Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x08 - "The Elysian Kingdom"

[Amaris]

I said I didn't like Peck's performance. What he looks like in a wig really has no bearing on that.

The winking is indicative of a tongue in cheek post. I was accepting your answer, while having fun with you. It's okay, you don't have to like Ethan Peck's looks or his performance.

They should have had it be Harlan Ellison.

Harlan would have returned from the dead and said "where's my check?"

 

[Sakonna]

So let me get this straight... all Rukiya ever got to do when she came out of the buffer was listen to M'Benga read and re-read this same book to her, and she hates the ending? At least find a book she likes all the way through! No wonder she was so ready to run off with Debra...

One of the weaker episodes of the season, though as always there was still a lot to like. I think the Achilles heel of this show might be pacing -- whenever I have a complaint, that's generally what it is, spending time in the wrong places of the story. This one had far too long of a section that was just "and now here's this crewmember's storybook character" (and we did not need all those cutaways to the book pages). I was getting impatient for them to start having more of a story. It also took too long for M'Benga to get up to speed, especially for a book he knows backwards and forwards.

I'm also eager to spend some real time with Ortegas. I was a little annoyed this is the most screentime she's gotten too date, but not as herself.

On the plus side, I did like the TOS vibe of the whole thing. The production work was delightful. It was basically fun, and the ending was moving. But it was also one where the whole time it felt like they were missing opportunities to maximize the fun and drama of the story, in favor of just having a showcase for the actors to play other characters -- which is generally more compelling a few seasons into a show, not in the 8th episode. I kept wanting more of the actual SNW characters to be present in this story, I would have liked more of them to break out of the mind control as it progressed.

 

[IMC Headquarters]

SPOCK: It is an unclassified nebula. As we are the first to discover it, we can name it. I suggest
"Pike's Peak".




PIKE: "Pike's Peak," eh? I like the sound of that.



PIKE: How about it, Erica? Let's run our fingers through my hair.



ORTEGAS(?): Name's Nerys, sir. Whatever. No one ate Cheetos today, did they?

 

[Kor]

I enjoyed this episode. It was good fun. I loved seeing the characters act play out these storybook roles, with certain ones definitely acting 'against type.' I thought things fell apart somewhat at the resolution, though. The Rukiya storyline got wrapped up a little too neatly, and so early in the series. We barely got to see her this season! I realize (and appreciate) that this series is more episodic. But I think it's still okay to have certain storylines continue over the course of more episodes. Oh well.

Did anyone else think of this? "Brave Sir Rauth/Pike ran away. Bravely ran away, away. When danger reared it's ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled. "

Perhaps the only reason he joined in Star Fleet was to be able to have complete access to the Tech to keep her alive and best be able to explore finding a cure.
With this strange resolution of her dilemma he no longer has a reason to remain and decides to go study on Vulcan.

In Spock Amok, M'Benga indicated that he already did his Vulcan study: "In all my time studying Vulcan medicine, I never got to deal with a katric transfer."
That probably would have been during his internship, per TOS "A Private Little War."
Of course, I guess that doesn't preclude the possibility of him going back to Vulcan to study Vulcan medicine even more.

And Pike's pompadour is getting more and more impressive as the season goes on.

Kor

 

[fireproof78]

Of course, I guess that doesn't preclude the possibility of him going back to Vulcan to study Vulcan medicine even more.

He probably becomes Chief of Starfleet Medical for a couple of years, then returns.

 

[Sci]

Ugh. Far too silly for me. This is Allamaraine level

I think they went too far with the "I will sing a song" bit, but most of it was fun. And "Move Along Home" didn't break my heart with an incredibly moving, gut-punch, heartfelt ending like "The Elysian Kingdom" did.

 

[Kor]

I wish Chapel had gotten more stuff to do in this episode.

Kor

 

[DEWLine]

Yeah, I'd say "The Elysian Kingdom" stuck the landing.

 

[Amaris]

I think they went too far with the "I will sing a song" bit, but most of it was fun. And "Move Along Home" didn't break my heart with an incredibly moving, gut-punch, heartfelt ending like "The Elysian Kingdom" did.

I would normally agree about the "I will sing a song" bit, but considering that meant we were about to hear button down, straight laced, grim faced La'an sing a song, while holding her puppy Runa, I was absolutely going to let it all slide no matter what, and it was worth it.

 

[Sci]

I would normally agree about the "I will sing a song" bit, but considering that meant we were about to hear button down, straight laced, grim faced La'an sing a song, while holding her puppy Runa, I was absolutely going to let it all slide no matter what, and it was worth it.

Well, that particular gag didn't quite work for me, but I agree that everything else about La'an's storybook character was hysterical. Especially the dog!

 

[Mudd]

I wish Chapel had gotten more stuff to do in this episode.

Kor

Bush's delivery of the "dopamine levels" line was priceless.

 

[Timofnine]

I managed to watch the second half of last weeks episode and I am still conscious! I will now sleep on it though before passing final judgement.

It will be hard for me to finish my episode review as I can’t remember the fictional character names that the crew took on… so I will have to refer to the characters as Star Trek characters not as the Final Fantasy like characters which they were portrayed as being by the nebula.

I definitely feel like I have watched a two part episode for some reason.

I will see how I feel about it all tomorrow, the episode definitely picked up pace in ‘part two’ but I don’t want to post too many spoilers until tomorrow just incase other people have not watched it yet.

 

[Captrek]

Bush's delivery of the "dopamine levels" line was priceless.

Yup, but that was the only memorable thing she did in the whole episode.

 

[Belz...]

Yup, but that was the only memorable thing she did in the whole episode.

She's been prominent in several episodes so far. I think she's entitled to a break.

 

[Mr Awe]

I didn't have a problem with the story they were trying to tell to resolve Rukiya's plight. The sci-fi resolution they were going for could have worked well if they had taken the time and effort to tell the whole story. They failed to demonstrate, over the course of several episodes, that she was physically deteriorating and running out of time. They didn't show M'Benga's growing frustration over the course of the arc with his inability to make progress. They didn't explore the "Debra" entity enough to determine that it was truly benevolent and that M'Benga should trust it. Instead they spent most of their creative capitol on the fantasy/fun aspect of the rest of the cast's fantasy role playing exhibition. I could have enjoyed an episode that lets the cast have fun, but not at the expense of the more important story of Rukiya's restoration. And as you said, the "ham-fisted return visit" was, it seems to me, just a fig leaf to cover for all the things they neglected to tell of her story.

Agree with you 100% on all that.

 

[fireproof78]

Star Trek fans : Chapel is doing too much. She's nothing like TOS!

Also Star Trek fans : Where the hell is Chapel? She didn't do enough.

 

[Mr Awe]

Pointing out how you're evading a question isn't "playing dumb", and there's no "message" in being evasive. You answered with a reverse of my own reply because you didn't want to address the obvious.

I was making a point about the lameness of your response by replying in kind.

You said, "Yes it does." My reply to you was "No, it doesn't."

You flipping out over that only proves my point. Thanks!

I'm always down for an honest discussion. But when you simply replied "Yes, it does" without any serious thought, I knew there was not going to be an honest discussion. Instead, I drove home the point about your lame "response," which you conveniently keep forgetting that you started yourself.

I'm going to drop this now because you're getting boring. I know you got the message, so I'll just leave it at that.

 

[Mr Awe]

Yep. From the narration, M'Benga indicates that she has, maybe, hours outside of the transporter buffer.

Ok, let's go with that. Hours outside the transporter buffer. Let's say two hours. Suppose he gets down to brass tacks and figures he going to absolutely minimize her time out of the buffer. So, he rematerializes her and then dematerializes her as quickly as possible. No time for games and storytelling. That sucks but it's necessary.

Say she's out of the buffer for 1 second at a time before dematerialization. There's 7,200 seconds in two hours. Even if it he needs to rematerizalize/dematerialize her every day, that's 7,200 days! Even if you assume that it requires 10 seconds outside the transporter buffer each time, that's 720 days or about 2 years. It's not imminent either way.

Furthermore, they didn't even sell the fact that she was so close to death. We didn't see her getting sicker. She just didn't seem that sick.

For me at least, all of the detracted somewhat because his extreme decision of handing her over to a questionable entity didn't seem necessary. Of course, YMMV.

 

[Amaris]

Ok, let's go with that. Hours outside the transporter buffer. Let's say two hours. Suppose he gets down to brass tacks and figures he going to absolutely minimize her time out of the buffer. So, he rematerializes her and then dematerializes her as quickly as possible. No time for games and storytelling. That sucks but it's necessary.

Say she's out of the buffer for 1 second at a time before dematerialization. There's 7,200 seconds in two hours. Even if it he needs to rematerizalize/dematerialize her every day, that's 7,200 days! Even if you assume that it requires 10 seconds outside the transporter buffer each time, that's 720 days or about 2 years. It's not imminent either way.

Furthermore, they didn't even sell the fact that she was so close to death. We didn't see her getting sicker. She just didn't seem that sick.

For me at least, all of the detracted somewhat because his extreme decision of handing her over to a questionable entity didn't seem necessary. Of course, YMMV.

My mileage definitely varies.

 

[fireproof78]

My mileage definitely varies.

Agreed. M'Benga's face said way more than perceptions of her condition.