Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 4x07 - "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass"

[eschaton]

One thing that does bug me: Even though it's obvious Pike has figured out something is really "off," he seems oddly callous about what's going on with Spock, especially once he confirms that this really is his crew even if they're being affected by the "soap opera" filter or whatever you want to call it.

At one point even I was going, "Wait, is Spock really getting open-heart surgery?"

And it still seems like he might've, at least as Sybok. Q-ish weirdness makes it hard to tell.

I found it very strange that Pike didn't even try to talk to Una once, since she had command. Sure, she'd almost certainly ignore him (everyone just acted like holodeck characters this week) but it's more sensible than the farting about he did instead.

 

[tomalak301]

I found it very strange that Pike didn't even try to talk to Una once, since she had command. Sure, she'd almost certainly ignore him (everyone just acted like holodeck characters this week) but it's more sensible than the farting about he did instead.

I'm not sure he could have because he was stuck in a "script". Remember he was trying to exit the room where Chivers and Uhura were in and couldn't until that scene was actually done. Una was part of a different soap opera storyline, or at least that's how I saw each characters roles.

 

[TRON JA307020]

I watched the first few minutes on my phone during my lunch break. Another comedy. Sigh.

 

[Starship]

Except for the first 2 episodes, this season is a complete garbage til now...

 

[HotRod]

Another comedy. Sigh.

 

[Saul]

This was stupid.


They teased Sybok back in season 1 (which was kinda exciting at the time) and they finally bring the character onto the show and do this crap.

 

[ILovePuppies]

While I'm glad they haven't made her pining on Korby in his absence a major thing in the season, not giving her a single line about it has been kind of weird. She's had literally nothing all season long other than a bit last week about staying on the ship.

I think next week is essentially her last shot, as Episode 9 is La'an focused, and I'm guessing there won't be much in the finale.

The odd thing is that Jess Bush said a week or so ago that Christine would explore love this season but the love would be a 'different flavour.' We don't know if that's to do with Korby but I don't know of him appearing this season. Perhaps it's to do with Spock, perhaps it's a focus on the character's bisexuality. But it has to happen in the remaining episodes. I'm hoping that she'll be in he final in a big way. Episode 9 is La'an's episode and she's had the A or B most episodes so perhaps the final won't focus on her? At some point, they'll have to return to her and Spock to bring us closer to TOS although that could be in Season 5. Jess Bush said that Chapel and Spock aren't over so presumably it comes up at one point. Fingers crossed for the final. If she doesn't have a significant role then I REALLY hope that she's a key character in season 5. I know she has an episode but I hope it doesn't focus on her and Korby getting engaged. She was such a standout in season 1 and 2 and she's all but been written out this season.

 

[TRON JA307020]

View attachment 55773

Pretty much.

 

[Sakonna]

I was curious, and went back to look at the script:

Batel: Living our lives like this, we got lucky. You've given me everything I needed. And more than I could've hoped for. I needed to have this first. So I can say goodbye and still remember you. Still remember us.

Then later:

Pike: Captain's personal log, supplemental. With the Vezda gone, the people of Skygowan are recovering. As if waking up from a terrible dream. We remember, but it's over. ( sighs )

I dunno. The implication to me was clearly it was all a dream - all fake. Not a baby universe. None of it was real, just created by Marie because "she needed it." Out of her own selfishness to want to have a full life and a family with Pike, regardless of the consequences it would leave on him.

It's interesting, to me the bits you quote feel like they support my initial read. Batel needed the power to be drawn from a real life lived in order to be effective in countering the Vezda. And Pike's line seems to refer to the people on Skygowan, not himself.

Not that I'm arguing the point. This episode removes any doubt that your read is what the writers intended. They really just hadn't thought through the implications of their plot device.

But I really do think this episode could have been the patch the other way. The daughter and Batel could have shown up on the ship from the beginning and it's a soap "return from the dead" (possibly from the daughters perspective). Thanks to Trelane's intervention it could have even been actual Batel astrally projecting from her ascended plane, and actual daughter from the other universe. Pike could have gotten to say a beautiful "deathbed" goodbye to her before she's taken back to her life.

It would have been nice if this one had been a repair job, rather than committing to the worst path.

Wait, was this supposed to be a comedy?

Seriously. I don't remember any jokes here. I could tell that it was referencing the tropes of the genre, but it seemed like it was in a loving way, not in a "let's laugh at the stupid melodrama" manner.

I definitely felt it was laughing at rather than laughing with. I doubt that was the intent, though, I think it just came off that way because their understanding of soap operas seems so shallow and surface-level (like with noir in that episode). But casting Deidre Hall seems a pretty strong signal that they intended to respect the genre.

But I bet I'm going to hear the writers or director have years of soap experience or something. I dunno, I'm sure the intent was good, but I didn't think they got there at all.

 

[Campe]

Pretty much.

Have you finished the episode? Because it may be a little silly, but it’s definitely not a comedy.

 

[fireproof78]

Pretty much.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

Although he wasn't Sybok at all, so I prefer to think that when making fake-him, Trelane simply stole his catchphrase from the future.

That's what I thought too.

 

[eschaton]

The odd thing is that Jess Bush said a week or so ago that Christine would explore love this season but the love would be a 'different flavour.' We don't know if that's to do with Korby but I don't know of him appearing this season. Perhaps it's to do with Spock, perhaps it's a focus on the character's bisexuality. But it has to happen in the remaining episodes. I'm hoping that she'll be in he final in a big way. Episode 9 is La'an's episode and she's had the A or B most episodes so perhaps the final won't focus on her? At some point, they'll have to return to her and Spock to bring us closer to TOS although that could be in Season 5. Jess Bush said that Chapel and Spock aren't over so presumably it comes up at one point. Fingers crossed for the final. If she doesn't have a significant role then I REALLY hope that she's a key character in season 5. I know she has an episode but I hope it doesn't focus on her and Korby getting engaged. She was such a standout in season 1 and 2 and she's all but been written out this season.

Remember that "love of a different flavor" could mean any number of non-romantic things (like taking a child under her wing) as well.

It sure sounds like Once La'an a Time will take place in a genuine fantasy world. Given the desire to keep the rest of the cast relevant, I do wonder if they're going to go the route of The Elysian Kingdom again, and have the rest of the cast play fantasy alters of themselves. God I hope not - they've been playing dress-up too goddamned much this season. But we'll see.

 

[milesandmiles]

Going to watch this now...

 

[Yistaan]

One thing that does bug me: Even though it's obvious Pike has figured out something is really "off," he seems oddly callous about what's going on with Spock, especially once he confirms that this really is his crew even if they're being affected by the "soap opera" filter or whatever you want to call it.

At one point even I was going, "Wait, is Spock really getting open-heart surgery?"

And it still seems like he might've, at least as Sybok. Q-ish weirdness makes it hard to tell.

Pike knows Spock can't die yet per Quality of Mercy.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

I don't know why people preface their reviews with "I've never been a fan of soap operas (body-cleaning theater). I never got into them (except Dark Shadows when I was 15). I never got into Pro Wrestling either but I understand and appreciate the use of the tropes for comedy purposes. What made this even better for me was that the characters remembered it all and that there were emotional truths many of them were pushing aside. I knew the daughter thing was going to be significant because of how much Pike wanted to push it away and avoid it. So lots of truths couched in the florid language of the soaps.

I loved the discussion of logic and how it enables Spock to practice empathy, to be kind. Reason helps us to help others, helps us to do the next indicated thing in an emergency when otherwise we'd be overwhelmed.

But I also got the impression she was thinking maybe she'd been too hasty about certain aspects of the break-up. Sybok was her version of the sexy part of Spock and he's like yeah, I'm cool, let's just be friends.

 

[Tuskin38]

I’m glad they all remembered what happened

 

[Galaxy]

My God, that was unwatchable.

I do not understand how they come to the assessment that the type of person that has watched Star Trek over decades would be interested in this shit.
I have been one to defend modern Trek, stating that yes while Discovery has some flaws, Season 3 was great, and certain episodes like the one with the sphere are among the best that Star Trek has done, but I almost feel enraged that they would think I would want to watch something like this. It is an insult.

 

[tomalak301]

The odd thing is that Jess Bush said a week or so ago that Christine would explore love this season but the love would be a 'different flavour.' We don't know if that's to do with Korby but I don't know of him appearing this season. Perhaps it's to do with Spock, perhaps it's a focus on the character's bisexuality. But it has to happen in the remaining episodes. I'm hoping that she'll be in he final in a big way. Episode 9 is La'an's episode and she's had the A or B most episodes so perhaps the final won't focus on her? At some point, they'll have to return to her and Spock to bring us closer to TOS although that could be in Season 5. Jess Bush said that Chapel and Spock aren't over so presumably it comes up at one point. Fingers crossed for the final. If she doesn't have a significant role then I REALLY hope that she's a key character in season 5. I know she has an episode but I hope it doesn't focus on her and Korby getting engaged. She was such a standout in season 1 and 2 and she's all but been written out this season.

That's interesting because the most Christine we have gotten this season was last week's episode. Chapel has been more or less a side character, almost as if Jess Bush has been busy and couldn't be in more scenes, like Mount.

 

[MrShinzoff]

I liked the idea of an altered state of consciousness allowing people to access repressed emotions. That Juliet scene was great and I loved that this was a Pike-centric episode. It was all really well done.

Plus, being handcuffed and getting slapped by La'an in that leather outfit is up there with being seduced by Tasha in the Naked Now as a future holodeck experience.

As I believe has been mentioned before, if this was the only gimmick episode of the season then it would probably be much better received. This wasn't like the puppet episode, and I actually liked it. It was two good episodes in a row.