Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3x08 - "Four-And-A-Half Vulcans"

[Charles Phipps]

I actually do like the retcon with Sam Kirk.

In this version of the timeline, James and Sam may not be bossom buddies, but they make attempts to hang out and stay in touch when they can.

The previous timeline acted like they hadn't seen each other in decades.

 

[thribs]

And as soon as he was told he was away, which he probably already knew, the next thing he brought up was La'an.

Only because La’an is the closest person he knows there. He already said he doesn’t want to get involved in romance since he’s with Carol.

 

[JoseNoodles]

Cetacean Ops shouldn't be on this Enterprise.
There, I said it.

I think it was just La'an imagining an engineering room with beluga whales. It's the same room where she tried to start a war as a Romulan.

 

[Fateor]

What was the take?

Long continuing rants insulting the episode, insulting the people who made the episode, and insulting people who took umbrage with the first two things.

 

[Photoman15]

Only because La’an is the closest person he knows there. He already said he doesn’t want to get involved in romance since he’s with Carol.

But at some point (probably right after David is born), she asks him to back away. Going by when Kirk mentioned that he was involved with Carol and this episode, David should be born and Kirk handed his termination of parental rights decree.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Everyone is trained in maintenance of Starfleet Tech but this was non-Starfleet old-fashioned nuclear technology. Uhura is a technician, and it may be that her skills with electronics were what were actually needed but the fact that the engineer couldn't go just nudges my ability to suspend disbelief over the line.

Suppressing existing DNA by making epigenetic changes is silly but I can see some vague scientific basis for it. This is not the same as overwriting the DNA of one species with the DNA of another species. Vulcan's blood is copper based. Even if the serum over-writes DNA, surely they would need emergency transfusions to avoid multiple organ failure? There are just too many magically hand-waved problems for me. Sorry!

Spock, Scotty and McCoy are always experts in what ever science, engineering or medical specialty is needed for an episode. Same for any other scientist, engineer and medical officer in Star Trek.

Organ failure? You're way overthinking this. Star Trek isn't hard SF and it's treatment of DNA is pretty weak. What ever the Kerkovian serum does, it includes compensating for potential organ failure. It's more than rewriting DNA.

Nowhere have we ever heard that Cetacean Ops was on any ship before the Galaxy class.

Sure we have. Right here in this episode. That's how it works. When we learn something "new" about the ship it exists retroactively through out the history of the show.

What bothers me the most about this episode is that it feels like total character assassination of Spock and Vulcans. Yes, Spock is half-human, half-Vulcan. But that does not mean that he is dumb or inferior. He is a highly competent Starfleet officer and very intelligent and logical as we see in TOS.

Vulcans have been "jerks" since TOS. And they've been treating Spock as inferior since TOS, too. It's an ongoing element of Spock's character. The episode does make the point that these "Vulcans" are not representative of all Vulcans.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Yeah, pretty much every Vulcan we have ever met that wasn't a main cast member been a jerk. Even Soval, who came around eventually, started off as a jerk.

 

[Tuskin38]

May just be wishful thinking from this youtube comment as the show itself doesn't seem to say that, but it makes sense based on what the four characters do in the episode.

So I think what people are missing is that each of them incapsulates a different extreme aspect of Vulcans as part of cannon... Pike is sensory, Chapel is intelligence and logic, Ohura is emotional calmness and how they deal with relationships. Meanwhile the fly in the proverbial ointment is and always will be the Romulans.

 

[Tuskin38]

the next thing he brought up was La'an.

Because they're friends.
He also still with Carol, or at the very least he hasn't said they've broken up yet, so I'm assuming they still are.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

I love Chapel's Vulcan tricorder. The ENT Vulcan tricorder design, but with a handle.

You know that "Handle" made all the difference, it must've been a critical design improvement if they were to include it as a updated model.

 

[Tallguy]

The previous timeline acted like they hadn't seen each other in decades.

They saw each other right before the five year mission started.

A fun episode that for some reason didn't rub me the wrong way the way Wedding Bell Blues did.

Reiterating what we have all always known: Vulcans are jerks.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Technically a human Augment is still a human, but that was a good line.

But imagine what would happen if they ever created Augmented Vulcans

 

[Nerys Myk]

But imagine what would happen if they ever created Augmented Vulcans

Who's to say they haven't?

 

[BigJake]

La'An is what Yar could have been.

You know, I hadn't thought of it from this angle but this is absolutely true.

 

[26138]

Prime loophole! (best line of the episode)

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Jess Bush looked great as a Vulcan.

She felt more like a Elf from Lord of the Rings impersonating a Vulcan.

 

[Tuskin38]

The exact quote from Una after the credits was "Because they (the Kerkhovians) derived the the serum from Spock's perceived experiences, it has left our crew in a kind of logical state that normally takes Vulcans years to develop socially"

Doesn't improve the episode any, but it's slightly better than a change in DNA somehow making them all logical for some reason.

 

[Nerys Myk]

She felt more like a Elf from Lord of the Rings impersonating a Vulcan.

What's the difference?

 

[Trekker4747]

May just be wishful thinking from this youtube comment as the show itself doesn't seem to say that, but it makes sense based on what the four characters do in the episode.

I actually really like that concept.

 

[Tuskin38]

KARD wasn't a fan of the episode either

“Am I slightly forgiven now?” — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans” - Reactor

There's a new contender for "worst episode ever"...

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