Dude, we've had polls on this forum for literally every episode of Discovery so far. ... Say what you want about the validity of the polls or the opinions of posters here... but the polls ARE empirical evidence, and they demonstrate pretty clearly that your negativity is not universally shared, nor is it the majority opinion.
Okay, here's what I'll say about them: they are
not empirical evidence, not even a little bit, for your assertion that "the majority of Discovery's fans have very few problems with its writing overall." A poll in these forums isn't remotely close to a scientific sample of the show's viewers, or even of fans. It is evidentially worthless.
Beyond that, I'm not sure what "negativity" you're accusing me of. I've posted any number of complimentary things about the show on these forums over the course of its run, and the critical things I've posted have consistently been measured statements backed up with examples and explanations. I don't whine, I don't rant, and I don't have an axe to grind here.
where is YOUR empirical evidence that the majority of viewers hate Discovery as much as you do?
And when did you stop beating your wife? Seriously, what makes you think I hate the show? Why are you trying to make me defend a straw-man position?
Summing up? I think the show has some good designs (e.g., the engineering set) and some bad designs (e.g., the Klingons). I think it has serviceable special effects. I think it's had some very solid acting. I think the writing has been very uneven, but there have been definite good episodes ("Lethe," "Magic," and "Into the Forest" especially stand out), and on average it's probably a better first season than any other Trek spinoff has managed. I also think the show unfortunately peaked mid-season, before the break, and the writing has been on the downslide ever since; in particular I think it jumped the shark with Lorca's heel turn in episode 13, and the season finale was a narrative asspull of ridiculous proportions. Still and all, I think the show has potential — much of it as yet unrealized — that makes me cautiously hopeful about the second season.
Where do you get hatred out of that? The worst Trek show out there was VOY, and I don't even hate that; I'm merely indifferent to it, to the extent that I've never watched most of its run and likely never will. (FWIW, the only Trek material I actively loathe is the two Abrams movies.)
An opinion that you cannot justify isn't invalid...
Yes, it fucking well is. As Harlan Ellison famously put it, "You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."
....and just because you believe something you cannot prove doesn't mean you're wrong.
Yes, it fucking well does. Believing something in the absence of evidence is pretty much a defining characteristic of irrationality.
On the one foot, you're saying that personal judgements are meaningful as long as you can give supporting reasons for them that might convince others.
Yes, of course. That's what the art of criticism is all about.
On the other foot, you're basically saying that objective measures of judging the quality of a show (critical review, viewer satisfaction, viewer retention, etc) don't actually matter.
On this point the discussion was about ratings—and nonexistent viewer surveys—not "critical review." (That falls in the category just above.) Surely you don't think anyone has ever proposed that ratings provide "objective measures of judging the quality of a show"? The very notion is absurd! They're a measure of popularity, not quality. The two are not interchangeable, and no reasonable person thinks they are.
