Me too
Looking Back at S1
- Thread starter Vger23
- Start date
Me too
I found the visual effects and the aspect ratio compared to later seasons to be a bit jarring.
I really enjoyed it more the second time I watched it. I have a really difficult time following Discovery though so I typically like each season better the second time around 
It also did make me give a lot of credit to how much they let (most) the characters evolve.
It also did make me give a lot of credit to how much they let (most) the characters evolve.
I'm working my way through Season 1. I'm on "Choose Your Pain".
When L'Rell is torturing Lorca, opening up his eyes, and exposing him to ultra-bright light, it reminds me of when Alex DeLarge's eyes are forcibly open and he's being tortured in A Clockwork Orange.
EDITED TO ADD: Vulcan Asshole at the beginning of "Lethe" before he kills himself and tries to take Sarek with him, "Vulcans will soon withdraw from the failed experiment that is the Federation." You'll have to wait over 800 years for that one, pal.
When L'Rell is torturing Lorca, opening up his eyes, and exposing him to ultra-bright light, it reminds me of when Alex DeLarge's eyes are forcibly open and he's being tortured in A Clockwork Orange.
EDITED TO ADD: Vulcan Asshole at the beginning of "Lethe" before he kills himself and tries to take Sarek with him, "Vulcans will soon withdraw from the failed experiment that is the Federation." You'll have to wait over 800 years for that one, pal.
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I'm about to put on the last two episodes of the season. Except for the first two episodes, which I was I thought I was too hard on initially, I agree with most of the ratings I gave them before. I gave "The Vulcan Hello" and "Battle at the Binary Stars" both 7s, due to the way Burnham massively screwed up, when I otherwise would've given them 9s. Taking off two points is too harsh, so I'll go with 8s. Captain Georgiou deserved better.
BTW, people either like to forget this or flat out don't remember, but Lorca told Emperor Georgiou that she'd gotten too soft. In his true colors, Lorca would be far worse. He is worse because he's hidden who he really is and people are still fooled. Still a great character, but he's a slickster. To put it into a massive understatement.
What else can I say? After six years, I still really enjoy the first season about as much as I did before. I don't care what anyone else says, I think they brought Star Trek back to TV with a bang.
EDITED TO ADD: This how my ratings for DSC Season 1 are, as they stand now:
1. "The Vulcan Hello" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 8
2. "Battle at the Binary Stars" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 8
3. "Context Is for Kings" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 9
4. "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 8
5. "Choose Your Pain" --> Original Rating: 9 --> Final Rating: 9
6. "Lethe" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 10
7. "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" --> Original Rating: 9 --> Final Rating: 9
8. "Si Vic Pacem, Para Bellum" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 7
9. "Into the Forest I Go" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 10
10. "Despite Yourself" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 10
11. "The Wolf Inside" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 8
12. "Vaulting Ambition" --> Original Rating: 9 --> Final Rating: 9
13. "What's Past Is Prologue" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 9
14. "The War Without, the War Within" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 8
15. "Will You Take My Hand?" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 9
Final Average --> 8.73
BTW, people either like to forget this or flat out don't remember, but Lorca told Emperor Georgiou that she'd gotten too soft. In his true colors, Lorca would be far worse. He is worse because he's hidden who he really is and people are still fooled. Still a great character, but he's a slickster. To put it into a massive understatement.
What else can I say? After six years, I still really enjoy the first season about as much as I did before. I don't care what anyone else says, I think they brought Star Trek back to TV with a bang.
EDITED TO ADD: This how my ratings for DSC Season 1 are, as they stand now:
1. "The Vulcan Hello" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 8
2. "Battle at the Binary Stars" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 8
3. "Context Is for Kings" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 9
4. "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 8
5. "Choose Your Pain" --> Original Rating: 9 --> Final Rating: 9
6. "Lethe" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 10
7. "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" --> Original Rating: 9 --> Final Rating: 9
8. "Si Vic Pacem, Para Bellum" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 7
9. "Into the Forest I Go" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 10
10. "Despite Yourself" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 10
11. "The Wolf Inside" --> Original Rating: 7 --> Final Rating: 8
12. "Vaulting Ambition" --> Original Rating: 9 --> Final Rating: 9
13. "What's Past Is Prologue" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 9
14. "The War Without, the War Within" --> Original Rating: 8 --> Final Rating: 8
15. "Will You Take My Hand?" --> Original Rating: 10 --> Final Rating: 9
Final Average --> 8.73
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I wasn't a fan of the dark style or the JJ type phasers but the quality of the effects both real and digital was probably the best we ever got from a Trek season.
Not working until tonight. I'm about to put on "Will You Take My Hand?"
I think I might've finally figured out when "Ruanway" takes place. The Short Treks episode with Tilly and Po. I think it takes place between scenes during "Will You Take My Hand?" Specifically, after Discovery leaves Earth but before they encounter the Enterprise.
I'm going to stop "Will You Take My Hand?" after the crew is awarded and Burnham has her monologue. Then I'm putting on the deleted scene where Georgiou is recruited into Section 31. Then I'm putting on "Runaway". And then I'm cutting back to the rest of "Will You Take My Hand?" to see if it all fits together the way I think it does.
"Runaway", if it flows right, would also work as a good tonal bridge between Season 1 and what will be Season 2.
EDITED TO ADD: "Runaway" is a nice tonal transition to the final scene of Season 1, but it doesn't chronologically fit like I thought it would. Nice to watch it again, though.
Tilly has her Season 2 hair for one, but that's not what did it for me. She could always change her hair back to the bun before going onto the bridge. So that's not it. The thing that does it is that it looks like Discovery went straight from Earth to Vulcan, with Sarek onboard. He did say he'd be travelling with them back to Vulcan to meet who was supposed to be their new Captain.
So the search for where to put "Runaway" continues.
DOUBLE-EDIT: Georgiou's recruitment into Section 31 looks like an Alternate Ending to Season 1. If you go to that scene immediately after the Discovery crew is honored, it works as an epilogue because now we know where all the characters end up. So, if the series had stopped with Season 1, there's some kind of resolution for everyone. Burnham has her rank back, Tilly's an Ensign, Discovery is on its way to meet is new Captain (just not the Captain they thought!), and Georgiou is in Section 31.
Then the credits roll after the end of that Section 31 scene in this YouTube video, which further cements in my mind that it was originally intended to be how they were going to end the season, before they changed their minds.
I think I might've finally figured out when "Ruanway" takes place. The Short Treks episode with Tilly and Po. I think it takes place between scenes during "Will You Take My Hand?" Specifically, after Discovery leaves Earth but before they encounter the Enterprise.
I'm going to stop "Will You Take My Hand?" after the crew is awarded and Burnham has her monologue. Then I'm putting on the deleted scene where Georgiou is recruited into Section 31. Then I'm putting on "Runaway". And then I'm cutting back to the rest of "Will You Take My Hand?" to see if it all fits together the way I think it does.
"Runaway", if it flows right, would also work as a good tonal bridge between Season 1 and what will be Season 2.
EDITED TO ADD: "Runaway" is a nice tonal transition to the final scene of Season 1, but it doesn't chronologically fit like I thought it would. Nice to watch it again, though.
Tilly has her Season 2 hair for one, but that's not what did it for me. She could always change her hair back to the bun before going onto the bridge. So that's not it. The thing that does it is that it looks like Discovery went straight from Earth to Vulcan, with Sarek onboard. He did say he'd be travelling with them back to Vulcan to meet who was supposed to be their new Captain.
So the search for where to put "Runaway" continues.
DOUBLE-EDIT: Georgiou's recruitment into Section 31 looks like an Alternate Ending to Season 1. If you go to that scene immediately after the Discovery crew is honored, it works as an epilogue because now we know where all the characters end up. So, if the series had stopped with Season 1, there's some kind of resolution for everyone. Burnham has her rank back, Tilly's an Ensign, Discovery is on its way to meet is new Captain (just not the Captain they thought!), and Georgiou is in Section 31.
Then the credits roll after the end of that Section 31 scene in this YouTube video, which further cements in my mind that it was originally intended to be how they were going to end the season, before they changed their minds.
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I think the best placement is between “Light and Thunder” and “If Memory Serves”. There’s no gap between “Brother” and “New Eden”, after that Tilly is messed up from the dark matter until “Saints of Imperfection”. There’s no reason it couldn’t happen between this episode and “Light and Thunder”, but it kind of seems like Michael is off the ship, which is why I like it after “Lights” specifically.
Now that I know when the new season of Discovery is coming, I'm looking forward to revisiting season 1, especially as the first season of the new Star Trek era. I wonder how the effects have changed over the years in that I remember a lot of the effects in Season 1 being incredibly dark.
I'm on my first series rewatch of DSC right now. I just finished S1.
I enjoyed the show first run, but I'm finding it better then I remember being able to binge. I always really liked James Frain's take on Sarek, I only hope he turns up in SNW somehow. (the "haven't spoken as father & son" line could be taken any number of ways)
I enjoyed the show first run, but I'm finding it better then I remember being able to binge. I always really liked James Frain's take on Sarek, I only hope he turns up in SNW somehow. (the "haven't spoken as father & son" line could be taken any number of ways)
Eerily close to what I'd probably say.
I recently completed a series rewatch myself and agree with all this. Now having seen the whole thing straight through for the first time basically since each season aired, season 1 has massively improved in my estimation. While there's still a bunch of wonky things and first installment weirdness, as is tradition for the franchise, it had one of the better story arcs that I actually felt like it used its 15 episodes well. Each successive season succumbed to arc fatigue because I couldn't find any reason to justify why the stories needed 13 episodes to tell.
DSC S1 is actually my favorite now... something I never thought I'd say in a million years.
I rewatched Disco, binge style, for the first time a bit back, and gave started again before S1 airs. The pre-MU stuff is much clearer in my mind in terms of relative enjoyment. So I will start there.
"Into the Forest I Go" and "Context is for Kings" remain my favorire episodes of the season. Easily inside a DISCO top 10 for me. These are 10's.
"Choose Your Pain" and "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" are clearly next. These are clear 9s. Maybe 9.5s.
"Lethe" and "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry" are similar for me. The both contain stuff that I really like a lot,,but also have ine dumb/hokey thing that drags it down & I cannot quite get over. The light year mind-meld in "Lethe" (and "Binary") and Landry's death in "Butcher's Knife." Without them, "Lethe" is probably a 10 and "Butcher's Knife" a 9. But since the dumb thing is more central in "Lethe" it gets knocked down more. I get why some folks love "Lethe." And I do love parts of it. But there are 4 first half eps I easily like better, and at least a couple more as much.
I like "The Vulcan Hello" more than most. The Klingon stuff does not bother me, at all. Captain Georgiou is a joy. It is GORGEOUS. SF command jumping to conclusions about Burnham causing it is a tired stupid Admiral ST trope.
I like "Binary" less despite some excellent Georgiou tactics & MB talking hercway out of the brig. The mind-meldy thing is hokey for me and MB martyring the Klingon 10 minutes after she was the one pointing out how stupid that would be really drags it down for me. Still OK, but I'd put this one bottom of the first half.
I liked "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" a lot both times. We visit a new planet for the first time in DISCO. And it sets up the conclusion of the Pavho arc in "Forest."
I am not all the way thru S1 the 3rd time. I cannot put numbers on all of them. But I can say "Forest" & "Context" are tops. Closely followed by ""Magic" & then "Pain."
"Binary" is clearly bottom but was still entertaining. The others are coearly better than "Binary" but not as good as the top 4 for me. YMMV, of course.
The MU ones are cloudier for me. I need a rewatch for clarity.
But despite the slightly disappointing/puzzling finale, I think DISCO S1 is in the running for the bronze in best S1s.
Gold: TOS
Silver: SNW
Bronze: DISCO, PRO, or DS9
Then: VOY, LD
Then: ENT
Then: TNG, TAS
"Into the Forest I Go" and "Context is for Kings" remain my favorire episodes of the season. Easily inside a DISCO top 10 for me. These are 10's.
"Choose Your Pain" and "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" are clearly next. These are clear 9s. Maybe 9.5s.
"Lethe" and "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry" are similar for me. The both contain stuff that I really like a lot,,but also have ine dumb/hokey thing that drags it down & I cannot quite get over. The light year mind-meld in "Lethe" (and "Binary") and Landry's death in "Butcher's Knife." Without them, "Lethe" is probably a 10 and "Butcher's Knife" a 9. But since the dumb thing is more central in "Lethe" it gets knocked down more. I get why some folks love "Lethe." And I do love parts of it. But there are 4 first half eps I easily like better, and at least a couple more as much.
I like "The Vulcan Hello" more than most. The Klingon stuff does not bother me, at all. Captain Georgiou is a joy. It is GORGEOUS. SF command jumping to conclusions about Burnham causing it is a tired stupid Admiral ST trope.
I like "Binary" less despite some excellent Georgiou tactics & MB talking hercway out of the brig. The mind-meldy thing is hokey for me and MB martyring the Klingon 10 minutes after she was the one pointing out how stupid that would be really drags it down for me. Still OK, but I'd put this one bottom of the first half.
I liked "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" a lot both times. We visit a new planet for the first time in DISCO. And it sets up the conclusion of the Pavho arc in "Forest."
I am not all the way thru S1 the 3rd time. I cannot put numbers on all of them. But I can say "Forest" & "Context" are tops. Closely followed by ""Magic" & then "Pain."
"Binary" is clearly bottom but was still entertaining. The others are coearly better than "Binary" but not as good as the top 4 for me. YMMV, of course.
The MU ones are cloudier for me. I need a rewatch for clarity.
But despite the slightly disappointing/puzzling finale, I think DISCO S1 is in the running for the bronze in best S1s.
Gold: TOS
Silver: SNW
Bronze: DISCO, PRO, or DS9
Then: VOY, LD
Then: ENT
Then: TNG, TAS
TOS showed Vulcans can sense each other over light years (Spock sensed the death of the crew of the Intrepid), and Enterprise had T'Pol and Trip connected over distances.
This isn't to change your mind, I'm just pointing out that Discovery didn't make it up.
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I'm amazed at how many people just sort of gloss over how completely unethical putting bombs in dead bodies is. I mean, it's an active war crime under the Geneva Convention, and has been since 1949. I highly doubt this would change in the intervening period.
Of course, the real reason is just whoever worked on the script didn't actually do their research, but now nitpickers have to come up with excuses to explain it within universe.
Welll...that whole WW3 thing might have impacted some conventions, as Soock noted that records are fragmentary.
I'm sure That Particular Crowd will claim it as proof that Starfleet isn't military.
As an aside, something has always irked me a bit about the Sarek scenes from TVH/BOTBS: Mainly, that what Sarek tells Michael during the initial holo-call doesn't actually align well with what she goes back and tells Georgiou. Obviously, saying the same thing twice in a narrative is a no-no, but it felt disjointed in such a way that one or both of those scenes seemed like a reshoot.
