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Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 3x11 - "Su'Kal"

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Yes, for example the ship gets an upgrade with detached nacelles but we never see what benefit that actually gives it. Or any of the other visual changes.

It’s like the first season, where the Klingon war is the big thing happening but you never actually see it
I had already forgotten about the nacelles. Are they still detached all the time ?
 
I find it just silly that the ship with the spore drive that could revolutionize a federation without dilithium is put in the hands of a neurotic ensign who has never commanded anything, when there are more experienced people aboard (e.g. anyone with first name of "Lietenant").

I grew up reading the Making of Star Trek and the nitpicky memos the producers would write about story points. I think someone would have gone apoplectic about Tilly in command.
 
Ok episode, I'll give this a 7.

Nits:
  • Changing appearances of Culber, Burnham and Saru made no sense at all. How would that make the Kelpien "child" feel less threatened? As others have mentioned, seeing a fellow Kelpien would probably have put him more at ease. Maybe Doug Jones just said...."F*ck it....I don't feel like doing the make up this week."
  • Tilly's first command. Of course she loses the ship to a boarding party. While that was way too predictable, it would have been nice to see some of "Killy" come through and have her unload a barrage of photon torpedoes at the Orion ship and blow it into bits. Maybe next episode?
  • Detached nacelles - Yes, this is an old one but what's the point? It's like they had to think of something futuristic that's never been done before. Why not just eliminate them all together? Is there an in-universe explanation why they are supposed to be an improvement?
  • Was Nilsson in this episode? Didn't see her.
  • Can they find something else for Book to do besides sneaking in and saving things? At least he has a cat.
  • I already miss Georgiou.
Looks like 2 more episodes left in the season. Enough to finish the "Burn" mystery and re-supply everyone with dilithium. Maybe they can go back to re-attaching nacelles?
 
FFS/\ /\You’re right.Knowing the way this series is going they probably will agree to share the new dilithium resource with the Orions.:rolleyes:

The whole thing is beginning to annoy me.
 
I find it just silly that the ship with the spore drive that could revolutionize a federation without dilithium is put in the hands of a neurotic ensign who has never commanded anything, when there are more experienced people aboard (e.g. anyone with first name of "Lietenant").

I grew up reading the Making of Star Trek and the nitpicky memos the producers would write about story points. I think someone would have gone apoplectic about Tilly in command.
Oh please. Do me a favor and go rewatch TOS S2 "The Deadly Years" or hell the TNG feature film "Generations"; and get back to me on how Starfleet never puts green Captains in command of major Federation starships.
 
I know this will sound super nitpicky, but a couple of thoughts on the ship takeover:

Why was there no intruder alert? Seems like a writer oversight. Also, in TNG “Rascals” there was a command function suspension they could do to prevent the ship from being usable. You would think DSC would have this too?
 
I always wondered what would become of a child raised alone on the holodeck. They're plucking story ideas out of my head which I haven't told anyone and not crediting or paying me. Hmph.

I liked this. From the fairytale version of the Ba'ul monster to finally seeing a holodeck used for something a bit grander than 19th century Earth fiction to the dramatic end (which brought VOY: "Basics" to mind really strongly)

Cause of the Burn was an upset super child? Oh god it's like they wrote it especially to piss off part of the fan base:lol: They're gonna be raging about this for years.
 
The ship takeover seemed a bit too easy. If they could scan the inside details of the ship easily enough to transport in with all their weapons pointed the right way, why'd they wait till that moment?
 
I had already forgotten about the nacelles. Are they still detached all the time ?

They seem to be attached during flight then detach once the ship stops. Who knows why. And with the spore drive we rarely see the ship flying anyway, also losing some of the “ship is a character” component of previous Treks
 
And for once, Osyraa felt like an actual threat and intriguing character.
If you felt Seska was a threat, perhaps...

I had already forgotten about the nacelles. Are they still detached all the time ?
They reattach when the ship uses the spore drive.

I have my own fanon theory that justifies them, sooner or later I’ll post it.

Changing appearances of Culber, Burnham and Saru made no sense at all. How would that make the Kelpien "child" feel less threatened? As others have mentioned, seeing a fellow Kelpien would probably have put him more at ease. Maybe Doug Jones just said...."F*ck it....I don't feel like doing the make up this week."
In universe explanation: the holodeck was malfunctioning. Out of universe: they wanted to do one episode with him without makeup.

Knowing the way this series is going they probably will agree to share the new dilithium resource with the Orions.
They’ll definitely do that.
 
Oh please. Do me a favor and go rewatch TOS S2 "The Deadly Years" or hell the TNG feature film "Generations"; and get back to me on how Starfleet never puts green Captains in command of major Federation starships.

Yup! -- Deadly Years, emergency situation (dying, incapacitated real Captain); the writers telegraph it is wrong, but it's an emergency situation and the guy is a ?Commodore, whatever, has the rank. And we see how dumb it was for him to be in the seat. Moral: don't put unproven people (e.g. Tilly) in the big chair.

GEN, emergency situation again, right? Where Deanna, who is not an ensign (i.e. newb) and has gone through command school, I think?, gets the big chair, and keeps everyone alive somehow? (I'm not a TNG fan, so isn't this the one where people make the sexist women-driver joke?

BUT
Saru chose -- in a NON-emergency situation, weeks ago -- a neurotic Ensign (which rank equals "fresh outta Academy") with no command experience, who generally does science stuff -- to be his second in command. Egregiously negligent. As we saw. And all her underlings with more experience just smile at her and think it's cute when she is being incompetent.

(Surprised you didn't quote ST 09 Kirk in the big chair. That was dumb too.)

And of course I must be sexist to criticize the woman commander, let's go there, right? Except, I think it should have been Nillson or Ouwo. Reno woulda at least been more entertaining in the cringey banter.
 
GEN, emergency situation again, right? Where Deanna, who is not an ensign (i.e. newb) and has gone through command school, I think?, gets the big chair, and keeps everyone alive somehow? (I'm not a TNG fan, so isn't this the one where people make the sexist women-driver joke?
Deanna only gets navigation, Riker is in command and he’s a very qualified commander by then. I think he meant Harriman, in the enterprise-b, but he was not supposed to be in an emergency situation either.
 
One thing that confuses me is what does the solving of the Burn do for them in-universe? Sure, it's for us, the viewers, and for the Discovery crew to find out, but, once the Burn is solved, what does that change for them - if anything? Is the Federation just going to magically come back together now that a cause has been identified?

I think that's why they added the dilithium planet. Solving the Burn changes nothing for the Federation, but a source of dilithium like that assuredly does. Planets will want to rejoin just for access.
 
FFS/\ /\You’re right.Knowing the way this series is going they probably will agree to share the new dilithium resource with the Orions.:rolleyes:

The whole thing is beginning to annoy me.

Probably. The Emerald Chain has bought up recognition before, so it at least considers itself a functioning governmental structure and not some large crime syndicate. By the very nature of it controlling systems and being such a huge threat to the (admittedly diminished) Federation, I would probably consider it on par with some of the old Empires and Alliances of the past. The Emerald Chain probably wants recognition as the legitimate government of the Orion and Andorian peoples, and several others, perhaps, within their realm of influence. Which is massive, BTW, extending from the far reaches of the Beta Quadrant, by Terralysium, to near-Earth stars like Sigma Draconis, and probably Andoria and the main Orion star.

That they engage in debt slavery and racketeering and coercion of pre-warp cultures and they're overall "We're Evil" sentiment, of course, perhaps paints them as not "deserving" of such recognition. But I don't see their actions much more different than, say, the Dominion, who signed treaties with the Federation of old and probably existed and was legitimized after their large War. Or the Klingons or the Romulans or any number of (former) enemies that worked with our heroes from time-to-time.

The resolution of the season (or more likely the next) might be to work with the Chain to better help their respective planetary worlds by sharing research and knowledge (and dilithium) instead of going to conflict over little matters.

Osyraa will have to go, though. Maybe Ryn will be installed as the puppet leader (Discovery's specialty in ending wars!).
 
I love that there was a sarcastic joke going round that DIS is " not real Trek" without a holodeck episode and not only do we get one but it's the cause of a galaxy wide catastrophe.

Makes Moriarty look like small fish
Yup. Go big or go home. :devil:

To boot, DSC joins DS9 and VOY where The Main Enemy temporarily takes over the ship or station. I liked how "Su'Kal" handled it better than "Basics" but neither will ever touch "Call to Arms". "It's a message from Sisko. He's letting me know: He'll Be Back."
 
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