Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 3x03 - "People of Earth"

[Vger23]

I gave this one a 9. Best of the season, and maybe best of the last 4-5 consecutive episodes. Had old-school Star Trek feels all over it. I really appreciated the slower character moments.

Side note (since I’m late to the party and virtually everything else has been discussed). There are a few shots of the Discovery which are, quite honestly, the sexiest looking shots of a Trek starship since some of the beauty passes in Star Trek:First Contact (which itself had the nicest-looking shots nice TMP). Bravo to the visual fx team.

 

[IMC Headquarters]

The Ferengi would shit bricks if they could have seen for themselves Discovery's massive dilithium vault. I'd pay good gold-pressed latinum to see the looks on their faces.

 

[RAMA]

#2 here...................

View attachment 18539

Great thing about this list, it shows how many countries. Just look at these numbers.

 

[picardjean-luc]

The Ferengi would shit bricks if they could have seen for themselves Discovery's massive dilithium vault. I'd pay good gold-pressed latinum to see the looks on their faces.

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #999: "He who acquires a shitload of dilithium shall become the wealthiest being in the galaxy"

 

[Vger23]

I don't think it's that important, as I said upthread. The Burn was constructed to give the USS Discovery some sense of agency 930 years in the future. It's a McGuffin. And everyone seems to have moved on from it.

I'm not saying we won't ever find out, but it seems pretty clear the season arc is about finding the Federation first, and then starting to rebuild it.

And, if that’s the case, I think it’s a good narrative move.

 

[Deks]

This isn't the first time this has happened in Trek. In fact, it's happened so often, Lower Decks actually succeeded in putting a MASSIVE shade on that lamp by summing it up in one remarkably sublime statement (I paraphrase): "The Federation does great at discovery, it just can't maintain". It applied, in that case, to the surprisingly aggressive reemergence of TNG's laughable Pakleds, but it can apply to so many other things - "Space Seed" is one of the greatest examples, and when Tarantino was thinking about doing is own movie, he was considering revisiting the gangsters from "A Piece of the Action", described by Spock as a "very bright and imitative people" with whom McCoy accidentally left his communicator, implying that they may become a strong force in the region after they discovered the secret of the "transtator".

Yes but, you'd think Earth would know what's happening in its own freaking solar system.
By the 24th century alone, you could easily scan lightyears from Earth... by the 32nd century, short range sensors would likely be on the same level as the MIDAS array (real time subspace communications over 16 000 Ly's - but Sahil only had access to short range sensors which allowed 600 Ly's radius - which is a significant chunk of Federation space by the 23rd certury... and one 13th of 24th century Federation. Heck a Galaxy class could scan a solar system with short range sensors... with long range operating in dozens of Ly's radius (Voyager could scan in a radius of 40 Ly's).

Earth not knowing what's happening in SOL (let alone in neighboring star systems or having galaxy wide long range sensors) is a criminal let-down by writers... SOL shouldn't have been fractured like it was shown (well, at least it won't be anymore).

 

[fireproof78]

Yes but, you'd think Earth would know what's happening in its own freaking solar system.

No I wouldn't.

 

[cooleddie74]

Earth didn't know that Terra Prime was operating on either the Moon or Mars until after the organization had begun launching attacks. Those are two of the closest celestial bodies to Earth and Starfleet had no idea that anything was going on.

 

[fireproof78]

Earth didn't know that Terra Prime was operating on either the Moon or Mars until after the organization had begun launching attacks. Those are two of the closest celestial bodies to Earth and Starfleet had no idea that anything was going on.

There is also an increased ability to hide from sensors, to conceal one's activities and Earth appears more protective, and not as likely to look outside.

 

[cooleddie74]

And being humans the colonists on Titan may well have been ignored simply because their heritage didn't indicate an immediate threat to Earth. Combine that with malfunctioning or dead sensor equipment and suddenly Earth is out of regular if not complete touch with multiple colonial outposts within our own solar system.

 

[RAMA]

Observations about 03x03 "People of Earth"

I was expecting a little more from this episode, possibly some more detail about the interaction between the remnants of Starfleet, Earth, and the mystery of "The Burn". What we got was an isolationist Earth and a former colony trying to break through that.

I'm not going to quibble with a few inconsistencies, the episode seems to be very intent on giving us a political commentary about the world today...just as the premiere episode did...fans question the idea the Federation could break up so easily, but without getting too deeply into it, the last few years of the political landscape in a former, seemingly solid and inviolable superpower on contemporary Earth doesn't make that seem so incredible after all.

In this episode, after the fall of the Federation as a large, organized body Earth became an isolationist hoarder. Not exactly bad guys but they ignored their neighbors, the two sides so polarized they didn't even think about talking to each other (see what I mean). The solution was one of the series most TNG moments to date...a totally peaceful opening of dialogue, and a resolution. This is completely fine and an admirable way to go about things.

The episode leaves some questions still unanswered...like why did dilithium become scarce BEFORE The Burn and the run time of 48 minutes was a bit short to satisfy all the questions. Such is the streaming era, I expect we'll see more soon.

As it was, this was a solid if unremarkable episode. It looked great as usual and really showed the continuing ease the characters have with each other this season. The entire atmosphere is really quite amiable, even though I feel it lacks some of the thrust and energy of the first two seasons, and the grit and surprises of season 1 specifically.

Rating: 8/10

RAMA

 

[JulieYBM]

Not to be thirsty on main but wow, I hope Booker wears that Starfleet uniform more often.

 

[Tuskin38]

The EDF identifies Discovery's design configuration and construction as being from the 23rd to 25th Century.

I think they based that on the materials of the ship, not the design.

 

[Ovation]

Yes but, you'd think Earth would know what's happening in its own freaking solar system.
By the 24th century alone, you could easily scan lightyears from Earth... by the 32nd century, short range sensors would likely be on the same level as the MIDAS array (real time subspace communications over 16 000 Ly's - but Sahil only had access to short range sensors which allowed 600 Ly's radius - which is a significant chunk of Federation space by the 23rd certury... and one 13th of 24th century Federation. Heck a Galaxy class could scan a solar system with short range sensors... with long range operating in dozens of Ly's radius (Voyager could scan in a radius of 40 Ly's).

Earth not knowing what's happening in SOL (let alone in neighboring star systems or having galaxy wide long range sensors) is a criminal let-down by writers... SOL shouldn't have been fractured like it was shown (well, at least it won't be anymore).

The needs of the story outweigh the needs of the viewers, or the fans.

 

[Lord Garth]

I think they based that on the materials of the ship, not the design.

Yes, but I keep in mind the ship designed for Planet of the Titans is in the space wreckage in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", which leads me to believe that some form of the Crossfield Class made it into the 24th Century.

 

[Kaelef]

I just don't see any other 23rd century ship surviving even a single quantum torpedo from the 32nd century.

Are we talking about the same ship that survived puncturing right through a giant chunk of rock and crash landing on a planet's surface with hardly a scratch in the previous episode?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Are we talking about the same ship that survived puncturing right through a giant chunk of rock and crash landing on a planet's surface with hardly a scratch in the previous episode?

All those DOTs were fixing more than scratches.

 

[Yistaan]

So what about all that ultra powerful sphere data Discovery had? I assume it protected Discovery from the quantum torpedoes? Can't the crew use 32nd century tech to decode it and maybe find a solution to the burn?

 

[Nerys Myk]

So what about all that ultra powerful sphere data Discovery had? I assume it protected Discovery from the quantum torpedoes? Can't the crew use 32nd century tech to decode it and maybe find a solution to the burn?

Maybe they can. Maybe they can't. Though even the Sphere's data is 900 years out of date.

 

[cultcross]

And being humans the colonists on Titan may well have been ignored simply because their heritage didn't indicate an immediate threat to Earth.

Indeed. If we want to complain about the technology - why couldn't they see Titan - we've got to consider the possible political explanations as well. Maybe the authorities could see Titan and knew very well what happened there. Doesn't necessarily follow they would make that public knowledge or choose to help.