Early Criticism: What’s Unfounded and What Isn’t

[The Librarian]

The destruction of the pirate ship versus getting it to surrender,

I don't get this. Why would they risk asking them to surrender when they have no way of knowing how long Caleb's countermeasure will keep the programmable matter disabled or what other weapons the pirate ship has? Using their brief moment of surprise to hit them as hard as possible is exactly what any other captain would have done. No one questions why Kirk didn't ask Chang to surrender.

 

[fireproof78]

And does anyone really believe pranks, shenanigans or whatever hasn't gone on at actual military academies? I mean, really?

Not just in academies but actual deployed units too.

It's apparent that there's no longer much intersection between evaluating a show as "part of Star Trek" and judging it on the basis of essential qualities of the medium - story, performance, direction, visual design, etc.

True.


I guess I've hit my "escapism" phase again. I'm not keen to nitpick but just watch it and enjoy my and move on.

 

[Set Harth]

And not just shenanigans but also mischief, hijinks and tomfoolery.

 

[CT_Phipps]

I don't get this. Why would they risk asking them to surrender when they have no way of knowing how long Caleb's countermeasure will keep the programmable matter disabled or what other weapons the pirate ship has? Using their brief moment of surprise to hit them as hard as possible is exactly what any other captain would have done. No one questions why Kirk didn't ask Chang to surrender.

Because extra-judicially executing a bunch of criminals is not really something that hits well these days. The complaint is not that they don't have REASON. It's that they should be better than that. Especially in the fact that the pirates didn't kill anyone that we saw.

It's like that scene from Fallout where Cooper asks why he has to gun down a man at the climax of the movie versus arresting him.

"It's just not my thing."

 

[trekfan_1]

To put a bit of a bow on the intent my original post - As some on this thread has pointed out , some of the criticism is coming from people that didn't WATCH the show, are not hardcore trek fans and are LOOKING to find things to dislike about it.

Nothing wrong with saying you dislike material based on personal preference. But many are saying " x, y and z Makes ZERO sense" when actually "a, b, and c" gives you a reason it does if you paid attention or have knowledge of larger Trek back story.

 

[CT_Phipps]

My own opinion on the show is...I like it.

Like Strange New Worlds, the episodic format is the best possible choice for Star Trek and just by having it, the show has won major points for me.

It's a show that isn't Star Trek like some shows but it's a show set in the academy with younger audiences.

Some people say, "It's very CW" as if that's an insult and I was like, "Supernatural lasted 15 seasons, dude."

 

[Elaise]

I don't get this. Why would they risk asking them to surrender when they have no way of knowing how long Caleb's countermeasure will keep the programmable matter disabled or what other weapons the pirate ship has? Using their brief moment of surprise to hit them as hard as possible is exactly what any other captain would have done. No one questions why Kirk didn't ask Chang to surrender.

It was a work once gimmick, its an old trek trope. Something happens they figure it out and win. On top of that she wanted to beam them into space rather than some cargo or cell. Couple the next 2 episodes she talking about peace, patience, and empathy.

Picard and janeway both got their ships hit hard and still managed to come to peaceful solutions.

 

[Mudd]

It was a work once gimmick, its an old trek trope. Something happens they figure it out and win. On top of that she wanted to beam them into space rather than some cargo or cell. Couple the next 2 episodes she talking about peace, patience, and empathy.

Picard and janeway both got their ships hit hard and still managed to come to peaceful solutions.

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[firehawk12]

Prodigy really does throw something of a wrench in a lot of the excuses given for the Academy characters behavior.

"Rok, you and Murph are so skibidi together!"

I don't get this. Why would they risk asking them to surrender when they have no way of knowing how long Caleb's countermeasure will keep the programmable matter disabled or what other weapons the pirate ship has? Using their brief moment of surprise to hit them as hard as possible is exactly what any other captain would have done. No one questions why Kirk didn't ask Chang to surrender.

We got to see that Chang was about to destroy them. In the episode, all we see is Paul Giamatti having a Kirk-style fight with Caleb during that whole sequence.

It would have been easy from a writer perspective to make Ake's "Blow that ship up line" seem triumphant, but they don't. For some people, myself included, it just didn't work. We don't know if the henchmen are all evil and bloodthirsty or if they were trying to surrender before they got blown up. Obviously the former is most likely, but in episodes that already are way too long, it's one of those things they could have just included as writers.

Like think about everything Kirk lost in Star Trek 3 and they still have him offer mercy as an option before giving him his hero moment of killing the bad guy.

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[fireproof78]

Based on history it would seem the bad guys are bad.

 

[Fateor]

It would have been easy from a writer perspective to make Ake's "Blow that ship up line" seem triumphant, but they don't. For some people, myself included, it just didn't work. We don't know if the henchmen are all evil and bloodthirsty or if they were trying to surrender before they got blown up. Obviously the former is most likely, but in episodes that already are way too long, it's one of those things they could have just included as writers.

I have to wonder if there was scene with the pirates going "after we get the warp core, we'll blow the ship to hell" that got left on the cutting room floor by someone who didn't understand why that part of the scene was necessary.

Because something like that would have gone at least some way to justifying the extreme response to the viewers.

 

[fireproof78]

Despite what Disney would have us believe pirates should not be regarded as safe people.

 

[Set Harth]

Despite what Disney would have us believe pirates should not be retarded

Take that, Jon Favreau!

 

[CT_Phipps]

Based on history it would seem the bad guys are bad.

Yes, but are they "guilty of execution" levels of bad. Blowing up Daleks and Borg? Fine.

Blowing up random thieves? Less so.

It's doubly notable because the pirates we've met in Star Trek tend to be less than terrifying. Captain Angel and Tendi's family don't really conjure execution.

Mudd did much worse in DISCO and ended up just being sold back to his father in law.

 

[fireproof78]

Yes, but are they "guilty of execution" levels of bad. Blowing up Daleks and Borg? Fine. Blowing up random thieves? Less so.

I take the term pirate as quite bad so yes, I think so.

 

[CT_Phipps]

I take the term pirate as quite bad so yes, I think so.

I guess the Mistress of Winter Constellations just makes me think they're not necessarily all murderous scum.

 

[fireproof78]

I guess the Mistress of Winter Constellations just makes me think they're not necessarily all murderous scum.

Studying history of several pirates has given me a far less favorable view.

 

[ToddCam]

I think the "Star Trek 90210" argument is rather ridiculous. Why do people jump to the 90210 comparison instead of say, X-Men? Or My Hero Academia? Or Umbrella Academy? Or even Harry Potter?

Because they're mostly middle-aged people who disdained that show when it was on.

 

[camdudetenger2018]

3 episodes into the show and its alrighty more controversial than it has been in episode 1

its like if people do not like this verison of star trek starfleet academy then go on fan fiction sites and make your own verisons

 

[CT_Phipps]

Studying history of several pirates has given me a far less favorable view.

It's the same for me in reverse, at least the Republic of Nassau. It's hard to take pirates as the enemies of civilization as the British tried to portray them as when they were engaging in the slave trade (long before their apology tour regarding it).

Yes, they're thieves but the ones we saw weren't engaging in atrocities and there's only one crime that warrants the death penalty in the Federation anyway.

So, really, it's not that it was a huge betrayal of Star Trek but I wish we'd got, "Disable their warp core. Let Starfleet take them prisoner."