Spoilers Starfleet Academy Episode Preview Thread

[Fateor]

Why? Because proper Starfleet cadets would just swallow their emotions and hide them like a manly soldier?

No, because it reads like the writing prompt from an early 2000s tumbler fanfic.

For crying out loud, Starfleet has counselors who are specialized in actually helping people with such things. Why would anyone think Starfleet officers/cadets should "swallow their emotions and hide them like a manly soldier"...

 

[Nerys Myk]

No, because it reads like the writing prompt from an early 2000s tumbler fanfic.

I'll take your word for it.

 

[tenmei]

No, because it reads like the writing prompt from an early 2000s tumbler fanfic.

For crying out loud, Starfleet has counselors who are specialized in actually helping people with such things. Why would anyone think Starfleet officers/cadets should "swallow their emotions and hide them like a manly soldier"...

We know the Academy has no Counselor as Ake offered to have the Doctor refer Jay-Den to a therapist in 1x04. And you can only lead a horse to water, you can't make the horse drink.

 

[Nerys Myk]

"A visiting instructor uses unorthodox methods to help the cadets process their emotions at the academy

Reads like a blurb from any issue of TV Guide published since 1948.

 

[ToddCam]

We know the Academy has no Counselor [...]

Which is completely absurd. Maybe Culber will be the new Academy counselor since he's apparently the only mental health professional in the 32nd century.

 

[fireproof78]

For crying out loud, Starfleet has counselors who are specialized in actually helping people with such things. Why would anyone think Starfleet officers/cadets should "swallow their emotions and hide them like a manly soldier"...

Because that's how many react to emotions. They are not to.ne expressed.

I don't see much encouragement to express them.

 

[eschaton]

I think Tilly is in the next episode based on the description:

"A visiting instructor uses unorthodox methods to help the cadets process their emotions at the academy"

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It would be very on brand if a special guest from Discovery focused on the processing of emotions.

 

[eschaton]

Why? Because proper Starfleet cadets would just swallow their emotions and hide them like a manly soldier?

Repressed emotions may not be healthy, but they make for much better interpersonal drama. Hell, there's entire genres of story (say Victorian romances, for example) which are based upon characters not directly stating their feelings, but talking around them via layers and layers of repression.

As I've said for quite awhile, I'm all for some characters being emotionally open and honest. But some should be closed-off wrecks too. One reason late-period DIS didn't work for me is everyone was too open. Closed yet damaged characters have a long history in Trek (see Worf, Odo, O'Brien). They help to being versatility to character dynamics.

I think SFA has been going at it pretty much the right way, TBH. SAM is quite open and forthright, but the other characters all have tons of walls, and don't want the others seeing them for who they truly are.

 

[fireproof78]

But some should be closed-off wrecks too

Please no. Please no.


It's a tired trope that is starting to hit borderline offensiveness to me. Don't tell me about an optimistic future then tell me it's great that people are closed off wrecks. I've watched it my whole damn life and I'm sick of it.

 

[eschaton]

It's a tired trope that is starting to hit borderline offensiveness to me. Don't tell me about an optimistic future then tell me it's great that people are closed off wrecks. I've watched it my whole damn life and I'm sick of it.

There are some emotional beats in drama which are tired. I hate miscommunication tropes - particularly in romantic subplots. I loathe trying to boil down all antisocial or bad behavior as some reaction to past trauma.

But some people being closed off is just normal. It's just a part of the natural human variation. For example, I'm a pretty open person, to the point where when I was younger I got in trouble for sharing things I shouldn't've. However, my wife is very closed off and suspicious, often too her detriment. Like when one of our kids is sick, she'll just say she needs to take personal time, and not share the wider context, which I would do because I think that level of openness incurs more sympathy.

But deeper than that, it's just much more dramatically potent in fiction when a more stoic character finally reaches the breaking point. It works for the same reason that a slow buildup of suspense, or romantic tension does. Indeed, one can argue that all great stories are about getting a character to the point where they're utterly broken, and realize they need to change to grow. If everyone is already at the point where they can accept growth, there's just a lot less drama to be had.

 

[fireproof78]

But some people being closed off is just normal

Maybe.

But it's tired. It's frustrating.

But deeper than that, it's just much more dramatically potent in fiction when a more stoic character finally reaches the breaking point. It works for the same reason that a slow buildup of suspense, or romantic tension does.

Oof. I've not found that to be enjoyable.

 

[tenmei]

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[El Maestro]

It would be very on brand if a special guest from Discovery focused on the processing of emotions.

Oh god not more Therapy Trek...this totally hijacked DSC and made the show worse.

There is nothing at all wrong with therapy as a concept but it makes for dreadful sci-fi television.

 

[tenmei]

Oh god not more Therapy Trek...this totally hijacked DSC and made the show worse.

There is nothing at all wrong with therapy as a concept but it makes for dreadful sci-fi television.

So aftee Episode 1x07, people complained that we didn't examine the emotional aftermath of 1x06, but now we're presumably examining the emotional aftermath of 1x06 and 1x07, its "OMG, not more Therapy Trek?"

We can't win.

 

[tenmei]

Trek Central have put up some pics, with a few additions to the one above. Is Terima wearing a Starfleet uniform?

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[Firebird]

Jett Reno in the Captain's chair just feels right, don't it?

 

[El Maestro]

So aftee Episode 1x07, people complained that we didn't examine the emotional aftermath of 1x06, but now we're presumably examining the emotional aftermath of 1x06 and 1x07, its "OMG, not more Therapy Trek?"

We can't win.

I am not someone who made that argument.

There are some exemplary episodes that deal with with a character-based emotional journey following a traumatic event (see: TNG "Family"), but the didactic style in DSC, where the characters essentially read Tumblr posts out loud is shallow and off-putting.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I guess that would hit harder if I was on Tumblr.

 

[fireproof78]

I guess that would hit harder if I was on Tumblr.

Or thinking about other things while watching a show.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Oh god not more Therapy Trek...this totally hijacked DSC and made the show worse.

There is nothing at all wrong with therapy as a concept but it makes for dreadful sci-fi television.

I'm assuming it was also dreadful sci-fi when Troi was shown doing her therapy sessions and talkign to people about their feelings in TNG?