Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 3x03 - "People of Earth"

A post-apocalyptic dystopian Earth would've feed the hatred for Disco's haters even more: "See? Here's another ploy by Kurtzman & Co to destroy Trek. This is not my Star Trek. Blah, blah, blah."

 

I really liked this episode. I gave it an 8, although I could go higher in the future.

Some thoughts before I delve into the comments:

• I credit Frakes for the pacing and the balance in the episode. I think he is responsible for elevating what might seem like a procedural, but necessary, episode.
• I like the pairing of Burnham and Book, but I like the idea that they are not going to turn into a romantic couple. I could see an interesting story of unrequited love.
• Adira is the new Wesley Crusher
• Despite not learning everything that has happened with the Burn and the disintegration of Starfleet, the nature of the galaxy seems much clearer now
• I hate that staff meetings take place on the bridge. It seems to lack professionalism. The fact that the discussion about the captaincy took place on the bridge really points to poor choices of setting.
• I agree, Stamets, you are unique. I love his own acting in the episode.
• It's interesting that they did not go out of their way to depict Earth as suffering, in spite of its isolation.
• I love Saru's developing authoritative voice, and I'm sure they are going somewhere with Detmer's injuries, but I felt that their argument about protecting Book's ship was gratuitous.
• Was this a call back to Counterpoint? Nice.

 

Goes to the saying.. Everyone's your friend till the rent comes due.
It seems the burn caused planets to look inward and protect themselves, if they can. Self defense fleets, planetary shields. But that's for those planets that could, colonys, small populations had to make due. Those probably turned into warlords and dictatorships or just chaos.
Good allegory for the need for law and order.

 

I think she can access Tal’s knowledge but not the memories.

 

This is informal 2020s Starfleet now, where all are equal and everything gets discussed. Even the empress who should not be in your org chart gets to weigh in all the time.

I hate it even in old more formal Trek/starfleet where Picard (or anyone gives an order) and somebody says, "But Captain, that'll . . ."

Just. Do. It.

Detmer was doing that this ep btw.

But, yeah, we live in the emotionality/feelz/unhierarchy era now, so the idealized setting of that (starfleet is our current "best selves" of whatever era it's made in) will reflect it.

 

I think this is because of Adira's age. She's only 14 years old when she was joined (16 years now), perhaps the symbiont can biologically integrate itself more easily in a younger host body, Trill or not. Or Adira might have other connections with the Trill world that she is not aware of yet.

And who knows? Perhaps it'll be revealed later than the Tal symbiont is a twin or at least a first cousin of Dax?

 

I enjoyed the episode nothing out standing but a good fun episode,

I like how Burnham in this season feels way more human and relatable to me compared to previous seasons

I do wonder Why Saru didn't ask for History files for United Earth just so they can fill in the back story of whats happened in the galaxy/system.

 

It could be of course. I'm not sure what that says narratively though.

I just don't see any sense of urgency in figuring out what caused The Burn. If it didn't repeat for 120 years, why would it happen again during the current season?

Maybe it would make sense as a plot for Season 4 or 5 - if The Burn was an attack on the Federation, and whoever did it feels they need to strike again as the quadrant knits back together. But at the moment, no one has any reason to believe it will happen again - and even the Discovery crew doesn't seem interested in it.

 

I think you may have missed the point of that scene.

Saru wanted to go off the bridge and have a discussion about it, but Burnham cut him off right away because she does not want to be the Captain at this point.

 

I was also thinking that the Burn was not something to resolve, that it might simply be a background element even beyond this season.

 

No, I understood the intention. Thanks anyway.

 

Someone not taking the bait doesn’t mean you were subtle.

 

Then why complain about something that you say you understood as being intentional?

That's obviously the way the scene was meant to play out by the writers.
It was an important scene to explain Michael's current feelings toward her place on the ship.

Also, they did show a couple of other times in which Saru took the conversation off the bridge.

Especially the one in which he questions Burnham about why she insisted he be the Captain.

 

Yeah. Honestly it's a necessary precondition to have Discovery have some relevancy to the narrative of the 32nd century. Otherwise even with the Spore Drive, it's basically a worthless, hopelessly dated single ship dropping into a great and interconnected quadrant.

As I said a long time ago though, I wish they went with "Star Trek: Left Behind." Basically I feel like the season should have been the Discovery finding an almost empty galaxy. They find scattered androids and holograms, people in suspended animation, and isolated colonies of luddites - but the main planets of the Federation are all empty with no sign of violence. As the season wore on, we'd discover that the Federation basically "transcended" all at once. This helps solve one of the biggest mysteries of Star Trek - why there are no truly ancient civilizations in the Galaxy. Discovery makes contact with the post-human energy beings at the end of the season, then begins working with the shattered remnents to build a new civilization.

 

Because as I wrote, and you undoubtedly read, that I don't think that the staff meeting should have taken place on the bridge. The awkwardness of who is in command only punctuates that.

 

Didn't TNG do something exactly like that with "The Chase"?

 

The Chase explained there was a single alien race four billion years ago. That really doesn't explain why there's not say a race 50,000 years or 2, 10, or 100 million years old.

 

Heh .. the way the scene was written indicates there wasn't going to be a "Staff Meeting" at all.

It was Saru indicating to Michael that he did wish to leave the bridge and discuss who should be Captain and she simply didn't want to go there, so she cut him off and expressed her thoughts on the matter right there.

So yeah, you did apparently miss the intention of the scene.

 

So maybe you might think that I am making a criticism of writing and directing choices? Just maybe?

 

Hmmnn... how many "Ancient Races" did we see during TOS?
At least three or four?