Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x10 - "A Quality of Mercy"

[BillJ]

Pike finally manged to shut Ortegas up after being undermined by her in the previous episodes.

I must have missed all those 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.

Normally, I'm not for extreme scenes like that, but it was there to push the point across to Pike that changing the future has costs.

The Romulans LOOK like the aliens in Galaxy Quest and are almost comical.

I have to say that I was not impressed with the makeup, especially of the Romulan commander.

Kirk talks to Pike about his father serving on the USS Kelvin; which is NOT of Classic Trek but UNIQUELY from the Abramsverse

That is wide open territory because we know nothing of what Kirk's family did in TOS.

 

[cooleddie74]

It's Classic Trek now. The Kelvin Timeline IS the Prime Timeline until the moment Nero begins to arrive in 2233. That means George and Winona Kirk were always his parents and George served on the Kelvin even in TOS Kirk's history.

And aside from living on Tarsus IV at the age of 13 and witnessing the massacre of Governor Kodos we know nothing else of Kirk's childhood prior to entering the Academy. So SNW violates nothing at all.

 

[fireproof78]

So SNW violates nothing at all.

Except fan assumptions.

 

[cooleddie74]

Their burden to carry.

 

[Weyoun 251]

It's Classic Trek now. The Kelvin Timeline IS the Prime Timeline until the moment Nero begins to arrive in 2233. That means George and Winona Kirk were always his parents and George served on the Kelvin even in TOS Kirk's history.

And aside from living on Tarsus IV at the age of 13 and witnessing the massacre of Governor Kodos we know nothing else of Kirk's childhood prior to entering the Academy. So SNW violates nothing at all.

But what about all the womenses taking power from men and ships not being what they were in a book!

This can't be Trek because it isn't exactly how it was 60 years ago

 

[cooleddie74]

The TOS Pilot bridges were mostly men in those episodes and more equally divided or majority female in SNW. There. Funny how a ship with 203-430 people serving aboard can look one way one day and another the next.

 

[Weyoun 251]

The TOS Pilot bridges were mostly men in those episodes and more equally divided or majority female in SNW. There. Funny how a ship with 203-430 people serving aboard can look one way one day and another the next.

It was more aimed at the person's complaint a page back about how women were taking power from men and making a snide comment about the Praetor being female.

 

[cooleddie74]

I gathered that. I treat those viewpoints sarcastically on any page.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

It's been a long road...

Please don't sing.

 

[cooleddie74]

I already did.

And it was horrific.

 

[Weyoun 251]

I gathered that. I treat those viewpoints sarcastically on any page.

I didn't think you were taking me at face value - just that you thought I was poking fun at a different thing than I intended

 

[fireproof78]

But what about all the womenses taking power from men and ships not being what they were in a book!

This can't be Trek because it isn't exactly how it was 60 years ago

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[Ovation]

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!

Yawn.

 

[Tuskin38]

First, the continuity just doesn't work.

It's an alternate future that butterflied out from 2259 when Pike decided to write those letters. Several years before Kirk would have taken command. We don't know what other choices he made after that, he could have declined the promotion to Fleet Captain and decided to stay on Enterprise.

The continuity works fine because it's an alternate continuity.

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!

They stated no such thing.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's an alternate future that butterflied out from 2259 when Pike decided to write those letters. Several years before Kirk would have taken command. We don't know what other choices he made after that, he could have declined the promotion to Fleet Captain and decided to stay on Enterprise.

The continuity works fine because it's an alternate continuity.


They stated no such thing.

I wonder who "they" is? Writers? Producers? Characters? The little voice in someone's head?

 

[Weyoun 251]

I wonder who "they" is? Writers? Producers? Characters? The little voice in someone's head?

Whoever they are I'm sure they are WOKE and trying to STEAL MY TREK from the person

 

[lawman]

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...

I think you're being much too hard on the episode (and the series) overall... but yeah, I agree that the theme of this one was a hard pill to swallow.

Basically, the writers (different ones, to be fair) backed themselves into a corner by letting Pike glimpse his future (in DSC)... and now that he's the star of a full-fledged prequel series, they kinda have to deal with the implications of that while still, somehow, rationalizing having things turn out the same. It's awkward at best.

It's an alternate future that butterflied out from 2259 when Pike decided to write those letters. Several years before Kirk would have taken command. We don't know what other choices he made after that, he could have declined the promotion to Fleet Captain and decided to stay on Enterprise.

The continuity works fine because it's an alternate continuity.

I think you're missing the point. The clear logic of the episode (indeed, Spock literally says so) is that Pike is still captain because he didn't suffer the accident.

But that's not how things went, ever. He was no longer captain when he had the accident, because he'd been promoted.

Sure, it's conceivable that in addition to sending out warning letters, Pike's time-changing strategy included turning down the promotion for some reason. But if that were so, then the plot of this episode stands out as (at best) misleadingly irrelevant. If the goal is to have Kirk in command, protect Spock, and avert a war, then all Pike would have to do is accept the promotion, not the accident.

 

[Donald G]

I think you're being much too hard on the episode (and the series) overall... but yeah, I agree that the theme of this one was a hard pill to swallow.

Basically, the writers (different ones, to be fair) backed themselves into a corner by letting Pike glimpse his future (in DSC)... and now that he's the star of a full-fledged prequel series, they kinda have to deal with the implications of that while still, somehow, rationalizing having things turn out the same. It's awkward at best.


I think you're missing the point. The clear logic of the episode (indeed, Spock literally says so) is that Pike is still captain because he didn't suffer the accident.

But that's not how things went, ever. He was no longer captain when he had the accident, because he'd been promoted.

Sure, it's conceivable that in addition to sending out warning letters, Pike's time-changing strategy included turning down the promotion for some reason. But if that were so, then the plot of this episode stands out as (at best) misleadingly irrelevant. If the goal is to have Kirk in command, protect Spock, and avert a war, then all Pike would have to do is accept the promotion, not the accident.

Spock: I would posit that, in this present, you were never injured in the training accident, thus you remained captain of the Enterprise, putting you in charge at a crucial moment in the ship's existence.

Spock is engaging in supposition based upon his impressions of the accident from the mindmeld. Spock's suppositions are not necessarily accurate in all respects. Pike's vision of the future given to him by the Boreth time crystal may not include "future memories" of having been promoted to Fleet Captain or having turned over command of the Enterprise before the accident, only the incident, the cadets involved, and the horrific outcome to Pike, himself.

 

[Sketcher]

I always assumed the series of events went:

- Pike's second five year mission ends
- Pike if offered a promotion. In the "Quality of Mercy" timeline he denies it, and takes on a third five year mission. In the Prime timeline, he accepts it knowing that the accident is sooner than later and suggests a replacement captain for his ship.
- Kirk takes command of the Enterprise
- Pike's accident occurs.

 

[Donald G]

It was more aimed at the person's complaint a page back about how women were taking power from men and making a snide comment about the Praetor being female.

Pike being uncomfortable with the prospect of a woman on the bridge in "The Cage" was just solo important to understanding the character that it was edited out of "The Menagerie part one."

Seriously, that line was a sop to the sexism of the perceived viewing audience of 1964 (with Pike as the audience identification figure), as was the comment about Number One's position on the bridge being "different, of course." It's an attitude best left in 1964.