Just for fun, write a review or analysis of the series as if you write it 10 years from now........ What would it look like? It will be fun to dig up this thread in 10 years to see who was closest.
This is what I wrote:
--------
Looking back at Star Trek Discovery… 10 years later.
I will never forget the summer of 2016. I was traveling through Norway and I could only visit my regular Trek news sites at a few places I where there was free wifi. I will never forget how the infamous CGI test sequence popped up in my newsfeed, and how I quickly watched it while my wife and my kids visited a restroom. I remember how I was dazzled and surprised by the mere fact that the test was even put up online, but also by the overall negative response to the ships design. People were downright relentless in their expression of disgust for the design, and it became a trend that would go on for months, whenever a new image or piece of news became public. Remember that ‘Klingon crew photo’ from January 2017? Man, that photo caused a tidal wave of negativity amongst Trek fans. I still remember fans saying things like: ‘I’ll never watch this show!’
That was exactly 10 years ago…
And now that Discovery has been off the air for almost a year, after nine seasons and 113 episodes, can we really even begin to imagine its fans were not even willing to give it a chance before one episode had aired?
We probably cannot, ‘cause even the most devoted TOS fan will have to agree that Star Trek Discovery was the greatest achievement in Trek so far, artisitically, dramatically and visually. Unlike the 7 ‘Kelvin-movies’, fans are not polarized by Discovery, and the statement that Discovery was the best thing Trek ever did is a more general statement than a singular claim.
And perhaps the very beginning of Discovery was fundamental in generating this extremely positive vibe amongst all Trek fans, old and new. When ‘Explore’ aired in September of 2017, it created a tidal wave far, far more powerful than the one after the ‘Klingon photo’, and it would not stop until the very last episode, ‘New Worlds’ in 2026. In those 9 years, millions of fans from around the world have embraced Captain Rainsford and her unforgetable journey, from being a Lt. Commander, to a prisoner on a desolated Klingon astroid, to finally becoming Discovery’s Captain. It’s hard to imagine we may never see the character again, and in all likelyhood, those CBS talks going on right now probaby have to do with a new feature length movie featuring Discovery.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine. Doing away partially with the so called ‘Prime Universe’ throughout season 2 was pretty hard to swallow, as were the departures of several Trek-veterans and beloved characters along the way. Still, the fact that by season 4 nobody bothered about changes to the established Trek universe anymore and instead embraced this universe as a somewhat new entity really said a lot. Fans still debate how Discovery fits in the prime timeline, but no one debates it’s quality.
The highlight must have been season 6. With numberous Emmy-wins, including ‘Best Dramatic Series’, it was clear then that Discovery had surpassed anything Trek had done up until that point. It wasn’t solely a show for Trek fans anymore, or sci-fi fans: Discovery had reached the office coffee tables at morning and was mentioned along with the most popular shows at the time. Season 6 was also the season of Discovery’s most respected and beloved episode ‘Crossing The Ocean With A Dream’, featuring a 92 year old William Shatner. It could have been a cheap way to please the fans, but at that moment in the series, ‘pleasing the fans’ was no longer necessary, and thus we were offered a excellent piece of drama and an astonishing possible (though hopefully not) farewell of Shatner to the Star Trek universe.
During it’s final years, Discovery would (though never reaching those season 6 heights again) never lose its winning streak, and the final episode did the series and the Rainsford character justice, thankfully leaving an opening for further developement.
This is what I wrote:
--------
Looking back at Star Trek Discovery… 10 years later.
I will never forget the summer of 2016. I was traveling through Norway and I could only visit my regular Trek news sites at a few places I where there was free wifi. I will never forget how the infamous CGI test sequence popped up in my newsfeed, and how I quickly watched it while my wife and my kids visited a restroom. I remember how I was dazzled and surprised by the mere fact that the test was even put up online, but also by the overall negative response to the ships design. People were downright relentless in their expression of disgust for the design, and it became a trend that would go on for months, whenever a new image or piece of news became public. Remember that ‘Klingon crew photo’ from January 2017? Man, that photo caused a tidal wave of negativity amongst Trek fans. I still remember fans saying things like: ‘I’ll never watch this show!’
That was exactly 10 years ago…
And now that Discovery has been off the air for almost a year, after nine seasons and 113 episodes, can we really even begin to imagine its fans were not even willing to give it a chance before one episode had aired?
We probably cannot, ‘cause even the most devoted TOS fan will have to agree that Star Trek Discovery was the greatest achievement in Trek so far, artisitically, dramatically and visually. Unlike the 7 ‘Kelvin-movies’, fans are not polarized by Discovery, and the statement that Discovery was the best thing Trek ever did is a more general statement than a singular claim.
And perhaps the very beginning of Discovery was fundamental in generating this extremely positive vibe amongst all Trek fans, old and new. When ‘Explore’ aired in September of 2017, it created a tidal wave far, far more powerful than the one after the ‘Klingon photo’, and it would not stop until the very last episode, ‘New Worlds’ in 2026. In those 9 years, millions of fans from around the world have embraced Captain Rainsford and her unforgetable journey, from being a Lt. Commander, to a prisoner on a desolated Klingon astroid, to finally becoming Discovery’s Captain. It’s hard to imagine we may never see the character again, and in all likelyhood, those CBS talks going on right now probaby have to do with a new feature length movie featuring Discovery.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine. Doing away partially with the so called ‘Prime Universe’ throughout season 2 was pretty hard to swallow, as were the departures of several Trek-veterans and beloved characters along the way. Still, the fact that by season 4 nobody bothered about changes to the established Trek universe anymore and instead embraced this universe as a somewhat new entity really said a lot. Fans still debate how Discovery fits in the prime timeline, but no one debates it’s quality.
The highlight must have been season 6. With numberous Emmy-wins, including ‘Best Dramatic Series’, it was clear then that Discovery had surpassed anything Trek had done up until that point. It wasn’t solely a show for Trek fans anymore, or sci-fi fans: Discovery had reached the office coffee tables at morning and was mentioned along with the most popular shows at the time. Season 6 was also the season of Discovery’s most respected and beloved episode ‘Crossing The Ocean With A Dream’, featuring a 92 year old William Shatner. It could have been a cheap way to please the fans, but at that moment in the series, ‘pleasing the fans’ was no longer necessary, and thus we were offered a excellent piece of drama and an astonishing possible (though hopefully not) farewell of Shatner to the Star Trek universe.
During it’s final years, Discovery would (though never reaching those season 6 heights again) never lose its winning streak, and the final episode did the series and the Rainsford character justice, thankfully leaving an opening for further developement.
