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

[Jackson_Roykirk]

.
Connolly's death is something like this:

If this were real life, I'd feel bad about the death of another human, asshole or not.

But it's not real life...it's just a TV show. So I have no problem with seeing Connolly's death as a bit of dark humor, and saying "Yes! That asshole deserved it", while getting a dark humor chuckle out of it.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Who cares, he’s not real. He’s not even a real character that could cause you to feel some attachment to. He’s an one-note joke only meant to be arrogant and have his comeuppance. He’s like the lawyer from Jurassic Park with less screen time.

 

[Kemaiku]

That asteroid might as well have had "#STFU" carved into the side of it.

We were all thinking it...

 

[Awesome Possum]

That asteroid might as well have had "#STFU" carved into the side of it.

We were all thinking it...

From the moment he was born, he was a greasy spot in space waiting to happen.

 

[dahj]

That asteroid might as well have had "#STFU" carved into the side of it.

I think its official designation was 23238 ShutUpWesleyConnolly

 

[Longinus]

He’s not even a real character that could cause you to feel some attachment to. He’s an one-note joke only meant to be arrogant and have his comeuppance.

Yes exactly. That's exactly the part I didn't like.

 

[eschaton]

Who cares, he’s not real. He’s not even a real character that could cause you to feel some attachment to. He’s an one-note joke only meant to be arrogant and have his comeuppance. He’s like the lawyer from Jurassic Park with less screen time.

On one hand, you're right.

On the other hand, I don't think I've ever seen Star Trek play a death for laughs before. Treat the life of redshirts causally sure. But not treat them as the butt of some joke and/or act as if they had it coming.

 

[Hythlodeus]

On one hand, you're right.

On the other hand, I don't think I've ever seen Star Trek play a death for laughs before. Treat the life of redshirts causally sure. But not treat them as the butt of some joke and/or act as if they had it coming.

Olson?

 

[fireproof78]

I will remain forever confused by this.

 

[cooleddie74]

Sam in "Charlie X" wasn't a redshirt(well, that we know of since we never saw him in actual uniform) but he did laugh mockingly at Charlie Evans which led to him being sent away to whichever dimension of reality Charlie's Thasian powers sent people when they angered him. I always thought Sam came off as a rude dick and sort of asked for what happened to him even if he was probably a decent guy to the rest of his shipmates.

Sam was probably brought back when the Thasians came for Charlie and fixed the damage he'd inflicted on the Enterprise and her crew but still, he was one of those TOS supporting characters that could rub you the wrong way. Him being wiped from existence by Charlie wasn't the loss of a character you necessarily liked.

 

[Campe]

I really don't understand either.

 

[Succubint]

I don't understand why this particular point keeps being belabored over and over again. It's getting so circular.

I didn't find it funny.
This is why others thought it was funny.
But it wasn't intentionally funny.
Yes it was . The writers deliberately used a well worn trope, plus the framing etc. Karmic comeuppance. Like the Jurassic park thing.
But I didn't find it funny...

 

[cultcross]

On one hand, you're right.

On the other hand, I don't think I've ever seen Star Trek play a death for laughs before. Treat the life of redshirts causally sure. But not treat them as the butt of some joke and/or act as if they had it coming.

Well the characters didn't - it was set up for the audience to laugh, sure, but the Starfleet crew didn't break the fourth wall, they pretended to be upset.

As for doing it before, well, "I... Have had.... Enough.... Of ... You" comes to mind as a not entirely serious presentation of a death, and this being the man who ordered the death of Kirk's son, too, not just a throwaway redshirt. Trek does it with bad guys, when they do it. The ejection into space of the big security guy in STID, for example. I haven't seen Insurrection in a while but I'm not sure the henchmen there got much dignity either.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Well the characters didn't - it was set up for the audience to laugh, sure, but the Starfleet crew didn't break the fourth wall, they pretended to be upset.

As for doing it before, well, "I... Have had.... Enough.... Of ... You" comes to mind as a not entirely serious presentation of a death, and this being the man who ordered the death of Kirk's son, too, not just a throwaway redshirt. Trek does it with bad guys, when they do it. The ejection into space of the big security guy in STID, for example. I haven't seen Insurrection in a while but I'm not sure the henchmen there for much dignity either.

It's hard out there for a Hench.

 

[fireproof78]

I don't understand why this particular point keeps being belabored over and over again. It's getting so circular.

I didn't find it funny.
This is why others thought it was funny.
But it wasn't intentionally funny.
Yes it was . The writers deliberately used a well worn trope, plus the framing etc. Karmic comeuppance. Like the Jurassic park thing.
But I didn't find it funny...

It's the implication that the death was a) deliberately funny and b) Connolly was an audience surrogate for daring to challenge Burnham and c) some how we are supposed to take pleasure in his death.

People can find it funny-I don't but that's not the issue. My issues are around the implications towards the writing staff.

 

[Longinus]

It's the implication that the death was a) deliberately funny and b) Connolly was an audience surrogate for daring to challenge Burnham and c) some how we are supposed to take pleasure in his death.

People can find it funny-I don't but that's not the issue. My issues are around the implications towards the writing staff.

A and C are obviously true, B is nonsense. C is what I find distasteful.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

The point is that Connolly was a prick that wouldn't listen to his captain's order because he was too proud, and got killed for that negligence.

 

[Noname Given]

On one hand, you're right.

On the other hand, I don't think I've ever seen Star Trek play a death for laughs before. Treat the life of redshirts causally sure. But not treat them as the butt of some joke and/or act as if they had it coming.

Oh please. There have been so many redshirt deaths like that like in TOS S2 - "The Apple":

Where you have a Redshirt YELLING to Kirk he's found something as he's running at breakneck speed (something we never saw a Redshirt do before), they do a quick shot of the rock on the ground; his foot hits it...BOOOOOOOM!
^^^
Connelly's death scene is exactly in that vein (IE They telegraphed it, you KNEW it was coming).

 

[Nyotarules]

No, it implies intent. It does not demonstrate it as fact.

Regardless, I do not see it as any more, or any less, than the way Trek has handled deaths in the past, so this kerfuffle over it still eludes me.

You mean the TOS episode where Kirk was keeping bitter tears, wearing sackcloth and ashes due to the death of his red shirts?

 

[Campe]

Connolly was there for two purposes: 1. To throw Burnham and the audience off of the idea Spock would board Disco. 2. To die.

There is no ulterior motive. He was a fucking redshirt (in blue). Anything else is reading too far into the purpose of the character.