Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x01 - "The Broken Circle"

[Nerys Myk]

And then you have McCoy knowing nothing of Gorkon's anatomy when 142 years earlier Phlox and his fellow doctors logged extensive medical data on Klaang after he survived being shot. So either McCoy is really selectively attentive or Starfleet Medical classifies or conveniently ignores a lot of stuff as the decades pass.

He should've logged those scans he took of Darvin.

 

[cooleddie74]

Yeah, in 2267 his medical tricorder could identify Klingon physiology and expose Arne Darvin. Twenty-five years later he can't even operate on Gorkon because he has no clue where anything is.

 

[Finn]

Too much pepto bismol in his system perhaps.

 

[cooleddie74]

And then there's Uhura and her big bulky printed Klingon dictionary. Star Trek VI is a glorious sendoff for the TOS cast but man, does it have plot holes big enough to swallow a Starfleet armada.

 

[Finn]

And then there's Uhura and her big bulky printed Klingon dictionary. Star Trek VI is a glorious sendoff for the TOS cast but man, does it have plot holes big enough to swallow a Starfleet armada.

I believe even Nichelle complained about that scene when they were making TUC but TPTB ignored her and made them do that scene, and that was before they established that Uhura was a linguistic savant.

 

[indranee]

This one brought me here for a bit. Quick questiom first: can I change my vote? I accidentally voted it a 10. I want to change it...

Anyway, a few quick points (warning, I haven't read most of the thread):

1) exactly how does the spinach-serum make M'Benga and Chapel's BONES able to withstand the crushing blow of a Klingon punch? I can get the added oomph to fight, but I just can't see their bodies (esp Chapel's) being able to withstand the strain.
2) I need to watch the TOS Gorn ep again because did Spock know who the Gorns were in that? Something isn't right here...
3) I just can't with this obsession with how easily a human body can survive in space for even more that ten seconds (your lungs explode) but hey -- it's science FICTION so it's all good.
4) It's pretty easy to see that they're setting up the scenario of Spock and Christiine's heartbreak here...retconning (and more to the point CORRECTING) Chapel's pining/mooning/unrequited feelings toward Spock in TOS to them both developing feelings for each other and then setting up for eventual heartbreak. It's Spock's first Pon Farr year too I believe. Hence, the crying, rage, and passionate feelings. Works for me. Those two have phenomenal chemistry onscreen so I don't see the writers just letting that go.

 

[fireproof78]

When did Klingon punches become impossible to handle?

 

[Yistaan]

1) exactly how does the spinach-serum make M'Benga and Chapel's BONES able to withstand the crushing blow of a Klingon punch? I can get the added oomph to fight, but I just can't see their bodies (esp Chapel's) being able to withstand the strain.

3) I just can't with this obsession with how easily a human body can survive in space for even more that ten seconds (your lungs explode) but hey -- it's science FICTION so it's all good.

I think number 1 can answer number 3. And as for M'Benga's super-serum, surely in over 50 years of Trek we've seen something similar somewhere? I can't remember. Has there ever been any similar steroid in Trek that M'Benga's vial can be retconned into being?

 

[Noname Given]

Yeah, in 2267 his medical tricorder could identify Klingon physiology and expose Arne Darvin. Twenty-five years later he can't even operate on Gorkon because he has no clue where anything is.

Yeah that was a completely stupid scene. And to go further if Leonard McCoy knew he did know absolutely nothing about Klingon physiology, then he shouldn't have beamed over claiming to be a doctor that could help, because without that knowledge, he really couldn't and risked doing more harm than good.

It's one of a few reasons why I don't hold STVI:TUC in very high regard.

 

[indranee]

When did Klingon punches become impossible to handle?

Not impossible as far as a couple punches, but Chapel in a sustained fight with Klingons... she wasn't even limping.

Anyway, I don't really care bc I so badly want to watch new Trek I actually like.

By the way, I think Spock may have accidentally bonded with Chapel when she touched him after he revived her... he was totally open mentally and non-resistant by that time. Just my take. We'll see where they go with this.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Inject yourself with this magic juice to get out of a tough situation.

Sounds very ‘Star Trek’ to me.

This one brought me here for a bit. Quick questiom first: can I change my vote? I accidentally voted it a 10. I want to change it...

Anyway, a few quick points (warning, I haven't read most of the thread):

1) exactly how does the spinach-serum make M'Benga and Chapel's BONES able to withstand the crushing blow of a Klingon punch? I can get the added oomph to fight, but I just can't see their bodies (esp Chapel's) being able to withstand the strain.
2) I need to watch the TOS Gorn ep again because did Spock know who the Gorns were in that? Something isn't right here...
3) I just can't with this obsession with how easily a human body can survive in space for even more that ten seconds (your lungs explode) but hey -- it's science FICTION so it's all good.
4) It's pretty easy to see that they're setting up the scenario of Spock and Christiine's heartbreak here...retconning (and more to the point CORRECTING) Chapel's pining/mooning/unrequited feelings toward Spock in TOS to them both developing feelings for each other and then setting up for eventual heartbreak. It's Spock's first Pon Farr year too I believe. Hence, the crying, rage, and passionate feelings. Works for me. Those two have phenomenal chemistry onscreen so I don't see the writers just letting that go.

1) It doesn’t matter.

2) He doesn’t.

3) Not true. It’s possible to survive for around a minute in the vacuum of space unprotected.

4) Agreed.

 

[indranee]

Pure speculation on my part: I wonder if M'Benga eventually takes a sabbatical on Vulcan in part to gain greater control over his own turbulent emotions and PTSD from the war? Perhaps while he was studying Vulcan physiology, he was also studying Vulcan meditative techniques and practices to regain his own emotional equilibrium?

Just a possibility that occurred to me while watching the ep.

Write it Greg!!

 

[T'Bonz]

Well, Paramount tells us season 2 will be MORE so we should see MORE big space explosions and nonsensical shemale fights. Heck Uhura did the clever work in this episode. Discovery had this flaw. The pace was so frenetic I got motion sick watching it. Watch it SNW, slow down once in awhile and let us get to know these people.

Whatever you think of the fights, don't use the term "shemale" around here. It actually is a slur and is therefore not kosher. Thank you. Next time warnings will fly.

 

[T'Bonz]

Back to the ep. Finally got to see it. Season Two has started off well. I rather liked it. The explanation for why Spock was a tad more emotional than he should have been was a good addition. I love new Christine Chapel and M'Benga is a favorite.

Lots of good actions and always good to see the Klingons get their asses kicked.

 

[NCC-73515]

I think number 1 can answer number 3. And as for M'Benga's super-serum, surely in over 50 years of Trek we've seen something similar somewhere? I can't remember. Has there ever been any similar steroid in Trek that M'Benga's vial can be retconned into being?

Quinn having superpowers because of gland hormone release overstimulation or whatever the parasites did

How do people feel about Ortegas? I really like her but in some reviews have seen people express dislike of over here because of her quippy-insubordinate attitude.

She's nice, funny, friendly, approachable, cute, handsome, smart, and ...hm, what else... just fine

Ripley donning a mech load lifter suit in Aliens to kick the Queen Xenomorph's ass isn't much different from the serum in this episode and yet Ripley in the load lifter suit is hardly "Saturday morning cartoon" or "Power Rangers" in its gimmickry. In both stories humans have to use artificial means to gain the physical strength to overcome their opponents. In Chapel's and M'Benga's cases it was a chemical serum that endows the user with a brief burst in physical prowess.

The power loader fits the rest of the ship's equipment, its purpose, function, operation is shown early, its existence is perfectly plausible.
The Asterix potion is deus ex mcguffin juice out of nowhere

 

[Noname Given]

The Asterix potion is deus ex mcguffin juice out of nowhere

Christine Chapel was the one who brought it up and injected both of them. If it is some sort of gene therapy it may be related to and led to the gene therapy she used in the first episode of SNW season 1 to temporarily modify the genetic code of the landing party to look like the aliens of the world they were infiltrating in that episode.

So no, it didn't just come out of nowhere; and we don't know if there are any short or long-term repercussions as a result of its use. They obviously both used it before during the Klingon- Federation War, and it wasn't a choice they made lightly when they decided to use it in this situation.

 

[josiephine]

I'm actually totally fine with M'Benga and Chapel having self-defense skills. I think making them combat medics is an interesting addition to their characters. I hope to see more of that. I thought M'Benga's trauma was palpable at points in this episode. So, that's all good.

However, using an injection as a quick solution is lazy writing. I'd have vastly preferred a more creative solution. Inject with this magic solution to get out of a tough spot just doesn't cut it for me.

yeah, I agree completely. the setup and acting was all good. but the from-left-field super soldier serum was cartoonish. didn't damper my enjoyment of the episode, tho.

 

[Eddie Roth]

1. Strange New Worlds is not 40% comic relief.

2. The style of Strange New Worlds compliments the style of The Original Series, which famously featured episodes like "The Trouble With Tribbles," "Shore Leave," "A Piece of the Action," and other light-hearted pieces.

3. You are projecting your memory of Carol Kane's other characters onto Pelia. While Kane is clearly giving a more light-hearted performance, her character is not actually comedic. She doesn't tell jokes and the performance is not over-the-top slapstick or broadly-drawn in the manner of, say, Mariner on Lower Decks. Having a raspy, Eastern European-accented voice does not actually make her Smika from Taxi.

As I indicated, I have no memories of any other characters Kane played as she was completely unfamiliar to me before this. But that's not the main point I want to reply to. It's what you list here under #2 and inadvertently give evidence for a case that I wanted to make, but didn't. Which is that my sense of the writers room on SNW is that these people have a preconception of what TOS was, but that they may not know the show as well as they think they do. The three TOS you list are just about the only comedies the show ever did - add "I, Mudd" and you've got the full list. Sure, during his tenure as showrunner, Gene Coon introduced the lighthearted coda on the bridge where they would laugh it up, but that didn't make the episode proper a comedy. Occasional quip or funny character moment aside, TOS was a drama series.

SNW by contrast often feels like it's going out of its way to come to a punchline or sightgag sort of moment ("In this one, we must get Spock to drink bloodwine with Klingons. We shall also have a scene where La'an burps" etc etc). All that in an effort apparently to emulate "TOS style", which was in fact never TOS's style. At least not its ONLY style.

The good news is: I think the show had a number of episodes in season 1 where they struck the right balance. It was cases like "Elysian Kingdom" or especially "Spock Amok" where they overdid it. Two out of 10 is 20%, and if you add Pike's cringey pirate moment in "Serene Squall" and many other individual moments throughout, I don't think the figure of 40% is that far off the mark.

 

[Voodoowoman2]

They were both using some magical strength serum

Obviously. Yet, a woman's bones don't become denser as a result and she is slightly built and only has so much muscle mass. Women have to fight fast and smart, not use brute strength.

 

[Voodoowoman2]

I understand what you're saying but the green juice obviously has an effect on the strength of the bones - and not just the ones in the hand.

Good "tough girl" tropes usually involve some kind of radical augmentation. River Tam comes to mind.

Sorry, bones don't get denser in 10 seconds. This is physiologically impossible. Now she's the Incredible Hulk huh? I'd rather see her body snatch a male body and use it than this silliness. Women are not men. Censor me, but it's still true.