Spoilers Strange New Worlds 1x01 - "Strange New Worlds"

[Rusty0918]

Well...I can say this is so far looking to be a re-imagining DONE RIGHT, coming from someone who was/is still on the fence about ST09 and thought STID was a joke (did praise Beyond though). It's so far sold me in many ways J.J. Abrams failed to do. Some of the character updates were wonderful, especially Christine Chapel who already comes off as much better than she was in TOS. I like that Pike has some good relationships, especially with another Starfleet captain, to explore his human aspects like they also did in S2 of DSC. I also like Lt. Singh, the chief of secuirty - I wonder if someone got my message about putting someone like that on the Enterprise from all those years ago after ST09, and finally listened. The production design - it stomps all over the Kelvin-verse films, IMHO. Amazing how they were able to re-imagine and honor what came before - they did a so much better job. Not to mention they made that mini-dress uniform FAR more believable and classier than what Mr. Abrams and company did. As for the plot, I like the "Day the Earth Stood Still" touch, especially with the ORIGINAL movie being shown at the beginning (not the Keanu Reeves remake), and how Pike channeled Klaatu from said movie, and I liked how he said that the alien society mirrored Earth society, and how they mistook the warp signature to be that of a weapon of mass destruction. I do have to admit that I did have a little gripe about how the aliens managed to appropriate matter/antimatter technology the way they did, though you win some and you lose some, although it is a result of what happened in the DSC S2 season finale. I do wonder about Chapel's genome altering capabilities - will that be a technology that ultimately has bad side effects? Another good aspect though is that there were definitely those in Starfleet that wanted Pike locked away for what he and company did, although fortunately Admiral April managed to convince them otherwise, although they were doing their best to save lives that they would have felt terribly responsible for had those aliens used that warp technology-based WMD on others.

Oh and it was interesting the Kirk-twist - you think it was the one we all know but it was really his brother! I agree, there was nothing in canon about him NEVER being in Starfleet.

As for an introduction to Trek, I'd take this over ST09 any day of the week.

Now - for those who praise Strange New Worlds like me - don't attack / smear those who do have criticism. They may have points. But don't go labeling them "haters."

 

[fireproof78]

People treating individuals as wrong for expressing emotions only stifles them, at least the way I have watched the professional world change over the past 20 years.

Now - for those who praise Strange New Worlds like me - don't attack / smear the "haters."

People are not going to like it.

 

[nightwind1]

It's NOT trivial when it matters to ratings etc. This thread is likely monitored by rating system companies that keep tabs on the likes of social media etc that discuss in Star Trek. If such deceptions like that happen, it affects how the true ratings are.

 

[Lord Garth]

La'an so far is my of the SNW characters, old or new.

Pike is good. So is M'Benga. I like this Chapel. Haven't seen enough of Number One yet, where I am in the episode but so far, so good. Ortegas and Uhura, I could take or leave.

You know, I kind of hate saying this but my least favorite character here is actually Spock. Not that I have a problem with him, and I liked Ethan Peck's portrayal in DSC, but he's doing nothing for me in this episode.

 

[Bollie74]

You know, I kind of hate saying this but my least favorite character here is actually Spock. Not that I have a problem with him, but he's doing nothing for me in this episode.

You are very brave, sir

 

[Jadeb]

So I’m watching this again and they really need to get Gene to clean April’s shuttlecraft. Why is it so dirty?

Also, the Vulcan restaurant scene is strikingly beautiful. This might be the best the planet’s ever looked.

Celia Gooding wins me over immediately with the Nichelle earpiece touch.

And yay for Spock’s moire scanner and the blinky light under the view screen!

 

[Lexx]

LOVED the first episode. The only weak part is the opening theme song, which IMO should have more punchy old school TOS music in it. The opening visuals are awesome and the music gets off to a good start, only to kind of fade out to almost elevator music level mediocrity later on. Punch it up!

I loved all the little references to TOS - the tricorder, the vertical display in the elevator with the light that shows them ascending or descending decks, the new updated handles on the lift. The red alert was awesome, with the use of all those LED strips. Loved the updated captain's chair, the red doors and the rest of the bridge.

Also Pike's cabin scene was a callback to ST Generations, when Picard finds Kirk at his cabin cooking eggs. So cool. And all the names of the ships that paid homage to characters in other ST series. The space port was a really updated version of station K7 in the Troubles with Tribbles. There are just so many little easter eggs throughout the episode.

Oh yes, and the reference to Kirk was a master stroke, especially when he actually comes to the bridge. SURPRISE!

I was kind of skeptical about returning to the episode of the week format, preferring the season long arc stories. But they made it work. This is a terrific homage to TOS with stunning visual updates and production values. Well Done!!!

 

[Xerxes82]

I liked this.

The little bit of Chapel and the M'Benga we got was fun, I like them both so far. Chapel's attitude hit just the right notes of joy/frustration. La'an was very good, I like her a lot. Not sold on this Uhura yet, and still not a fan of Peck's Spock. But Mount absolutely carries this. His Pike is just so good. I had a hard time connecting with the characters on Disco, but this just felt like a smooth introduction to people I look forward to learning more about.

The plot was a bit standard. But it looked great. And Pike's solution fit both the situation and his own journey to that moment.

I also enjoyed the Lt Kirk gag, I thought that was fun. Silly and stupid, but fun.

A great start, and I'm looking forward to next week.

 

[Bollie74]

The 20-something, still growing as person character acts immature and unprofessional? Color me shocked.

To be both fair and honest, I am 40 something and I have whole days where I am both...

 

[fireproof78]

To be both fair and honest, I am 40 something and I have whole days where I am both...

Just turned 38 and same here.

Somehow, people let me be a supervisor.

 

[thribs]

In 50 minutes I actually know most of the crew’s names, unlike Discovery

 

[Noname Given]

Well, it's kinda like the Batpoles. Leave the study as Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, arrive in the Batcave as Batman and Robin.

And it put Pike's sidekick (Spock) in shorts too.

But, yeah, no, seriously, it makes total sense. It's the next iteration of the illicit-weapon-deactivated-during-transport thing from TNG, where they can add and subtract objects. Totally believable, given the transporter.

The TOS era transporter could disable weapons too (or not beam them in) - see TOS S3 - "Day Of The Dove".

Oh, and I'm fine with the intraship beaming. It's a silly restriction to bend over backwards to observe. Just recalibrate the damn things for close ranges, FFS.

Well it was the EMERGENCY Medical Transporter that allowed it.

 

[fireproof78]

The promos probably helped.

 

[FredH]

I noticed that they used both Stardates numerals in this episode. 1732.19 (Prime reality) and 2259.42 (from the Kelvin timeline). If we were to use the Kelvin timeline of stardates, that means this episode took place on February 11, 2259.

Really? Good catch, I didn’t notice that, but now you mention it I remember the 2259 one. I wonder what that implies, that they use two systems at once. Did you happen to notice where the ship was in each instance? Maybe one referent is used at Earth, another at Kylie, another during warp transit? I don’t know how that would work, of course.

 

[Vger23]

Not a ton of time to write, so I’ll pick it up later…but what a great night for Star Trek.

This episode was a joy. Not amazing, not an instant classic, but just damn cool and so TOS-like that it warms my heart.

9/10

 

[thribs]

The promos probably helped.

I only watched a few of them. Don’t want to spoil everything now

 

[Annorax849]

Looking closer at the map…

-Talarian space is pretty big in this time
-Tzenkethi weren’t labeled fully but might have been a separate colored power
-Cardassians aren’t even interstellar power yet

Almost an implication Cardassians started invading Talarians after they started expanding…

 

[Jadeb]

M’Benga just showed up and I’m struck by how warm this show is. I think that’s what I like most about it. The characters, the positivity, the color palette, the lack of the tiresome blue filter. I like spending time in this world.

 

[johnjm22]

They're trying to hard to BE Star Trek and not paying enough attention to just telling us a good story.

100%.

The whole thing has a meta undercurrent to it.

I don't think the creators of CBS Trek are interested in just telling a good story. They have more of a corporate mindset. It's about appealing to demographics X, Y and Z, trend-chasing, and course correcting each show/season to appease complaints about the previous iteration.

 

[Vger23]

M’Benga just showed up and I’m struck by how warm this show is. I think that’s what I like most about it. The characters, the positivity, the color palette, the lack of the tiresome blue filter. I like spending time in this world.

It looks gorgeous. The designs, the cinematography, the lighting….it’s really nice to look at.