I've enjoyed both immensely, but I can see how the two definitely have different flavors because of all the behind the scenes changes. I have to wonder if it will become a thing like seasons 3 and 4 of Enterprise, where you often love one and hate the other. I liked both for that one, too, though. ETA: I do have to say that New Eden, which seems to be a popular episode with many, and seems to have been the marker for some of season one's critics that the show is turning around, was my least favorite of this season, and possibly the series. It felt very tired to me, especially after that exciting premiere episode.
I prefer Season 2 over Season 1, but the rating thing does bother me. Having a TV-MA Star Trek was refreshing. Space is supposed to be scary and horrifying, and it was nice to see us reach a point where the gloves could come off and show some of this in an unadulterated light. The problem, of course, is that Discovery is presently *the only* Star Trek series. It represents the franchise. So opening it up to more viewers is a good thing. Maybe one of the twenty-eight upcoming shows (Section 31 most likely) can revert to more adult themes, while Discovery retains its openness and universality as the premier Star Trek series.
It didn't used to be. In the 60s we thought it was an exciting, dangerous adventure. I guess we thought that about a number of things that alarm and vex people now.
Season 1 could be summed up by an episode title from TNG: 'Too Short a Season'. It felt like there were things they desperately wanted to put on screen lest they get cancelled before having the chance to do so. A lot was crammed in to that short season. Going to the Mirror Universe so soon. Harry Mudd being significantly different from the way he was in TOS makes you wonder if he is from the MU. Season 1 was quite a push-pull. Some things worked on some levels but not on others. I liked it, but not without quite a lot of reservations. Season 2....I have less reservations, but I still have them. As much as I like 'If Memory Serves' (gave it a 10), I still don't feel like the series is at a good rhythm yet. It's like they have to get through some ultra-major crises yet before they can settle into exploration mode. I hope that eventually they will be getting to that. I hope it doesn't endlessly continue worrying about how things align with TOS and 'setting up' for that. It's a big universe and everything doesn't have to revolve around TOS.
Season 1 grew into itself, got better after early hiccups, became solid from mid to late season, but perhaps had an ending that was too rushed. I enjoyed it better on first viewing, when watching it again I was more critical. Season 2 is also growing into itself, getting better each week, I still have some issues with it, but overall its consistently better than most of Season 1. I think its shaping up to be very good towards the end of the season, although I fear that the Red Angel thing will be an anti climax.
Complete opposite with me. Season 1 was a mess, but season 2 is enjoyable. I kind of wonder if Tilly's "fricking amazing" line a few weeks back, Saru's reaction to it, and Tilly defending it with "you told me no more profanity while on duty" was supposed to be in response to that fiasco.
Well, the problem wasn’t that she said “fuck.” The problem was that it was quite clearly a forced line.
Some people understand that Star Trek isn't just one kind of story told in just one kind of way. Both seasons can be considered Star Trek just like two very different novesl, such as Strangers From the Sky and How Much for Just the Planet are very different but still Star Trek.
Wow, people actually cared about that one time someone said fuck? That's genuinely surprising to me. EDIT: Strangers From the Sky is one of my favourite Trek novels.
I have to agree with the OP to a certain degree. S2, so far, feels safe. Or at least safer than S1. There are hardly any risks taken from the writers or producers. And the constant pandering to the fans seldom makes for good TV. And yes, it is a lot more episodic than S1, which in this day and age should be a disqualifier for any decent show. Buuuut....as low as S2 got, especially with New Eden, every now and then they have spectacular great content.
But in the 60s space was scary and then because silly became its hard to sustain scary. The first episode ever broadcast was a horror story. Later someone in the Federation even thought it was a good idea to build what turned out to be a homicidal computer to run a ship to protect human lives, which turned out to be a pretty horrifying in practice. It was only much later that Goddenberry decided that the present was so scary that the future of Star Trek needed to be warm and cuddly and emotionally bubble wrapped for the kiddies.
Yes, it was a forced line, but as Tuskin posted, the Space channel in Canada got in trouble for not censoring the line. Given that Space is based in Toronto, where Disco is filmed, I imagine the Disco writers would be aware of that, which is why I think Tilly saying fricking because she's been told not to use profanity while on duty is a meta-reference to that.