Spoilers Star Trek: Khan 1x03 - "Do Your Worst"

[Avro Arrow]

New episode drops Monday, September 22! Get it wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode description: Khan’s nascent colony celebrates its first pregnancy, but they’ve also suffered several losses to their number while a new threat to the entire planet reveals itself.

Runtime: 38 minutes

 

[Zarm]

A few random thoughts (trying to avoid any specific spoilers, but still general spoiler-ish musings.):

Richter's storyline: horrifying. Probably rightly so, but still.

So, the cranky historian is back on the Excelsior, as everyone pointed out she logically could be- so have we just discarded that episode 1 'cliffhanger,' then?

Why was there a recording of Khan's ending speech? Did he hit a button on the console in a medlab to begin recording for some reason?

They have clearly placed Chekov's Gun (not Pavel's) over the mantle, calling out that Ceti Alpha VI's destruction should (like, say, a supernova of Romulus' sun... ;-) ) come with plenty of warning and be millions of years away. Which all-but guarantees that its unnaturally-early demise will be dealt with during the series.

Finally, Marla had some character development I could buy. I liked her scene with Joachin a lot, and how she didn't try to sugarcoat or downplay things. (Although the idea of 'no one knows so it doesn't matter' I find philosophically abhorrent as a matter of principle- but that's a different discussion.)

I thought Khan's 'dialogue' to Ceti Alpha V was reminiscent of Janeway's conversations to Voyager in season 6; I liked the parallel there, and look forward to following this aspect.

Khan saying that his life belongs to his people- I don't necessarily buy that with the Khan from Space Seed or TWOK (though it does fit the 'family' focused take from Into Darkness). That kind of selfless, 'I am their leader and thus my own life and happiness are secondary to ensuring their safety' are the exact traits that make Kirk my favorite captain; rather than suggest he and Kirk are 'more alike than you might think,' deep-down, and approach leadership similarly, I would have preferred to see Khan have a contrasting style of leadership, rather than sort of becoming a 'fallen Kirk' in TWOK, who started out from a similar place but was molded by circumstances and madness into his opposite number, sacrificing his people for his vengeance. (I realize making Khan likable is a goal for the series, to heighten the tragedy of his descent, but I do think he could have a different, more 'kingly' style of leadership, a different attitude from a selfless Horatio Hornblower Starfleet-type, without automatically defaulting to 'authoritarian and cruel.' I just would've liked to see a different flavor there, as I don't see him coming from that same place).

Still, overall, this is the first of the three episodes where both Khan and Marla's development intrigued me with where things are going instead of irritating me by feeling like it conflicted with their established characters. I am looking forward to episode 4 following this one a lot more than I was looking forward to 3 after 2.

 

[David cgc]

So, the cranky historian is back on the Excelsior, as everyone pointed out she logically could be- so have we just discarded that episode 1 'cliffhanger,' then?

No, she was already doing her analysis on Excelsior at the end of episode 1, she just wanted them to stay on-station indefinitely in case she wanted to go back down to the camp. They’re still there, since the ship is passing through CA6’s meteor clouds, so presumably we’re still within the couple of days Sulu offered her to stay in orbit of CA5.

Khan saying that his life belongs to his people- I don't necessarily buy that with the Khan from Space Seed or TWOK (though it does fit the 'family' focused take from Into Darkness).

I think this is another one of those perception versus reality things I mentioned in last week’s thread. All his followers view Khan as the next best thing to God (literally), and Marla gently points out that contradiction when he tries to describe himself as being a humble servant-leader. And he’s certainly aware that he’s more of a king or sultan than he describes himself as to his biographer: there’s not just his line in TWoK about how his followers were sworn to live and die at his command and it was pointless to attempt to sway them away, but the way he talked to Richter during the episode with the tree. Demanding that he stand and walk on a broken ankle to test his compulsion to follow orders literally, then describing Richter as his possession.

 

[Zarm]

I think this is another one of those perception versus reality things I mentioned in last week’s thread. All his followers view Khan as the next best thing to God (literally), and Marla gently points out that contradiction when he tries to describe himself as being a humble servant-leader.

That's entirely fair. I suppose I just never saw Khan as viewing himself that way in relation to his people to begin with.

But the point is well-taken!

 

[Christopher]

And he’s certainly aware that he’s more of a king or sultan than he describes himself as to his biographer: there’s not just his line in TWoK about how his followers were sworn to live and die at his command and it was pointless to attempt to sway them away, but the way he talked to Richter during the episode with the tree. Demanding that he stand and walk on a broken ankle to test his compulsion to follow orders literally, then describing Richter as his possession.

Yes. I think that his image of the man he aspires to be is at odds with the heightened aggression, arrogance, and ruthlessness he was engineered with, or that he might have had anyway. He tries to be a good man, but is hamartically flawed.

It was inevitable we'd get to Ceti eels before long. But why couldn't they detect Richter's eel with a tricorder or the scanning table? I guess that is consistent with "Operation: Annihilate," where McCoy didn't discover the flying pancakes' invasive tendrils in their victims until he operated on or autopsied them, but it doesn't make a lot of sense in the context of what tricorders and sickbay beds are usually shown to be capable of, particularly in modern productions.

I can barely tell Ursula's and Marla's voices apart. I'm still not sure which one of them was comforting Joachim, though I'm moderately sure it was Marla. Listening closely, it seems that Marla's voice is a little more breathy and subdued, Ursula's a bit higher and edgier. But the timbres are remarkably similar.

 

[David cgc]

I can barely tell Ursula's and Marla's voices apart. I'm still not sure which one of them was comforting Joachim, though I'm moderately sure it was Marla. Listening closely, it seems that Marla's voice is a little more breathy and subdued, Ursula's a bit higher and edgier. But the timbres are remarkably similar.

Same. If I concentrate, I think there’s a little more of a drawl in Marla’s voice, but that might just be my imagination from the strong southern US accent the actress uses on For All Mankind.

 

[Christopher]

Same. If I concentrate, I think there’s a little more of a drawl in Marla’s voice, but that might just be my imagination from the strong southern US accent the actress uses on For All Mankind.

They both sound to me like they have equal drawl levels. That's part of the problem.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Khan saying that his life belongs to his people- I don't necessarily buy that with the Khan from Space Seed or TWOK (though it does fit the 'family' focused take from Into Darkness). That kind of selfless, 'I am their leader and thus my own life and happiness are secondary to ensuring their safety' are the exact traits that make Kirk my favorite captain; rather than suggest he and Kirk are 'more alike than you might think,' deep-down, and approach leadership similarly, I would have preferred to see Khan have a contrasting style of leadership, rather than sort of becoming a 'fallen Kirk' in TWOK, who started out from a similar place but was molded by circumstances and madness into his opposite number, sacrificing his people for his vengeance. (I realize making Khan likable is a goal for the series, to heighten the tragedy of his descent, but I do think he could have a different, more 'kingly' style of leadership, a different attitude from a selfless Horatio Hornblower Starfleet-type, without automatically defaulting to 'authoritarian and cruel.' I just would've liked to see a different flavor there, as I don't see him coming from that same place).

i fully disagree. Khan is engaging in a conceit that all tyrants entertain. Yes, he feels he is responsible for the entire community, or nation, if you would, but his wishes are those of the community. He is not being set up as a Kirk that has gone astray. It's the Fuehrerprinzip, wherein everyone is devoted to the leader and believe that he does the best for the whole.