Okay, I'm coming late to the party here, but I just saw it tonight and I can't resist weighing in. FWIW!...
I liked the effort overall. It was interesting to see an attempt to revisit such a familiar and classic story, and in many ways they did it well. Anson Mount was great, as usual. However, IMHO the episode suffered from three things:
First, the continuity just doesn't work. In TOS Pike had handed off command of the ENT and been promoted
before his accident, as evidenced in "Menagerie" by Kirk's surprise on learning of the accident. If Kirk had inherited the ship from him as a result of it, he obviously would have known. This might be handwaved away as a minor glitch except that the entire plot literally
hinges on Pike still being in command because of that change.
Second, the casting was disappointing. I'm just not sold on this version of Jim Kirk; he lacks both the gravitas and the charm of Shatner. And the Romulan commander, while not bad in his own right, can't compare to Mark Lenard.
Third, the episode kinda hung a lampshade on Spock being More Important than Pike, indeed literally crucial to the fate of the entire galaxy. And yeah, we know that
is how things turned out in the long run, but it's an artifact of Trek being fiction and really one of the least plausible things about it when taken literally, which is why it's usually not emphasized quite so bluntly.
Without a doubt the very best Star Trek ever since 2005. Oh it's not much good. But finally satisfying. Of course most of what is good is pilfered from a much, much better episode and series; even down to dialog.
There are only 2 cadets killed, even in the worst case, where Pike is turned into putty. so he cant even write them a letter and no one else. Mott and the other cadet HAVE TO DIE. he's basically condemning them 2 kids to DEATH even though he KNOWS how to save their lives. not very StarFleet in my opinion.
One notable exception: M'Benga's retort ''this is not a schoolyard.'' That one was brilliant, worthy of Trek. First and only good line in all of Nu-Trek since 2009. Most memorable line so far.
Micheal Burnhams forgettable verbal fast talkin verbal diarrhea. Not a single memorable line The only line
i remember from STD was from 1st episode ' starfleet does not fire first' and that was by Georgiou.
Pike finally manged to shut Ortegas up after being undermined by her in the previous episodes.
But, it's full Kurtzmantrek; office workers cosplaying as Starfleet officers; including Pike shouting on the bridge. same starwarshy visuals; gore for the sake of gore; of course we must see the horribly mutilated corpse of Spock laid on a table like a piece of meat.
stupid, incompetent villains (i.e. Romulans have no sensors to detect empty robotic ships; unable to diffenciate mining ships from warships; needlessly destroy their best ship just before a battle); needless nonsense convenience (i.e. swapping Ortegas and nameless token Asian girl to play pseudo-Sulu so that she can play TOS Lieutenant Styles' role (we be too dumb to see the pilfering if she kept her station.
And why is the ''best pilot in Starfleet'' not piloting? Or has the stations swapped places?).
Memberberries (i.e. Scotty's voice); I'm wondering if they killed off Hemmer (the only good character of the show) just for this... magic as sci-fi (the infamous Klingon time crystals).
Women rule everything (of COURSE the Praetor is a woman). That being said; they didn't disfigure Kirk beyond the Nu-Trek trope of being a loose cannon (totally false in Classic Trek); but that IS a good thing in the end (see below).
The overall story is entertaining and not completely asinine. But, again, it is full ANTI-Trek; fatalistic, pessimistic, morally bankrupt. If Pike tries to change his future, he will destroy it for everyone else; accept your fate and never try to find another solution. Soooo inspirational. Soooo uplifting. Soooo Trek. Yeah...
And Romulans go from a proud, dedicated, honorable people to ruthless murdering stupid warmongers (shooting down the ship for failure instead of a self sacrifice to not fall into enemy hands).
Joining ranks with Xenomorphgorns and Klingorcs in Kurtzman's retched hive of scum and villainy.
All that being said, I was truly satisfied. Because this episode finally seals the series and all of Kurtzmantrek officially in the Kelvin Universe; The Farragu is a clear Abrams design when in Classic Trek it has always been understood as a Constitution class.
The Romulans LOOK like the aliens in Galaxy Quest and are almost comical.
Kirk is portrayed as the Kirk of Chris Pine (rogue, rebellious, impetuous); not of Bill Shatner (disciplined, steadfast, clever). But most of all; Kirk talks to Pike about his father serving on the USS Kelvin; which is NOT of Classic Trek but UNIQUELY from the Abramsverse; the very Nu Trek parallel universe was NAMED after that ship! Exactly because that ship never existed in Classic Trek. THAT more than anything else seals the deal.
Future Pike shoulda used his time crystal to go tell Michael Burnham not to jump 900 years into the future, if her mushroom motor ship was still around in Balance of Terror era she coulda solved everything by quoting Alice in Wonderland and crying.
Hence why I am so satisfied with this finale. All TOS discrepancies gone now, as this is NOT Star Trek but it's own thing. AT LAST, they stated it! It's canon! Now they can have their bi-sexual Kirk, their Gorn monsters, their nonsense TOS crew, their dark starwarshy universe of bad characters; because it's an alternate thing. We can ignore it all. True Trek is saved! Q'APLA!
