Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x09 - "Subspace Rhapsody"

[Mudd]

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Plus, the wordplay. Jesus Christ, the wordplay. The way Spock went from singing about "why...I'm the ex," to "I solved for Y...I'm the X," was just fantastic.

I forgot about that until you mentioned it, but yes, that was very clever!

 

[Therin of Andor]

His Columbo guest starring role in 1976 may have been the biggest thing he did between TOS and TMP.

Remember that he was leveraging for motion picture roles when "Star Trek: Phase II" was in preproduction. Shatner was only prepared to sign for 13 episodes (a half-season) to maximise his options re taking up a film offer if one was made.

 

[Tallguy]

Plus, the wordplay. Jesus Christ, the wordplay. The way Spock went from singing about "why...I'm the ex," to "I solved for Y...I'm the X," was just fantastic. He's the independent variable, the predictable one, the reliable one, the one whose every move can be counted on, and he was dealing with a dependent variable - the one capable of moving up, down, and back again while he marches forward steadily.

I've been listening to that song (a LOT) since Friday. And the context even without the show was fairly clear. But it wasn't until I watched it with captions on that I got "I'm the ex."

Also having Uhura there changes the whole expectations of the song.

We're getting "Pissed off at the World Spock" from TOS! IN SONG!

Chapel's song was the low point of the episode for me. My feelings on it were lessened when my wife pointed me back to the turbolift conversation between Boimier and Chapel in "Those Old Scientists".

Yeah, that gives even better context that they didn't really lean on. But a) it's a GREAT song with a FANTASTIC performance and b) it's 1000% in character for this version of Chapel. "Commitment issues" doesn't begin to describe it.

I don't usually complain about the number of episodes, but Chapel/Spock is turning out to be hard to do in 10. While handling the whole rest of the show you need to get them together, show them together (ONE scene), break them up, show the aftermath.

Now I want to go watch Mudd's Passion. And I NEVER want to watch Mudd's Passion!

His Columbo guest starring role in 1976 may have been the biggest thing he did between TOS and TMP.

I'm not saying life was peaches and cream for him but he was certainly working. Six Million Dollar Man, Mission: Impossible, Kingdom of the Spiders (thanks for a life long phobia, Bill!), The Rookies, Police Woman.

 

[Trekker4747]

Ah, Kingdom of the Spiders. Thank-you, Rifftrax!

 

[Tallguy]

Ah, Kingdom of the Spiders. Thank-you, Rifftrax!

Oh, Zod. Seriously?

 

[Richard S. Ta]

View attachment 35840

That’s really, really cool and speaks to the fact that SNW might be reaching a wider audience than I had previously surmised.

 

[DrMike]

I've been listening to that song (a LOT) since Friday. And the context even without the show was fairly clear. But it wasn't until I watched it with captions on that I got "I'm the ex."

Also having Uhura there changes the whole expectations of the song.

We're getting "Pissed off at the World Spock" from TOS! IN SONG!

My wife insists on watching every TV show with captions, so I knew about it from the first watch. Homophone puns can be really subtle when done correctly, and this one certainly was. I doubt I'd have caught it without seeing the lyrics.

 

[Trekker4747]

Oh, Zod. Seriously?

?!

 

[Midquest]

Looks like the album may have made it to number one on one or another iTunes chart, but I don't use iTunes. Anyone confirm?

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Looks like the album may have made it to number one on one or another iTunes chart, but I don't use iTunes. Anyone confirm?

Not in Germany. The local iTunes Store shows the album on 25th, which is still respectable.

 

[DaveyNY]

Maybe I can make you feel better about both.

Chapel was genuinely excited to see where a relationship with Spock could go. Then Boimler pops in and gives her a spoiler from the future that he knows all about Spock but was surprised she was dating him. That told her that it doesn't work out.

How do you go on putting effort into a relationship that you know with certainty will end? That's a bummer of the highest order. Most romantic relationships are generally predicated on the assumption that they at least could work out in a major and/or longterm way.

She knows this one won't. You could see how disappointed and hurt she was as soon as she found out.

Meanwhile, Spock's response to Boimler's surprise that Christine is making him laugh and smile was that, in order to become the man he knew of in the future, he must continue on his present path, including this relationship.

It's quite a deep question about the role of a relationship as a destination vs a journey. Christine hoped it was the former. Spock accepted it might merely be the latter.

His comments to Boimler also served to foreshadow the breakup and his conclusions he'd draw from it. He is deciding here and now that the volatility of a romantic human relationship is too painful for him to bear. He's going to return to the path of Vulcan emptional suppression, because laughing and smiling also means feeling pain too great for him to bear.

A pretty great way to handle a doomed relationship at this point in time between two characters you see in TOS. Instead of making it a fan-service frivolity, they're making it into a crucial event in Spock's balancing act between his human and Vulcan sides. We know who he is when Nimoy portrays him, but this is the path he followed to get there.

This could lead to his change of heart after the V'GER incident and the rumor that Chapel is the one he weds later in life.

 

[Trekker4747]

Looks like the album may have made it to number one on one or another iTunes chart, but I don't use iTunes. Anyone confirm?

On iTunes itself it's #10 in soundtracks. But some sites are saying it's #1 overall so... I don't know how this works.

 

[Trekker4747]

This could lead to his change of heart after the V'GER incident and the rumor that Chapel is the one he weds later in life.

Picard attends his wedding in the 24th century. Chapel is human. Unless Spock marries her when she's over 100 years old and almost dead...

 

[Jedi Marso]

The discussion about it has been awesome, but I flatly reject the notion that Christine Chapel and her relationship with Spock is the basis of Spock's whole persona as seen in TOS.

 

[Trekker4747]

The discussion about it has been awesome, but I flatly reject the notion that Christine Chapel and her relationship with Spock is the basis of Spock's whole persona as seen in TOS.

And I refuse that it was caused by Boimler.

 

[fireproof78]

I think it's absurdist and reductionist to say Spock's whole persona is because of Christine.

 

[Roald]

Don’t know if mentioned before, but does anyone know why Una’s song ‘Keeping Secrets’ is cut in the episode.. after the first chorus it goes straight to the bridge, but the song download is much longer, with an extra verse and chorus… it’s the only song that was cut in the episode. Anyone know why?

 

[Farscape One]

Not the sole cause, but likely a big factor on Spock going to full Vulcan mode.

People do such things now... a relationship ends badly or the death of someone close has led people to simply shut out their emotions for a long, long time.

 

[Trekker4747]

Don’t know if mentioned before, but does anyone know why Una’s song ‘Keeping Secrets’ is cut in the episode.. after the first chorus it goes straight to the bridge, but the song download is much longer, with an extra verse and chorus… it’s the only song that was cut in the episode. Anyone know why?

I'd say episode timing. The episode is already an hour long and it's her second song and (I'd say) the weakest one.