News Discovery New Character Breakdowns

[cultcross]

Just how many disabled actors are out their with a SAG card?

That attitude is a self fulfilling prophecy, if disabled actors were hired more, there would be more of them.

Of course this brings up the issue is should writers feel the need to alter characters so a actor can play a role even if it changes the plans they wanted for the character. We know this happens at times

It happens all the time - characters are often written with an actor in mind, and even where they aren't, the character usually molds to fit their performance, appearance, etc. An actor's job is more than just verbalising what's on the page.

Nah. A wheelchair is actually dumb for the technology of Discovery's timeline.

DS9's time had them. So did TNG.

 

[Refuge]

Sure. Just like people using bicycles is dumb for our current timeline. I mean, what the hell are people doing riding around on centuries old technology? It's crazy.

It's still ridiculously dumb. We have Voq fitted into Ash's skin and yet someone is confined to a wheelchair?

 

[fireproof78]

It's still ridiculously dumb. We have Voq fitted into Ash's skin and yet someone is confined to a wheelchair?

For one, the process of doing so was show to be incredibly painful. For two, a wheel chair is a relative simple piece of tech that makes sense for a utilitarian piece of equipment. Why remake it?

 

[Refuge]

For one, the process of doing so was show to be incredibly painful. For two, a wheel chair is a relative simple piece of tech that makes sense for a utilitarian piece of equipment. Why remake it?

Do you watch Doctor Who? Eventually even daleks needed to fly, but I digress.

Say we accept someone cannot be cured or changed from being able to walk in any capacity in the story, so they need a device to get them around. To get them around Discovery in particular with the science that Discovery has shown and is capable of. Why not go for something more liberating than wheels? Of course maybe this 'wheel' chair is a hovercraft version, I hope it is.

 

[eschaton]

From what we have seen from tech you would think the ability to help people who can't walk would most likely be more evolved than needing a wheelchair but that's never a good reason to do something. It's more interesting for drama and symbolism and all that to still use a wheelchair.

I couldn't disagree with this more.

One of the main things which makes a sci-fi setting interesting is that you can use an allegory (from heavy handed to subtle) to examine a contemporary issue. Hence if you want to examine the issues of a person with a disability, it can be reformulated a bit.

While the DS9 episode Melora had major execution issues, I liked how the issue of a wheelchair was brought up there. Melora was not actually disabled, just from a low-gravity planet, meaning her muscles were too weak to hold her weight. This was an interesting setup because it explained why 24th century medicine had yet to "fix" her (though the option became a plot element) and because there was nothing really wrong with her at all. It basically presented being disabled as being to a large extent trying to muddle through with objects which aren't designed with your own physical abilities in mind.

The other main reason to use a sci-fi setting is to examine how humanity would react - and change - if put into situations which are impossible given current technology, lack of alien contact, etc. Not thinking through what 23rd century medical advances would really mean is lazy AF. It just shows that no one in the writing team has serious SFnal chops. They're just approaching the setting as contemporary with a tiny bit of robots 'n rayguns windowdressing.

 

[Tuskin38]

It opens up writing possibilities, such as flashbacks to when the character wasn't yet disabled, aliens who give the disabled character temporary ability, dreams, etc. (though admittedly, they could always cast identical twins, one disabled and one not, for that - would that be the better solution?)

Body doubles and editing can take care of that.

 

[thribs]

I assume it will be a part black, part Hispanic, ginger who is also left handed.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's still ridiculously dumb. We have Voq fitted into Ash's skin and yet someone is confined to a wheelchair?

What's the connection there? We can do X, so that means we can do Y?
Especially since we don't know why the character is in a wheelchair. And I doubt it will look like something out of Ironside.

 

[Tuskin38]

I assume it will be a part black, part Hispanic, ginger who is also left handed.

wtf are you going on about.

 

[thribs]

wtf are you going on about.

I’m guessing what the new character will be. Probably pansexual as well.

 

[Jayson1]

I couldn't disagree with this more.

One of the main things which makes a sci-fi setting interesting is that you can use an allegory (from heavy handed to subtle) to examine a contemporary issue. Hence if you want to examine the issues of a person with a disability, it can be reformulated a bit.

While the DS9 episode Melora had major execution issues, I liked how the issue of a wheelchair was brought up there. Melora was not actually disabled, just from a low-gravity planet, meaning her muscles were too weak to hold her weight. This was an interesting setup because it explained why 24th century medicine had yet to "fix" her (though the option became a plot element) and because there was nothing really wrong with her at all. It basically presented being disabled as being to a large extent trying to muddle through with objects which aren't designed with your own physical abilities in mind.

The other main reason to use a sci-fi setting is to examine how humanity would react - and change - if put into situations which are impossible given current technology, lack of alien contact, etc. Not thinking through what 23rd century medical advances would really mean is lazy AF. It just shows that no one in the writing team has serious SFnal chops. They're just approaching the setting as contemporary with a tiny bit of robots 'n rayguns windowdressing.

I think your making the argument that the wheelchair should not just be a wheelchair but one that is more advanced that what we have today. I would agree with this and that was kind of the idea behind Pike and Admiral Jameson's chairs. Makes you wonder hwo to do it without it seeming silly like those chair kind of looked. Maybe ones with wheels are for minor injuries for people who will only be disabled for a short time why they heal. The chair built fr long -term use can maybe hover. Have somekind of lifesport system built into much like Pike's but just don't make it so bulky. I even wonder if she might be like Stephen Hawking who couldn't speak. It will be interesting to find out why she can't walk. She could very well have more extensive medical issues beyond just the use of her legs. When I think about it I think this could have been a good place to have the character be a little person with health concerns. In the entire history of Trek the only little person we ever have seen was Alexander from "TOS" unless we count Balock.

Jason

 

[Nerys Myk]

In the entire history of Trek the only little person we ever have seen was Alexander from "TOS" unless we count Balock.

Gold aliens from Balance of Terror. Q's flunky in Encounter At Farpoint.

 

[Jayson1]

Gold aliens from Balance of Terror. Q's flunky in Encounter At Farpoint.

That's true. It's interesting though we have seen no human little people. Everyone has been alien or a Q fake person or maybe a Q. Never sure about how real some of the Q recreated people are.

Jason

 

[Nerys Myk]

That's true. It's interesting though we have seen no human little people. Everyone has been alien or a Q fake person or maybe a Q. Never sure about how real some of the Q recreated people are.

Jason

He does like the time travel. So they could be the real deal in the real time.

 

[Refuge]

That hideous cumbersome 'wheel' chair Pike ends up in is pretty grim. This is an instant where I wouldn't object to seeing something more believable in exchange, we already know Discovery technology is in a world of its own.

 

[Tuskin38]

Some of you are forgetting we’ve already seen a wheelchair in discovery

One of the crew members at the party was in the time loop episode was in one.

 

[fireproof78]

Say we accept someone cannot be cured or changed from being able to walk in any capacity in the story, so they need a device to get them around. To get them around Discovery in particular with the science that Discovery has shown and is capable of. Why not go for something more liberating than wheels? Of course maybe this 'wheel' chair is a hovercraft version, I hope it is.

And they will probably have such a thing. But, I'm not overly stressing about it nor is it dumb. It is simple, relatable, and easy to manufacture. In other words, its using a pencil instead of inventing a space pen.

 

[Worf2DS9]

Why would a Chief Engineer on some other starship be a recurring role? I thought this was only a guest role.

 

[Jayson1]

That hideous cumbersome 'wheel' chair Pike ends up in is pretty grim. This is an instant where I wouldn't object to seeing something more believable in exchange, we already know Discovery technology is in a world of its own.

Which makes me wonder. I wonder if their is a extended reason we will be getting a new character in a wheelchair in the same season we are getting Pike. Will we see the incident this year that puts him in a wheelchair. She and him might bond or she will help him deal with the emotional pain over what has happened to him. As for bringing back the Pike chair I am mixed. It truly is a horrific idea of someone having to live like that but it's also a very iconic thing. Even the Kelvin Universe sort of payed homage to it in the first movie by having Pike in a wheelchair at the end of the movie. Perhaps they will imply he will eventually have to go into a chair like that but they don't show it though that would be a dark way to end his character arc. Tragic endings though are not bad things and it sort of does help to know he will sort of be rescued from it in the future because of Spock. I think he gets injured rescuing some young cadets. I kind of have forgotten the backstory a little. Perhaps one of the person's he saves is Tilly or Burnham or any of the "Discovery" crew. Not sure how that shakes out in terms of the timeline. Did they say how long he had been in the wheelchair when we first see him?

Jason

 

[Tuskin38]

Will we see the incident this year that puts him in a wheelchair.

That isn’t for a few years.