Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 4x08 - "All In"

[JoseNoodles]

Average episode. The search for the card shark and the ring fight felt like padding, but the card game at the end had more going for it. I liked the twist that Burham bugged the shipment of iridium to be able to track Booker. So species 10-C is indeed very powerful. I wonder if they'll even care that their "dredge mining" is threatening other species.

I like how the shapeshifter may have been mimicking a Xindi-Insectoid at the beginning.

The changeling could have taken the form of a Jarada, an insect-like species that was mentioned a few times in early TNG but never seen.

Can't say I'm thrilled that the Dominion is getting involved in DSC...

I would say this changeling is either a rogue who struck for themselves or an exile from the Great Link, otherwise why would a member of species who maintain a vast empire and are seen as gods by their underlings willingly engage in petty crimes.

 

[cooleddie74]

I forgot about the Jarada. Good call.

 

[Deks]

Can't say I'm thrilled that the Dominion is getting involved in DSC...

Maybe this particular changeling has nothing to do with the dominion. Could be one of the 100 who never decided to rejoin the Great Link.

 

[Deks]

I would say this changeling is either a rogue who struck for themselves or an exile from the Great Link, otherwise why would a member of species who maintain a vast empire and are seen as gods by their underlings willingly engage in petty crimes.

To freely roam the galaxy perhaps?
Not everyone has desires to be part of a 'great empire', worshipped and having people cater to them (I'm personally repulsed by the notion and religion in general).

On the side-note, Laas didn't want to rejoin the Dominion's Great Link (if memory serves).

 

[JoseNoodles]

To freely roam the galaxy perhaps?
Not everyone has desires to be part of a 'great empire', worshipped and having people cater to them (I'm personally repulsed by the notion and religion in general).

On the side-note, Laas didn't want to rejoin the Dominion's Great Link (if memory serves).

Well that's my point, this particular Changeling doesn't seem interested in being a "founder", they seem to find using their power to scam people to be more their thing.

 

[Deks]

Well that's my point, this particular Changeling doesn't seem interested in being a "founder", they seem to find using their power to scam people to be more their thing.

Some of them at least... but hardly all.

 

[BigJake]

8/10.

Spoiler

Having it all come down to a series of casino challenges, and finally a poker game, was a bit silly, and by God are Michael and Book two of the most obvious poker cheats this side of Worm in Rounders. Still, I like that they loosened up and had a bit of fun around what turns out to be a very serious premise indeed, that Burnham came up with a clever solution to her dilemma, that we got to see more of Tarka and (pleasant surprise) Owosekun, and that we got to see President Rillick seriously pissed off for a change. The effects were great -- the holographic concealment on the casino barge was really imaginative -- the casino owner was a cool character notwithstanding his ever-more-absurd stash of "sayings," and the raising of the stakes and the reveal of what the DMA sets the stage for some real drama next episode, which is a plus.

 

[NCC-73515]

Perhaps first turning into particles and then into a new form is faster than using the goo transition
Laas existed as fog, and Odo as a lightshow, so they can probably exist as sand as well. Their zombie movies must be full of living sand monsters as well

I did not like Burnham's strange overacting during the game ("wo-oow!!!"), but she was trying to overact on purpose, I guess. Acting being a bad actor. Lorca did the same when he lied and pretended in S1, but he was more subtle.

 

[Tuskin38]

Can't say I'm thrilled that the Dominion is getting involved in DSC...

Nothing says they are. The writers probably decided to have the cheater be a changeling.

Did we ever see Devore computer interfaces in Voyager? I wonder if the scanner’s holographic interface was based off it.

 

[Tuskin38]

The changeling could have taken the form of a Jarada, an insect-like species that was mentioned a few times in early TNG but never seen.

The previous episode had a member of that species represented by a Xindi emblem

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

It's funny how many DS9 species are showing up in Discovery recently. It's like they noticed that Prodigy is taking elements from Voyager and Picard is taking elements from TNG, and they wanted to join in. Though I suppose they had a Trill as early as season one.

Also I'm 100% against the series changing what aliens look like if they don't have to, but I'll give them a pass on the Changeling because I feel like the only thing they have to keep consistent about the species is the look of the puddle they turn into when they regenerate. If they want to look like sand or whatever when shifting into different objects, that's up to them.

Either way I thought it was a nice surprise seeing the Changeling casino cheat, basically the Anti-Odo, though I didn't quite catch how they figured them out.

 

[Tuskin38]

Either way I thought it was a nice surprise seeing the Changeling casino cheat, basically the Anti-Odo, though I didn't quite catch how they figured them out.

They were blinking in a pattern to communicate to their partner, then later they passed behind a pillar as one species and came out the other side as another.

 

[cooleddie74]

DSC has definitely been promoting DS9 and ENT species and references. Which is fine by me because for so long those two series were the bastard stepchildren of the small screen franchise and more nods never hurt.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

They were blinking in a pattern to communicate to their partner, then later they passed behind a pillar as one species and came out the other side as another.

Oh so there was actually a partner? That makes more sense. I thought the twist was that the Changeling was both the people they thought were working together.

 

[Harpsichord]

They were blinking in a pattern to communicate to their partner, then later they passed behind a pillar as one species and came out the other side as another.

Oh so there was actually a partner? That makes more sense. I thought the twist was that the Changeling was both the people they thought were working together.

They thought the changeling was signalling to a partner but I'm pretty sure there was a line in there where Book and Tarka figured that it must have been a nervous tic (since the changeling was working alone)

 

[Tuskin38]

One of the face cards in that deck reminded me of this alien from Star Trek Beyond

 

[ToddCam]

Interesting. I did not catch the connection to the omega particle. That episode always bugged me. The whole ship shut down because it detected the Omega particle. What happens if a ship happens to not have its original captain. Like if Janeway had died before then, would the ship have just been dead in the water? Bad, bad planning on Starfleet's part. Hopefully by the 32nd century, they came up with smarter protocols.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

In the 32nd century a ship that encounters an Omega particle automatically sends a signal to Discovery so they can save the day for them.

 

[fireproof78]

In the 32nd century a ship that encounters an Omega particle automatically sends a signal to Discovery so they can save the day for them.

Naturally. The spores and Omega particles are natural enemies.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Can't say I'm thrilled that the Dominion is getting involved in DSC...

Relax your balls. It was a changeling with a gambling problem.