It wasn't really a war show. And if it was, 2 out of 7 seasons of war (even if the War was primarily used as a backdrop) doesn't meant he whole series was a war show.
Please - by every standard being used to judge the as-yet-unseen Discovery, DS9 was most definitely a war show from the fourth year on. Jesus.
Well I haven't judged Discovery on anything because I haven't seen it. However if it turns out like DS9, that's great because I liked the veriety on DS9.
I don't mind them being at war with the Klingons in "this universe" or however Doug Jones phrased it, but potentially add a Federation/Klingon war to the myriad items that separate Discovery from the TOS universe. FASA had the Four Years War against the Klingons pre-TOS, but that was an invention of theirs and "Errand of Mercy" makes it pretty clear there was no prior open warfare between the two powers. So why do they keep claiming it's Prime Universe?
Let's not forget that Kirk Prime was a war veteran, at least in the opinion of Garth of Izar which Kirk rather modestly avoided contradicting. If he didn't fight Klingons, and clearly didn't fight Romulans, who did he fight? Of course, Garth calls Kirk a great military commander - how young could he have been to still be in a position to command something? But even if we dismiss Garth's rantings as a thoroughly distorted view of the actual events, and Kirk just humors the madman, we still get the reverse evidence where Kirk speaks words of truth about Garth. So, how old or young was Garth when he was the Federation's greatest military leader and his skills were in great demand? Kirk studied his victories at the Academy, which would allow for them to be fresh in DIS... As for "Errand of Mercy", Kirk is adamant that the Klingons have invaded UFP territory and killed UFP citizens. In contrast, nothing is stated about there not having been open war in the recent past. Timo Saloniemi
Use of the word "again" after the dramtic declarations of war with the Klingons would be necessary to fit a prior Klingon/Federation war into the continuity.
It was Tuesday, so the Klingons were declaring war again. It ends each Saturday so they can get to one ritual or another on time. They don't start the wars of Mondays due to the Blood Wine hangovers.
While I certainly agree the Romulans would be awesome to see more of, I feel like the Klingons deserve more screen time, as long as it presents more depth to them as individuals and as a culture. The idea of all f them as war-like and warrior as the only acceptable Klingon career path makes them very one dimensional and puts a lot of holes in their society. I feel like this is more of a shift is caste power structure (the warrior caste taking over) and we should see more Klingon artists, engineers etc, who (while probably treated as second class citizens by the warrior caste) are not just failed warriors, but those who turned that energy to other endeavors, while keeping their aggression and warrior species.
Kirk pretty much says as much in the episode, considering the Klingons fundamentally incapable of anything but war. Within the broad confines of evidence, Axanar could be dropped smack in the middle of STD, DIS, DSC or whatever. Should we see Garth, then, considering he's apparently extremely central to the conflict? Timo Saloniemi
I don't think Star Trek: Discovery will be a war show. I think it will be a peace show, ala The Undiscovered Country - how to find common ground with another civilization and prevent war.
This is exactly how I have viewed it - and TUC has a big influence on the show. But I hope it is like how Vanguard by Mack, Kevin Dilmore and Dayton Ward worked, building towards entente between the major powers (even though these were temporary); or how Beyer's own brilliant Voyager novels work (meeting coalitions in the Delta Quadrant years after the Voyager left).
...The really interesting thing is whether they will try to wrap it up in the pilot episode already, or spread it out across a season or two. How much do we see in the trailers? One episode's worth? Three, with the Discovery and Mudd bits coming after the pilot? Perhaps the pilot is all war (most of it unseen during the time Burnham spends in the gaol) and things then calm down a bit. Timo Saloniemi
It seems to me everything in the trailer was from the pilot, except for Mudd scenes. TrekCore's trailer analysis confirms this more or less.
When do things ever come down in modern television? It will be a war show. Because that's what sells now. It may make us nostalgic for the days of holodeck malfunctions, reset buttons, and Ferengi episodes.
That's my hope. Given that movie was the 'touchstone' along with an episode where two enemy commanders found common ground and mutual respect, I'm hoping this is a series about ending war.