What If? [Discovery Edition]

[Doc Mugatu]

In re-watching some of Discovery I once again questioned the story's need to use Spock or Pike's Enterprise. Then I recently re-watched the TOS episode "Doomsday Machine," and thought Discovery's story could have just as easily been told with a younger Matt Decker and crewmembers from the U.S.S. Constellation. It would have given the story a lineage all the way to ST: TMP without the goofiness of making Michael Burnham the foster child of Sarek and Amanda yet still preserve one of the most effective scenes whereby a Starfleet captain glimpses his tragic fate.

 

[pst]

setting aside the almost universal consternation about the spock/michael relationship, i think discovery did such a great service to pike, i can't really imagine another character in that role last season. and with pike of this era comes spock and the enterprise and all that baggage the show would probably have been better off without.

but again, the writing for and portrayal of pike in season two was such a delight, i'm happier with the baggage than without.

 

[Lord Garth]

It's pretty clear now they were trying to get it all in while they still could because, from the third season on, they wouldn't be able to. Once we know Spock is Burnham's foster-brother, you can't just leave that there and never show him. With that also comes Pike and the Enterprise. So, as we now know, this was the season to do it, or never at all.

I like what they did with Pike because now he's more than just The Captain Before Kirk.

Plus, from a general audience perspective: Matt Decker is a deep cut character. Spock isn't and, thanks to the Abrams Films, neither is Pike. They went with name recognition. I honestly can't say seeing Decker would've gotten me too excited.

 

[EnderAKH]

They could have, but that isn't the story Brian Fuller wanted to tell. Brian Fuller wanted to tell the story of Michael Burnham, the foster sister of Spock, and CBS allowed him to begin to tell that story. He could have told any story he wanted, twisted in whatever way he wanted, but this is what he wanted to tell, so he did. Anything else is Monday morning quarterbacking.

 

[BillJ]

They could have, but that isn't the story Brian Fuller wanted to tell. Brian Fuller wanted to tell the story of Michael Burnham, the foster sister of Spock, and CBS allowed him to begin to tell that story. He could have told any story he wanted, twisted in whatever way he wanted, but this is what he wanted to tell, so he did. Anything else is Monday morning quarterbacking.

Moral of the story: never hire Bryan Fuller.

 

[EnderAKH]

Moral of the story: never hire Bryan Fuller.

I think studios are already figuring that one out...

 

[Doc Mugatu]

… i think discovery did such a great service to pike, i can't really imagine another character in that role last season. ...

I agree. Unfortunately the Captain Pike character was so fantastic that in the S2 finale when Pike and company went their own way I wanted to go with them and not with Burnham and friends. Anson Mount was so brilliant he literally stole the show.