Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x10 - "A Quality of Mercy"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
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I was not enthused when Paul Wesley was announced as Kirk -- both because I thought using Kirk on this show was a terrible idea and Paul Wesley was a terrible actor -- and I have to say, even with my expectations in the basement, he underperformed them. That was a disastrously flat and unvaried performance.
Honestly, the best route here would simply be to never show Kirk on this series again -- and I'm pretty worried to already know that this is not the case in season 2. Overall, SNW Season 1's biggest flaw was simply not enough time to properly feature it's many fabulous characters. Adding a personality as big as Kirk's to the mix is really and truly the LAST thing this show needs.
I was also a bit of a letdown that the majority of the episode wasn't "real." In a 10 episode season, we just don't have the real estate for two episodes to be illusions or alternate timelines.
Those issues aside -- I was quite happy with everything else going on here. Every performance besides Paul Wesley's was fantastic, with Anson Mount doing particularly incredible work.
And that lighting! I couldn't stop enthusing about how gorgeously lit and 60's-feeling the lighting was in this hour.
I just wish this finale hadn't burdened itself so heavily with being a TOS remake. But once we're past that choice, nearly every execution decision they made was exactly right.
Honestly, the best route here would simply be to never show Kirk on this series again -- and I'm pretty worried to already know that this is not the case in season 2. Overall, SNW Season 1's biggest flaw was simply not enough time to properly feature it's many fabulous characters. Adding a personality as big as Kirk's to the mix is really and truly the LAST thing this show needs.
I was also a bit of a letdown that the majority of the episode wasn't "real." In a 10 episode season, we just don't have the real estate for two episodes to be illusions or alternate timelines.
Those issues aside -- I was quite happy with everything else going on here. Every performance besides Paul Wesley's was fantastic, with Anson Mount doing particularly incredible work.
And that lighting! I couldn't stop enthusing about how gorgeously lit and 60's-feeling the lighting was in this hour.
I just wish this finale hadn't burdened itself so heavily with being a TOS remake. But once we're past that choice, nearly every execution decision they made was exactly right.
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Well, maybe Pike has tried to resign, and Spock still get the same fate as what he did in this episode.
Great episode I’ll go 9/10 but very close to 10/10. Just a few little things holding it back for me.
Not a fan of Ortegas here. I don’t think putting her in the Styles role suited her. They should have just given us Styles and had Ortegas play the Sulu role.
Hated the re-touched Monster Maroons. I hate the little imbedded patterns they have on all the uniforms and they really stuck out (and not in a good way) on future Pike. They make the uniforms look over designed. KISS is always the way to go….Keep It Simple Stupid.
Mount constantly delivers every episode. He was once again fantastic here. I did like they make up job they did on future Pike. He not only looked older but he looked more weary and heavier. Clearly showing his age.
I thought Wesley-Kirk was fine. Nothing special though. He was missing that swagger that both Shatner and Pine brought. But it was just one appearance. Plenty of room for a better showing in S2. I don’t like that it appears instead of really earning the Enterprise in they eyes of Starfleet he gets handpicked by Pike.
The 60’s/TOS filming style they used in the Balance of Terror redux stuff was really great and executed perfectly. Stuff like that can come off cheesy and dumb if you don’t do it right but they got it spot on.
I think Una totally turned herself in some effort to help Pike.
more evidence that this is indeed a different quantum reality….Future Pike indicates Spock is the most important person ever in Starfleet but we all know according to Lower Decks that it’s Chief O’Brien.
overall, I’d say this is the 3rd best first season of any Trek. It’s a ways behind TOS but right there just behind Lower Decks. But it’s easily the best season of any “live action” nu-Trek (Disco S1-4, Pic S1-2 and the short treks) to date. And really it’s not close.
Not a fan of Ortegas here. I don’t think putting her in the Styles role suited her. They should have just given us Styles and had Ortegas play the Sulu role.
Hated the re-touched Monster Maroons. I hate the little imbedded patterns they have on all the uniforms and they really stuck out (and not in a good way) on future Pike. They make the uniforms look over designed. KISS is always the way to go….Keep It Simple Stupid.
Mount constantly delivers every episode. He was once again fantastic here. I did like they make up job they did on future Pike. He not only looked older but he looked more weary and heavier. Clearly showing his age.
I thought Wesley-Kirk was fine. Nothing special though. He was missing that swagger that both Shatner and Pine brought. But it was just one appearance. Plenty of room for a better showing in S2. I don’t like that it appears instead of really earning the Enterprise in they eyes of Starfleet he gets handpicked by Pike.
The 60’s/TOS filming style they used in the Balance of Terror redux stuff was really great and executed perfectly. Stuff like that can come off cheesy and dumb if you don’t do it right but they got it spot on.
I think Una totally turned herself in some effort to help Pike.
more evidence that this is indeed a different quantum reality….Future Pike indicates Spock is the most important person ever in Starfleet but we all know according to Lower Decks that it’s Chief O’Brien.
overall, I’d say this is the 3rd best first season of any Trek. It’s a ways behind TOS but right there just behind Lower Decks. But it’s easily the best season of any “live action” nu-Trek (Disco S1-4, Pic S1-2 and the short treks) to date. And really it’s not close.
Rewatched the finale with the family and it struck me that SNW Pike's and TOS Kirk's overall actions aren't that different in the end. The Romulan Bird of Prey is chased down and is disabled. Even both captains were going to spare the crew of the Bird of Prey. Tactically, SNW's Enterprise was worse off than the TOS Enterprise but it seems that the difference came down to the Decius-equivalent guy calling for reinforcements and the Romulan fleet were close enough to answer so the Praetor could see Pike offering mercy. The TOS Praetor possibly didn't know what happened to the TOS Bird of Prey although I'd be surprised if no Romulans were watching the fight unfold from a distance.
Well. That was darned good.
Have to go rewatch Balance of Terror, as well.
Have to go rewatch Balance of Terror, as well.
Yup. But, that's where the show is going. Strap in.
I love how this episode was basically designed to shut up the "why doesn't pike just do x to avoid his fate, this such lame writing" people. It was a great idea to show that ultimately this isn't just about the fate of Pike but how his destiny ripples into the destiny of others, namely Spock and Kirk and the wider galaxy at large. Pike seemed so much more at peace with himself after he realised that there are much bigger things at stake and that he just has to play his part for the greater good.
Also I really enjoyed:
Paul Wesley as Kirk. I feel like his performance was very much Soldier Kirk as opposed to cowboy kirk. Alternate Kirk would obviously be different than his 'real' counterpart on the part of him having different life events.
Everything about the romulans. Those 2260's warbirds were phenomenal
The Monster Maroons. Which are my least favourite uniform after the alternate tng future ones. Anson mount can make anything look good.
Overall fantastic 10/10
Also I really enjoyed:
Paul Wesley as Kirk. I feel like his performance was very much Soldier Kirk as opposed to cowboy kirk. Alternate Kirk would obviously be different than his 'real' counterpart on the part of him having different life events.
Everything about the romulans. Those 2260's warbirds were phenomenal
The Monster Maroons. Which are my least favourite uniform after the alternate tng future ones. Anson mount can make anything look good.
Overall fantastic 10/10
Loved it but Paul Wesley is horribly miscast as Kirk. criminally miscast
Shocking as the show has done such a phenomenal job with its casting choices (for the most part)
Anson mount continues to be amazing as now my second favorite atrek a captain of all time (tied with Sisko). I’ll be happy to see him play Pike for the next 5 years or so. Ethan Peck also continues to be a joy to watch.
Loved the future maroons and I loved hearing Scotty’s voice.
But for the love of GOD PLEASE RECAST KIRK with someone that at least weighs more than Elliot Page and has a modicum of charisma. One has to wonder if the casting director is a cousin of his or something.
Shocking as the show has done such a phenomenal job with its casting choices (for the most part)
Anson mount continues to be amazing as now my second favorite atrek a captain of all time (tied with Sisko). I’ll be happy to see him play Pike for the next 5 years or so. Ethan Peck also continues to be a joy to watch.
Loved the future maroons and I loved hearing Scotty’s voice.
But for the love of GOD PLEASE RECAST KIRK with someone that at least weighs more than Elliot Page and has a modicum of charisma. One has to wonder if the casting director is a cousin of his or something.
I think Paul Wesley needs to hit the gym and gain some muscle, have a more prominent chest to fill out that uniform.
He feels too scrawny compared to William Shatner in his prime.
He feels too scrawny compared to William Shatner in his prime.
That explains The Menangerie very well. And outs Pike's doubts about what to do about his future to doubt. In a very nice way.
Free Una!
Best S1 since TOS IMHO.
YMMV.
Free Una!
Best S1 since TOS IMHO.
YMMV.
Off topic, but is there any in-universe reason why Starfleet changes uniforms so damn frequently?
Not a clue, by my head canon explanation is that with so many member worlds in the Federation there are always competing ideas for which uniform designs would look best and be most comfortable on the largest number of species.
This is a Tactical Battle Analysis of the original "Balance of Terror" by Resurrected StarShips.
It should help those who haven't seen BoT in a while.
It should help those who haven't seen BoT in a while.
Agreed. He seemed to lack TOS Kirk's warmth, and, as you said, charisma. He also struck me as acting a little "older" than Kirk, and a little more tightly-wound.
Hopefully, they will correct this in his next appearance. I'd like to see what a different director would do with him. There were a couple of the director's choices in this episode that seemed mis-handled. Pike's lashing out at Ortega on the bridge felt a little forced to me.
The Ortega scene was just there to replicate the Styles scene in Balance of Terror I bet. I don’t know why they had someone who has known Spock for nearly 8 years by this point for that though.
Remember - in the original BoT - the original Phaser effects looked like Photon Torpedoes; and in the Remastered version, they went with the 'Burst' type Blue Phasers, so yeah, in this instance - the ONLY thing that's really different per se is the color of the Phasers. They stuck with the 'Burst' type Phasers suggested in the original and done with the Remastered TOS version of the episode.Cracking stuff, 99.999%........BUT!, those pew pew ship phasers just keep it from that full 100%, yes it's a small niggle, but i thought from the previous episodes we had stuck with beam weapons for the ship.
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