Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 5x03 - "Jinaal"

[Cr0sis21]

Not the best. By a long shot.

It's also maddening that they made Adira being joined such a big deal, and then have done nothing with it. Both times Trill has been used on Disco, it was as a plot device to create a puzzle to solve. Once they found Starfleet HQ, Adira may as well not even been joined. What a waste.
As for Gray, what was even the point of this character? He did, literally, nothing except play a game with Zora one time. And now he's off the show completely. In the lead-up to Season 3, much was made of Trek's first trans actor. Was the character trans too? Who knows? But now it's moot. And the poor usage of him makes the whole thing look like a casting stunt. But I digress.
Book is starting to feel to me like "Troi with animals".
Saru and T'Rina's chemistry is the only thing keeping that bland plot line afloat.
So yeah, not much to like here this week. Mostly forgettable. I hope it picks up next week.

 

[Nerys Myk]

In a military, a hundred crewmen can't be managed directly by an officer. While it's nice that such officer would "get to know " everybody, her/his most important relationships will be with the middle ranks--the chief petty officers and ensigns. At Rayner's level, being a principal officer of the ship, working through the NCOs and lower officers would be critical to making the crew a manageable entity that works as one in a crisis.

Trek seems to cut out the "middle man" in this regard. Mostly for the sake of drama.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Trek seems to cut out the "middle man" in this regard. Mostly for the sake of drama.

It does ... except when it doesn't.

See: Miles O'Brien

 

[Nerys Myk]

It does ... except when it doesn't.

See: Miles O'Brien

True, I meant to add that addendum . But O'Brien tends to be treated like officer characters. He might as well be Lt. O'Brien. Needs of the plot.

 

[Cr0sis21]

Trek seems to cut out the "middle man" in this regard. Mostly for the sake of drama.

Kirk to Marlena Moreau in "Mirror Mirror".
The entire TNG episode "Lower Decks".
O'Brien's interacting with his team on DS9.
Janeway's attempt to connect with those people that fell through the cracks on VOY.

For the most part, I think Trek has tried to maintain that separation. Heck, all of Lower Decks is built around it.

 

[Quantum21]

Slug-o Cola has been seen before, way back in DS9.

I thought it was a JJ thing.

They also mentioned Jumja!

 

[Cr0sis21]

I thought it was a JJ thing.

They also mentioned Jumja!

You need to watch Profit and Lace

 

[Jag2112]

Screencaps gallery for Jinaal now online:

https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/sc-DSC5-3.php

 

[The Wormhole]

In a military, a hundred crewmen can't be managed directly by an officer. While it's nice that such officer would "get to know " everybody, her/his most important relationships will be with the middle ranks--the chief petty officers and ensigns. At Rayner's level, being a principal officer of the ship, working through the NCOs and lower officers would be critical to making the crew a manageable entity that works as one in a crisis.

True, but this oddity of Starfleet dates back to TNG, where Riker was somehow responsible for the performance reviews of the Enterprise's entire crew of a thousand.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

True, I meant to add that addendum . But O'Brien tends to be treated like officer characters. He might as well be Lt. O'Brien. Needs of the plot.

He acts very much as an NCO, even when he was given officer pips. He is intimately involved with the crewmen, holds his own meetings with them, encourages them to socialize. Conversely, he advises officers about he health of the crew and what they can accomplish. He credibly fills the roll of a Command Master Chief.

 

[Quantum21]

Screencaps gallery for Jinaal now online:

https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/sc-DSC5-3.php

Is that somebody from the BBS doing those?

 

[Bad Thoughts]

True, but this oddity of Starfleet dates back to TNG, where Riker was somehow responsible for the performance reviews of the Enterprise's entire crew of a thousand.

Yes, Riker does the paperwork for performance reviews. Conversely, he is now shown having direct relationships with all crewman or even all officers, like Barclay and Simkn Tarses. When he gets involved at that level, it's because there is a problem.

 

[SJGardner]

A bit down from last week, the treasure hunt plot felt a bit formula and even the treatment of Trills seemed like a repeat of stuff we've already seen before, with the true meat of the story being in the relationships between the characters. I'm not sure I'm sold on the portrayal of Rayner being completely in the wrong here, although the fact that Zora is already doing the research he buried himself in made it a bit easier to believe. Still, I would've liked it if Zora did in fact tell Rayner that his assistance wasn't needed herself, or gave him some pointers on how else to help. I have a feeling Rayner is going to end up with a bit of a Jellico-like reputation in a part of the fandom given their similar "I'm your boss, not your friend" management styles.

I've always loved the concept of zhian'tara from a performing viewpoint, allowing the actors to show different sides of their abilities, and Wilson Cruz didn't fail in this regard either, channelling a bit of a Curzon-like trickster mentality intertwined with experiencing the joy of physical existence once again.

It was a bit weird that Saru managed to be the most immature about his handling of interpersonal issues this week, although only by a hair's breadth, managing to avoid falling into melodrama and resolving the matter quickly; he reminded me a bit of myself in immediately assuming the worst without considering the other person. Otherwise, he might have realized that as a Vulcan, T'Rina would be unlikely to subject him to silent treatment as revenge for a simple disagreement, especially considering it arose from Duvin speaking to him and conveniently leaving out the fact that he had already spoke to T'Rina about the announcement and was overruled. With meeting Gray again, I was concerned that the episode would go into soap opera territory with Adira being in denial and their hopes being crushed, so I found it refreshing to see they both knew exactly why they needed to talk and how it will end. If there's one thing modern Trek keeps surprising me about is how people keep settling issues in a mature way and communicate with each other instead of plots about a lack of communication and misunderstandings leading to fights just for the sake of drama.

At the end, I was wondering if it would've been easier to just let Jinaal safeguard the secret until the symbiont died, but I guess it's all moot considering Moll just did the smart thing by following Discovery to Trill and placing a tracker on Adira. I like her.

 

[Farscape One]

Regarding Rayner combing through the data while Zora is working on it...

I don't think it is a waste of time for him to be doing that, for two reasons.

First, he has dealt with them before and knows how they think. He has an insight about them that Zora lacks by simple virtue of him encountering them more.

Second, at the end of the day, Zora is still a machine. It doesn't have emotion nor can it predict behavior. Rayner likely prefers an analysis done by a real person, and honestly in this case, I completely agree.

 

[SJGardner]

Second, at the end of the day, Zora is still a machine. It doesn't have emotion nor can it predict behavior. Rayner likely prefers an analysis done by a real person, and honestly in this case, I completely agree.

Zora is a real person whose sentience was verified by Kovich and her ability to feel emotions was made into a plot point several times throughout Season 4. But you're right in that he could've told her that he knows them and she doesn't, and his mission reports (if there are any) don't paint the full picture.

 

[Cr0sis21]

Zora is a real person whose sentience was verified by Kovich and her ability to feel emotions was made into a plot point several times throughout Season 4. But you're right in that he could've told her that he knows them and she doesn't, and his mission reports (if there are any) don't paint the full picture.

Zora may as well just be a machine for all she has or hasn't done since receiving her sentience badge.

 

[Captrek]

How come the first two episode threads are pinned and this one isn’t?

 

[Tuskin38]

I don't think we'll see the Tzenkethi next week.

Is that somebody from the BBS doing those?

The person posting them presumedly, look at their signature.

 

[Nerys Myk]

He acts very much as an NCO, even when he was given officer pips. He is intimately involved with the crewmen, holds his own meetings with them, encourages them to socialize. Conversely, he advises officers about he health of the crew and what they can accomplish. He credibly fills the roll of a Command Master Chief.

Sounds like every officer on Star Trek.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Sounds like every officer on Star Trek.

It does ... until it doesn't.

There were plenty of crewmen that Kirk and Picard knew only vaguely, if at all.