I think the first episode of SNW, when Sam comes to the bridge, Pike asks him how the wife and kids are doing. So they were mentioned at least once so far.
Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x06 - "Lost in Translation"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
You don't casually mention traumatic events to a survivor.
Well, earlier this season, I was criticizing the notion of having Uhura come back post-graduation, since it had her pretty much in the same job for her entire career, and made it seem less like she'd found her place among the TOS crew and more that she just stuck with the first ship she got.
I guess someone in the writers' room had the same thought, because putting her and Jim together for this one gives us a better motivation for never moving on to another assignment, if she already had a good working relationship with the new captain. The rivalry between Sam and Jim was interesting, and putting it out there that Sam seems to be mostly in Starfleet to uphold the Kirk legacy, and his mention of feeling hemmed in by George's "old-fashioned" idea of a "fulfilling life" (not to mention Jim's issues with Dad always being away at work as a kid) definitely seems like it could be leading to, say, him leaving Starfleet and taking a civilian job where he can put down roots and raise a family. Got a similar "shape of things to come" vibe from Chapel's "I don't like labels" conversation with Spock and how that could be leading to disaster if she can't admit that she's got it bad for him in a way she hasn't for anyone before.
Last season's finale made me certain that SNW was at its worst when it was trying to tie itself closer to TOS, and I don't know what happened, but this season, they really seemed to have figured it out, and are pulling off a lot of very precise connections in a way they just couldn't succeed at before. Whatever changed between season 1 and 2, keep it up, writers.
The actual plot was pretty stock Star Trek, I'm sure we all figured out pretty much immediately that an unknown alien was trying to communicate with Uhura, and probably also that it was living in the nebula and being killed by being strained through refineries and warp engines. That's not ideal, but considering how much of the meat of the episode was the ongoing character plots, I guess it's excusable.
Also, classic moment of VFX/script mis-match where, when it was being evacuated, the refinery had three Farragut-type starships and one (upscaled?) Archer-type docked to it, where the Farragut itself was explicitly the only other starship around. Also, that refinery was pretty big, based on that shot. Up there with the upscaled TNG mushroom-spacedock and Yorktown station.
I guess someone in the writers' room had the same thought, because putting her and Jim together for this one gives us a better motivation for never moving on to another assignment, if she already had a good working relationship with the new captain. The rivalry between Sam and Jim was interesting, and putting it out there that Sam seems to be mostly in Starfleet to uphold the Kirk legacy, and his mention of feeling hemmed in by George's "old-fashioned" idea of a "fulfilling life" (not to mention Jim's issues with Dad always being away at work as a kid) definitely seems like it could be leading to, say, him leaving Starfleet and taking a civilian job where he can put down roots and raise a family. Got a similar "shape of things to come" vibe from Chapel's "I don't like labels" conversation with Spock and how that could be leading to disaster if she can't admit that she's got it bad for him in a way she hasn't for anyone before.
Last season's finale made me certain that SNW was at its worst when it was trying to tie itself closer to TOS, and I don't know what happened, but this season, they really seemed to have figured it out, and are pulling off a lot of very precise connections in a way they just couldn't succeed at before. Whatever changed between season 1 and 2, keep it up, writers.
The actual plot was pretty stock Star Trek, I'm sure we all figured out pretty much immediately that an unknown alien was trying to communicate with Uhura, and probably also that it was living in the nebula and being killed by being strained through refineries and warp engines. That's not ideal, but considering how much of the meat of the episode was the ongoing character plots, I guess it's excusable.
Also, classic moment of VFX/script mis-match where, when it was being evacuated, the refinery had three Farragut-type starships and one (upscaled?) Archer-type docked to it, where the Farragut itself was explicitly the only other starship around. Also, that refinery was pretty big, based on that shot. Up there with the upscaled TNG mushroom-spacedock and Yorktown station.
Things I liked:
1. Hemmer's loss continues to be felt by everyone, reflected in their reluctance to connect with Pelia.
2. George Kirk.The Kelvin.
2. The Kirk brothers sibling rivalry. I get where Sam was coming from. He's doing what he loves and values but it is not valued equally by his dad. But also, from Kirk's perspective - embrace your choice or do something else. But also, he clearly loves lording it over his older brother. They did a great job encapsulating a lifetime's relationship in the writing and acting.
3.Gooding's performance. I knew what was happening because of the title (and because we've seen similar stories from the franchise) but the emotional beats were deeper and more significant in this one and allowed us to see the beginnings of important relationships.
4. Spock and Kirk meet here. That's it.
5. Spock should protect his queen. Portent of things to come?
6. The tension (and reasons for it) between Pelia and Number One.
7. The horror was pretty horrible.
8. La'an and Kirk's discussion about his dad's priorities. La'an and Kirk in general.
Things that were kinda meh:
1. Uhura giving the order to fire on the station. WTF?
2. I haven't had much issue with this in previous episodes, but now I'm starting to feel like Pike is in the background a little too often.
3. The whole deuterium mining stuff felt kind of McGuffin-y.
1. Hemmer's loss continues to be felt by everyone, reflected in their reluctance to connect with Pelia.
2. George Kirk.The Kelvin.
2. The Kirk brothers sibling rivalry. I get where Sam was coming from. He's doing what he loves and values but it is not valued equally by his dad. But also, from Kirk's perspective - embrace your choice or do something else. But also, he clearly loves lording it over his older brother. They did a great job encapsulating a lifetime's relationship in the writing and acting.
3.Gooding's performance. I knew what was happening because of the title (and because we've seen similar stories from the franchise) but the emotional beats were deeper and more significant in this one and allowed us to see the beginnings of important relationships.
4. Spock and Kirk meet here. That's it.
5. Spock should protect his queen. Portent of things to come?
6. The tension (and reasons for it) between Pelia and Number One.
7. The horror was pretty horrible.
8. La'an and Kirk's discussion about his dad's priorities. La'an and Kirk in general.
Things that were kinda meh:
1. Uhura giving the order to fire on the station. WTF?
2. I haven't had much issue with this in previous episodes, but now I'm starting to feel like Pike is in the background a little too often.
3. The whole deuterium mining stuff felt kind of McGuffin-y.
Ooh! And the Schrodinger's cat, let's keep the cat in the box discussion!
The Peila/Una drama lost me. Should've been on the cutting floor.
Maybe if they want tension they could've had Kirk visit sickbay and immediately notice a vial of the season premiere's infamous green steroids. He'll pick it up and look at M'Benga.
Kirk (showing green steroid he found to M'Benga):
M'Benga:
They don't even have to say any words, everything would just be conveyed by facial expressions and acting without dialogue, while at the same time showcasing Kirk's analytical and perceptive mind and foreshadowing M'Benga's loss of the chief medical officer job to Piper and then McCoy.
Speaking of M'Benga, I can't imagine yet another patient easily escaping his sickbay is going to impress future Captain Kirk.
Maybe if they want tension they could've had Kirk visit sickbay and immediately notice a vial of the season premiere's infamous green steroids. He'll pick it up and look at M'Benga.
Kirk (showing green steroid he found to M'Benga):
M'Benga:
They don't even have to say any words, everything would just be conveyed by facial expressions and acting without dialogue, while at the same time showcasing Kirk's analytical and perceptive mind and foreshadowing M'Benga's loss of the chief medical officer job to Piper and then McCoy.
Speaking of M'Benga, I can't imagine yet another patient easily escaping his sickbay is going to impress future Captain Kirk.
Ships!!!
Am I missing something, or could this station just not be towed out of the nebula? Seems wasteful to pew-pew it.
Lucky thing these aliens didn't take a shine to the Mutara Nebula.
So is Chris Hemsworth showing up this season? You don't build up all this suspense about an unseen tough dad and not show him right?
Then again, Sybok hasn't been seen since his dramatic camera shot last season.
Also as Wrath of Khan confirmed that Spock knew how Kirk cheated on the Kobayashi Maru, and presumably Kirk would've taken it already (as Burnham confusingly mentions cadets taking it in the Academy despite herself not going to the Academy), Spock should already know of Kirk at least by reputation.
Then again, Sybok hasn't been seen since his dramatic camera shot last season.
Also as Wrath of Khan confirmed that Spock knew how Kirk cheated on the Kobayashi Maru, and presumably Kirk would've taken it already (as Burnham confusingly mentions cadets taking it in the Academy despite herself not going to the Academy), Spock should already know of Kirk at least by reputation.
8 out of 10 for me. A nice Uhura episode with an interesting science fiction twist, and it was cool to see Hemmer again. I wish he was still around on a regular basis.
I don't know if we needed the Hemmer backstory to "explain" why Number One doesn't like Pelia. The fact that she's insubordinate and casually disobeys orders from her superiors is plenty to cover it, I think. (I love Carol Kane, but the Pelia character still isn't working for me.)
I was surprised that there wasn't too much follow up on last week's Spock/Chapel developments, though. I liked the scene they had, but I would've appreciated some confirmation of just how far things went with them last week. The episode was also vague on whether or not Pike's promotion to Fleet Captain was a permanent thing or just for this assignment. Hopefully they'll clarify both of those things in the future.
Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk is definitely growing on me. It’s truly hilarious that his first episode as the regular JTK features him saying the word “sabotage” several times, though. The Kirk/Sam rivalry with his brother is interesting and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future. And c'mon, after 57 years, we finally got Kirk's canonical first meetings with Pike, Uhura, and Spock! That's HUGE!
I cannot WAIT for next week's "Lower Decks" crossover, though. That's going to be tons of fun, I'm sure.
I don't know if we needed the Hemmer backstory to "explain" why Number One doesn't like Pelia. The fact that she's insubordinate and casually disobeys orders from her superiors is plenty to cover it, I think. (I love Carol Kane, but the Pelia character still isn't working for me.)
I was surprised that there wasn't too much follow up on last week's Spock/Chapel developments, though. I liked the scene they had, but I would've appreciated some confirmation of just how far things went with them last week. The episode was also vague on whether or not Pike's promotion to Fleet Captain was a permanent thing or just for this assignment. Hopefully they'll clarify both of those things in the future.
(EDIT: OK, I was wrong on the Pike thing. He tells Kirk his promotion to Fleet Captain is just temporary after Kirk congratulates him on it. So I guess I either missed that line or forgot about it by the end of the episode.)
Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk is definitely growing on me. It’s truly hilarious that his first episode as the regular JTK features him saying the word “sabotage” several times, though. The Kirk/Sam rivalry with his brother is interesting and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future. And c'mon, after 57 years, we finally got Kirk's canonical first meetings with Pike, Uhura, and Spock! That's HUGE!
I cannot WAIT for next week's "Lower Decks" crossover, though. That's going to be tons of fun, I'm sure.
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Since they've recast every other character from the Kelvin movies who's also shown up on DSC/SNW (Pike, Spock, Uhura, Sarek, Amanda, etc.), I'm sure we'll be seeing a new actor as George Kirk if he ever shows up. Besides, George Kirk would need to be about 26 years older than the fellow we saw in ST09 anyway.
That was lovely. Not an absolutely perfect episode, not an all-time classic, but one which perfectly encapsulated so much of what makes Star Trek work, from exploration of relatable human conditions to cooperative problem-solving.
This was, of course, an "Uhura episode," - and Celia Rose Gooding shows yet again her ability to carry a scene despite being the youngest member of the cast. The decision to weave her unresolved grief involving both her parents' offscreen death and the very onscreen death of her mentor, Hemmer, was inspired, moving me close to tears at one point. However, it was also an effective ensemble piece. For many episodes this season, one or more of the characters were simply missing or effectively absent from the narrative, but here, everyone is given something to do. For the most part, all of these threads work as well, other than the Una/Pelia subplot, which seems out of left field and left me kinda cold with its clearly manufactured drama.
Of course, the episode cannot be discussed without considering the return of Paul Wesley's Kirk, as he's effectively co-lead here, in his third appearance on the show, but first actually playing "real Kirk." With every reappearance, I find myself warming to him. He's a complicated character, walking a fine line between being arrogant and empathetic, in part reflecting his younger age at this point and lack of command experience. While we never saw Uhura and Kirk interact in a significant way in TOS, Wesley and Gooding have good on-screen chemistry, and their dynamic together helps to center the episode. I adored the scene with Kirk, Sam, and Uhura brainstorming a solution within Sam's laboratory. Plus, we get the canonical introduction of Spock and Kirk!
If there's one issue I had with the episode (other than the manufactured Una/Pelia drama for the sake of a B plot), it's that everyone goes along with Uhura too easily in the 11th hour. Pike's a mench and all, but he's destroying a major bit of Starfleet infrastructure on the word of an ensign that it's all been figured out, with no corroborating evidence. No command structure in the world would work like this, and it wouldn't have taken more than a few additional lines to "fix" the issue via some technobabble regarding having the ship detect the aliens.
Other than those two things, almost a perfect episode of Star Trek, highlighting all the strong points of this show.
This was, of course, an "Uhura episode," - and Celia Rose Gooding shows yet again her ability to carry a scene despite being the youngest member of the cast. The decision to weave her unresolved grief involving both her parents' offscreen death and the very onscreen death of her mentor, Hemmer, was inspired, moving me close to tears at one point. However, it was also an effective ensemble piece. For many episodes this season, one or more of the characters were simply missing or effectively absent from the narrative, but here, everyone is given something to do. For the most part, all of these threads work as well, other than the Una/Pelia subplot, which seems out of left field and left me kinda cold with its clearly manufactured drama.
Of course, the episode cannot be discussed without considering the return of Paul Wesley's Kirk, as he's effectively co-lead here, in his third appearance on the show, but first actually playing "real Kirk." With every reappearance, I find myself warming to him. He's a complicated character, walking a fine line between being arrogant and empathetic, in part reflecting his younger age at this point and lack of command experience. While we never saw Uhura and Kirk interact in a significant way in TOS, Wesley and Gooding have good on-screen chemistry, and their dynamic together helps to center the episode. I adored the scene with Kirk, Sam, and Uhura brainstorming a solution within Sam's laboratory. Plus, we get the canonical introduction of Spock and Kirk!
If there's one issue I had with the episode (other than the manufactured Una/Pelia drama for the sake of a B plot), it's that everyone goes along with Uhura too easily in the 11th hour. Pike's a mench and all, but he's destroying a major bit of Starfleet infrastructure on the word of an ensign that it's all been figured out, with no corroborating evidence. No command structure in the world would work like this, and it wouldn't have taken more than a few additional lines to "fix" the issue via some technobabble regarding having the ship detect the aliens.
Other than those two things, almost a perfect episode of Star Trek, highlighting all the strong points of this show.
I'm just glad it was routine and "normal" and not filled with bar fights, chokeholds on the bridge, and absurd jokes about finding out someone's first name as was portrayed in the Kelvin universe.
How much Hemsworth costs will factor into this, not the age. Mia Kirshner was calling herself Spock's mom when she's only 11 years older than Ethan Peck. Although admittedly casting James too old would make Hemsworth even more unbelievable as Wesley's a year older than Hemsworth
I don't see Kirk saying any such thing.
Ah. Thank you for clarifying. Yeah, it's tough to see that being brought up in conversation in any appropriate way.
Yes, that too. If the fourth Kelvin movie can't afford Hemsworth, I don't see how SNW can. Especially since AFAIK he doesn't do TV guest spots.
Tarsus IV should've been mentioned if at least only between the Kirk brothers. James has angst about being shuttled from place to place as a kid because of his dad's job. He probably would resent his dad for getting him in the middle of that massacre. Yet James seemed to be defending him to Sam
Hemsworth made a cameo in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot but that could be because he and Kevin Smith are buddies and he wanted to do a favor for him by appearing in that film. I'm not saying that Hemsworth appearing as George Kirk isn't going to happen but let's just say that it's not something I'd hold my breath for.
