission due to whatever disabled her.
The SOS that Enterprise sent out was not only to request assistance but also to stop the Discovery from continuing on to Vulcan.
StarFleet must have informed Pike that Discovery was in the neighborhood after he contacted them to explain his dilemma with the Enterprise and they gave him permission to take command of Discovery.

So he couldn't have been the original Captain Discovery was supposed to pick up at Vulcan.

 

[matthunter]

I do find it interesting that both times they've followed the signals they've lead to people that need to be saved, first Reno on the asteroid, on now the people on New Eden. It definitely seems like the Red Angel is actually a good guy, but the trailer for the season talks about a threat to all life in the galaxy, so I wonder if this means that the Red Angel is leading them to that threat instead of actually being that threat.

There's definitely an ulterior motive at play, even if it's just "recruit a set of allies to help fight a threat". The angels could have easily resolved either situation on their own - they've been shown to transport multiple humans 50k+ lightyears so evac'ing Reno and her patients would be trivial. And they could presumably easily move the radioactive matter in the Terralysium rings.

 

[DigificWriter]

Actually, Pike and the Enterprise were already investigating the Red Spots while Discovery was on its way to Vulcan.
He came looking for the Discovery only after, the Enterprise became incapable of continuing that mission due to whatever disabled her.
The SOS that Enterprise sent out was not only to request assistance but also to stop the Discovery from continuing on to Vulcan.
So he couldn't have been the original Captain Discovery was supposed to pick up there.

The Enterprise was only investigating the "red signals" because Discovery and her crew were on Earth being recognized for their heroics in ending the Klingon War.

Pike may not say the words "I was supposed to have been waiting for you on Vulcan to assume command", but what he does tell them makes it pretty explicitly clear that that's what would have happened had the Enterprise not been incapacitated.

 

[Vger23]

There's definitely an ulterior motive at play, even if it's just "recruit a set of allies to help fight a threat". The angels could have easily resolved either situation on their own - they've been shown to transport multiple humans 50k+ lightyears so evac'ing Reno and her patients would be trivial. And they could presumably easily move the radioactive matter in the Terralysium rings.

Maybe it's a test.

Is sentient life evolved enough to recognize the signals and have enough empathy to save those in need, even at great risk to themselves? Will they "do the right thing?"

That would be VERY TOS, wouldn't it?

 

[Amaris]

I love this season so far...but I gave episodes of S1 a "9" as well.

To me Star Trek can be many things. I love away missions and moral dilemmas as much as I liked the war and intrigue tone of last season. The only thing I wouldn't like is just more of the same. I'm really glad S2 is different, but not because I didn't like S1...just because I value Star Trek's ability to have diverse tones and themes.

Regarding giving season 1 episodes a "9", it's why I re-evaluated my own personal rating system over the hiatus. I was so excited for new Star Trek (hell, most of us were), that occasional overgrading would occur. As a result, episodes that were a 5 or 6 got 9s and 10s (from my perspective).

So before I started watching this season, I devised my own internal system where I could watch the episode, remove the excitement like a candy wrapper, review it with a more critical eye, and then put it back in context to get an overall feel for the episode. The end result is my "Genuine" rating, so that if it's a "Genuine 9" now, it will be one next week, next month, next year. It's not perfect, but I'm hoping it will help with the unintentional overrating that occurred with me in the first season. That's not to say there were not excellent episodes last season, there were a few very good ones, but I tended to push the envelope because the whole thing was so exciting, even if the episodes themselves were often mediocre.

I still stand by my season 1 episode 1 and 2 ratings, though.

 

[Tuskin38]

Pike may not say the words "I was supposed to have been waiting for you on Vulcan to assume command", but what he does tell them makes it pretty explicitly clear that that's what would have happened had the Enterprise not been incapacitated.

That doesn't mean he was waiting at Vulcan. If the Enterprise hadn't had the systems failure, yeah, maybe he would have met them there, but that doesn't mean he's the captain mentioned at the end of Season 1. You're just speculating.

 

[DaveyNY]

The Enterprise was only investigating the "red signals" because Discovery and her crew were on Earth being recognized for their heroics in ending the Klingon War.

Pike may not say the words "I was supposed to have been waiting for you on Vulcan to assume command", but what he does tell them makes it pretty explicitly clear that that's what would have happened had the Enterprise not been incapacitated.

?????
I think you're reaching for something that's not there.

Pike doesn't indicate at all that Discovery is the only ship capable of exploring the Red Spots.
(even though we know this may be true)
He does indicate that the Enterprise was incapacitated while doing so and therefore, he is commandeering the Discovery to continue his mission with StarFleet's permission.

It makes no sense to have Discovery go to Vulcan when StarFleet could have just told Discovery to meet up with the Enterprise to begin with.
(without telling them why)

Nothing stated in the episodes indicates that Pike was to meet them at Vulcan.

 

[Vger23]

Regarding giving season 1 episodes a "9", it's why I re-evaluated my own personal rating system over the hiatus. I was so excited for new Star Trek (hell, most of us were), that occasional overgrading would occur. As a result, episodes that were a 5 or 6 got 9s and 10s (from my perspective).

So before I started watching this season, I devised my own internal system where I could watch the episode, remove the excitement like a candy wrapper, review it with a more critical eye, and then put it back in context to get an overall feel for the episode. The end result is my "Genuine" rating, so that if it's a "Genuine 9" now, it will be one next week, next month, next year. It's not perfect, but I'm hoping it will help with the unintentional overrating that occurred with me in the first season. That's not to say there were not excellent episodes last season, there were a few very good ones, but I tended to push the envelope because the whole thing was so exciting, even if the episodes themselves were often mediocre.

I still stand by my season 1 episode 1 and 2 ratings, though.

Oh, there's definitely a "normalization period" that needs to go into effect, but I think there's also tremendous value in recognizing how you felt to be simply entertained by an episode "in the moment", prior to all the over analysis and overthinking setting it. Since that's ultimately the purest measure.

I still, even after a year and 3 re-watches, rate "Into the Forrest" and "Lethe" a 9 from season 1 (which is what I just rated "New Eden." These were several 8's sprinkled in too ("Context is for Kings," "Wolf Inside," "Butcher's Knife," for example).

Totally different tones and feel, but to me, that's the beauty of Star Trek. "Wrath of Khan" can be a 10, as can "Trouble with Tribbles"...I don't need or want the homogenized Trek we started to get in the late 90's. It can be different and still be awesome.

I'm also not one of those fans that sits there with a Real Star Trek(tm) Checklist and looks for all the elements to be in place, or otherwise it's a 3/10. Quite the opposite, actually.

 

[Lord Garth]

5 to me is: it does nothing for me, good or bad. It's dead neutral. 6 is: "I kind of liked it, it killed some time." 7 is the first solid rating that I consider good or there's no "kind of", I liked it. By that guide: I liked all the episodes from Season 1 of DSC, so they're all 7 or above.

I couldn't watch a show that was a steady diet of 5s and 6s. They'd lose me fast. It has to be consistently 7-quality for me to watch. It has to be in the 8s for me to really be a fan of it and to be excited about it. TOS, DS9, and DSC for me would usually be in the 8-range. TNG and VOY would be in the 7-range. ENT, which couldn't hold me, felt 6-ish.

Anyone who still watches DSC but thinks it's usually something below a 5, I think they're out of their mind.

 

[Tuskin38]

Mr. Bernd over at EAS gaves this one a 6 as well.

This makes his top 5 episodes of Discovery four 6s and one 8.

 

[Amaris]

Oh, there's definitely a "normalization period" that needs to go into effect, but I think there's also tremendous value in recognizing how you felt to be simply entertained by an episode "in the moment", prior to all the over analysis and overthinking setting it. Since that's ultimately the purest measure.

I still, even after a year and 3 re-watches, rate "Into the Forrest" and "Lethe" a 9 from season 1 (which is what I just rated "New Eden." These were several 8's sprinkled in too ("Context is for Kings," "Wolf Inside," "Butcher's Knife," for example).

Totally different tones and feel, but to me, that's the beauty of Star Trek. "Wrath of Khan" can be a 10, as can "Trouble with Tribbles"...I don't need or want the homogenized Trek we started to get in the late 90's. It can be different and still be awesome.

I'm also not one of those fans that sits there with a Real Star Trek(tm) Checklist and looks for all the elements to be in place, or otherwise it's a 3/10. Quite the opposite, actually.

Oh, the excitement is still there, but it's kind of running a second reel in my head where everything is filtered, examined, understood, and then put back in place. It doesn't remove my enjoyment. Hell, I was emotionally invested in this episode because I wanted to see how Pike handled the religious folks. Oh, and the best way to get a nice spike in enjoyment is to touch on a topic and handle it exceedingly well, which I think this episode nailed to the wall. *cough* No pun intended.

For the record, by the way, I have internally started referring to Captain Pike as Captain Sex Bomb because, well, I mean... come on.

 

[Vger23]

Oh, the excitement is still there, but it's kind of running a second reel in my head where everything is filtered, examined, understood, and then put back in place. It doesn't remove my enjoyment. Hell, I was emotionally invested in this episode because I wanted to see how Pike handled the religious folks. Oh, and the best way to get a nice spike in enjoyment is to touch on a topic and handle it exceedingly well, which I think this episode nailed to the wall. *cough* No pun intended.

For the record, by the way, I have internally started referring to Captain Pike as Captain Sex Bomb because, well, I mean... come on.

I think it would be fun if Tilly slipped up and called him Captain Sex Bomb by mistake.

I do believe, much to my own jealousy, that my wife firmly agrees with your sentiments.

 

[Amaris]

I think it would be fun if Tilly slipped up and called him Captain Sex Bomb by mistake.

That would be fun.

I do believe, much to my own jealousy, that my wife firmly agrees with your sentiments.

Don't worry about it. Everyone has a little, some have a lot. Anson Mount has enough to create fusion.

 

[Lord Garth]

Mr. Bernd over at EAS gaves this one a 6 as well.

This makes his top 5 episodes of Discovery four 6s and one 8.

Tough critic.

 

[Greg Cox]

Hmm. I never got the impression that Pike was the captain they were going to pick up at Vulcan.

My understanding is that Discovery was on its way to pick a new captain when, unexpectedly, it got commandeered by Pike due to an emergency situation.