Spoilers Discovery and the Novelverse - TV show discussion thread

[The Wormhole]

So, I know some authors of upcoming books have mentioned sprinkling Disco references here and there within them. But now that we know everything from the first two seasons is apparently expunged from official records, will these references still work?

 

[GaryH]

So, I know some authors of upcoming books have mentioned sprinkling Disco references here and there within them. But now that we know everything from the first two seasons is apparently expunged from official records, will these references still work?

Well Giorgio was referenced in Available Light, and she officially died at the start of the Klingon War when still captain of her own ship so would not be covered by the ban.

 

[The Wormhole]

Well, Georgiou was one of Starfleet's most decorated Captains. Presumably they wouldn't erase her existence, just change how her death was listed in the records.

 

[Greg Cox]

So, I know some authors of upcoming books have mentioned sprinkling Disco references here and there within them. But now that we know everything from the first two seasons is apparently expunged from official records, will these references still work?

Not everything from the first two seasons. Presumably the Klingon War is still a matter of historical record, as is the destruction of the Shenzou, the existence of Kelpians, L'Rell's ascension, etc. And, of course, Spock and Pike and Number One all remember what happened, so they can certainly think privately about such things, even if they're unlikely to blab about it.

We just have to think twice before having Spock casually remark, "As my sister once told me . . . ."

 

[F. King Daniel]

So, I know some authors of upcoming books have mentioned sprinkling Disco references here and there within them. But now that we know everything from the first two seasons is apparently expunged from official records, will these references still work?

Awkwardly

 

[David cgc]

STO seems like the one that's got some real tapdancing to do, if Michael Burnham has been stricken from history, given they refer to the Federation-Klingon War of 2257 as "Burnham's War."

Subtitles actually had it as Noona - now I know that could be a mispelling but it's up in the air (Noona seems to be Korean for Older sister).

CBSAA subtitled it as "And, uh." Personally, the first time I heard it, I thought he said "Anna."

But of these four possibilities, I feel like "Una" is the most likely, for being the only one that has some background behind it. It seems like a stretch that if they decided to slip in a name for Number One there, they'd pick something random that just happened to sound like her nickname in the novels.

 

[Thrawn]

What scene was that in?

 

[David cgc]

What scene was that in?

When Pike decides to head down to the jammed torpedo to help out Cornwell and has Number One come back to take his place on the bridge.

NUMBER ONE: Captain, Plans A and B didn't work. We're now into the "Hail Mary" part of the operation.
PIKE: That's been just about everything today. How much time do we have left?
#1: Less than five minutes.
P: Report back to the bridge. I'm giving you the Conn, Una./Anna./Noona./And, uh, Admiral, do everything you can to buy Burnham more time.

 

[Dayton Ward]

For what it's worth, some time back I was asked (along with others, I'm guessing) about Number One and her litany of possible first names by KMFB, and we went over the whole Una thing. That was the last I heard of it....until last night.

 

[Thrawn]

Guessing it was probably "Una" then

 

[JoeZhang]

Confirmed as Una:

http://trekcore.com/blog/2019/04/interview-star-trek-discovery-season-finale-michelle-paradise/

 

[Enterprise1701]

YES!

Victory for a novel continuity aspect!

But what was the damn point of her claiming "Number One" as a name to the Starfleet interviewer? That seems like a lame episode send-off joke by the writers if they already confirmed "Una".

 

[Christopher]

Darn it. I've never cared for the "Una" thing. We know that "Number One" is a generic term of address for first officers, also used by Picard for Riker, Georgiou for Burnham, and Lorca for Saru. So the fan theory that "Number One" was her actual name and that "Una" was a nickname derived from it was either naive or contrived, and it doesn't work for me at all. I prefer to think of her as Robbins, her name in Early Voyages.

Well, from the way Pike used it, maybe he was addressing her by her first name. Although EV established her first name as something beginning with "Eure--" (probably Eureka).

 

[GaryH]

Darn it. I've never cared for the "Una" thing. We know that "Number One" is a generic term of address for first officers, also used by Picard for Riker, Georgiou for Burnham, and Lorca for Saru. So the fan theory that "Number One" was her actual name and that "Una" was a nickname derived from it was either naive or contrived, and it doesn't work for me at all. I prefer to think of her as Robbins, her name in Early Voyages.

Well, from the way Pike used it, maybe he was addressing her by her first name. Although EV established her first name as something beginning with "Eure--" (probably Eureka).

Am I the only one who want her to be Morgan Primus then?

(Probably)

 

[Greg Cox]

To give credit where it's due, I believe it was Dave Mack who came up with Una when he and Kevin and Dayton and I were plotting the LEGACIES trilogy. I just got to use it first because I wrote Book One.

And the idea isn't that "Number One" or "Una" is her actual name. It's that her actual name is impossible to pronounce so she early on picked up on the nickname of "Una" because as she aways first in her class, number one in athletics, and so on.

Basically, we were riffing on the old idea (from D.C. Fontana?) that her alien name was too hard to pronounce. And having her go by "Una" just seemed cooler than revealing that she was named Janet or Susan or something.

 

[Greg Cox]

For what it's worth, some time back I was asked (along with others, I'm guessing) about Number One and her litany of possible first names by KMFB, and we went over the whole Una thing. That was the last I heard of it....until last night.

I guess it's now safe to reveal that I was quietly consulted on the matter, too. Basically, I passed along some relevant passages from CAPTAIN TO CAPTAIN and, like Dayton, that was the last I heard of it. Had no idea or expectations regarding whether the information would be useful or not.

And, of course, I kept my mouth shut because that's the professional thing to do.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Okay so... the spiky alien on the Enterprise bridge is Yeoman Colt. No I'm not making this up. Pretty sure this nukes a few comics and novels that give her backstory.

 

[Christopher]

And the idea isn't that "Number One" or "Una" is her actual name. It's that her actual name is impossible to pronounce so she early on picked up on the nickname of "Una" because as she aways first in her class, number one in athletics, and so on.

It just seems to me that that theory was made up by someone who didn't understand that "Number One" is an old British Navy term of address for a first officer -- that it wasn't specific to her but was a title for her position. Which we now know because of the multiple other characters it's been used for, starting with Riker.

Okay so... the spiky alien on the Enterprise bridge is Yeoman Colt. No I'm not making this up. Pretty sure this nukes a few comics and novels that give her backstory.

I think probably the interviewer and the producer got some wires crossed there. Besides, nothing said in behind-the-scenes interviews "nukes" anything, since only what's stated onscreen counts.

 

[Yistaan]

Okay so... the spiky alien on the Enterprise bridge is Yeoman Colt. No I'm not making this up. Pretty sure this nukes a few comics and novels that give her backstory.

And since Colt in "The Cage" was obviously human, I'm actually starting to believe this "alternate timeline" crap.

Not only that, but it decanonizes the Cage (which ironically is supposed to be Discovery canon per the Vina/Talosian episode) as breeding Colt with Pike was a part of the Talosian plans. Hard to see how that works if they aren't even the same species.

Also, I imagine spiky alien being Colt is probably in the credits, so Discovery made it canon...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

We're straying into "story idea" territory, so I'll put this in spoilercode...

Spoiler: idea

Perhaps Colt really was an alien all along, but her human appearance in "The Cage" was a Talosian-generated illusion, intended to make her more appealing to Pike as a potential mate.

Then again:

The human Colt in "The Cage" is never referred to onscreen by name, is she? So maybe that's a different character after all.