Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 4x01 - "Kobayashi Maru"

You know, people keep comparing the teaser sequence to the opening sequences of Star Trek Beyond and Star Trek Into Darkness, but I think it's more of a general tip-of-the-hat to the original series itself. I mean, TOS literally had episodes where they were magically in the Old West or Chicago Gangster Planet, etc. They had plenty of slightly-goofy plots like the Butterfly People sequence.

 

"Mirror, Mirror(TOS)" literally opens with Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura standing on the Halkan planet talking to the Halkan Council as intimidating ion storm lightning begins flashing overhead.

 

Agreed. I think TOS is far closer to current action style films, with the quips, and the jokes in serious moments, than a lot of fans either know (due to not watching TOS) or like to admit (due to wanting Star Trek to be a super serious examination of the human condition with Shakespeare). The Kelvin films and DSC are right in line with TOS, just for the 2000s vs. the 60s.

Mileage will vary on how horrible that is.

 

OK, its probably because all three are action sequences involving clumsy contact with weird aliens.

 

That sort of things reminds me more of Indiana Jones.

 

Throughout the series, I have liked the set-ups better than the resolutions. S1 was not as bad as the S2 & S3 clunkers, and I cannot decide which one of those made a bigger splat at the end. But YMMV.

In keeping with previous trends, I did like this one. Though in typical Disco fashion, it tries to make us care about someone/something for the first time in the episode they/it get killed/destroyed. Too plot driven. Less time building worlds & characters. Oftentimes it does not earn the attempted emotional payoff. Not for me, anyway.

 

They should have destroyed a core federation planet, or another named planet from a previous series.

I wanted to learn more about Books people over the next few years, but that's all gone to dust.

 

Extremely competent and well regarded Starfleet scientist Edward Larkin said that he didn't think that tribbles were sentient, but he wasn't sure because they don't have a face. If his commanding offer did not look further into that it was because she was dumb and a lot of people on the ship didn't like her.

-Not Larkin

 

So the new President is part Cardassian..what is the other part of her heritage?

 

Human and Bajoran.

 

Bajoran and human.

 

And a little Irish too, I think.

 

Irish are not human?

 

We've been known to debate that amongst ourselves though several centuries.

 

Was that a Tribble or sentient hair?

 

[*William Shatner joke inserted here*]

 

Why the Show Runners went with a Human/Bajoran/Cardassian hybrid for the new UFP President.

 

Kwejian may not have been in the center of Star Trek canon but it's directly connected to one of this show's main characters which could make it a more impactful plot device. It really depends on how the writers develop Book's character in reaction to this event.

 

I’m surprised just how much I dislike this episode. I really thought it was going to be like an improved season 3 and it has a few things which should be good except the dialog, story, characterizations, plots, mystery, directing, special effects, technobabble, the use of tech, the lack of use of tech all bother me for various reasons to an extent which doesn’t make sense.

I’ve watched every episode of DIS to date and about half the short Treks but this is the first time I’ve seriously considered not watching anymore DIS. I don’t know specifically what is messing with me so hard either but one example is when Burnham says she is glad Vance’s family is aboard, for no reason at all it sounded to me like she was making a threat. Objectively she wasn’t, yet I still heard it that way. I think the opener put me in a bad mood given how horrible she is as a diplomat, it gave me flashbacks of season 1 episode 1 with Gergiou and the admiral starting the Klingon war.

 

Agree. I thought the music during this scene was straight out of TOS.

This is absolutely bizarre. SMG didn't deliver the line in a threatening way and Vance didn't interpret it that way. How you managed to is really beyond me. You should probably stop watching at this point.

As for Burnham's diplomacy skills, Captains with more experience have made mistakes during similar situations. Let's not forget that Janeway managed to screw up a first contact with the Tak Tak by putting her hands on her hips and negotiations had to be saved by Neelix of all people.