Spoilers New Short Trek - Q&A

[DaveyNY]

Perhaps because they weren't on a quadrant mapping mission.

They were just looking at and scanning specific planets that might meet the requirements that Dr. Marcus had laid out for them to do.

One could surmise that they had been at it for quite some time, due to the conversation that Chekov had with Captain Terrell which sounded like they were both rather exasperated by that point.

Meaning that they may have entered the system only hardheartedly paying attention and just focused in on what appeared to be a possible planetary candidate.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Or it's just a minor plot hole that doesn't affect the outcome of the narrative.

 

[Tim Thomason]

One thing Discovery and this Short Trek has done is that, before Discovery, we thought that Number One was just what Pike always called his first officer. Now, we see that she demands others call her Number One even though she has the name Una.

It honestly makes her character more unsettling...

And she somehow covers it up to the point that even Spock doesn't know her name (isn't she his immediate boss?), BUT he knows that she keeps her name private.

The only way this makes sense is if she comes from a culture or something that prefers to keep names personal or private. But if that was the case, why name something after herself?

 

[ALF]

Loved it, my favorite Short Trek by far.
There was not enough Number One in Disco for my liking.
Not a crazy huge fan of out-of-sequence storytelling - which this show often revels in - but I have a soft spot for first meetings of important characters.

Have to be that guy - did anyone else find the strong lighting in the lift exposed some of Spock's makeup in a distracting way?

Is the next episode on the 10th title revealing a reference to The Trouble With Tribbles?
Assuming in Trek, "The Trouble With ______ Someone" is always gonna be tribbles.

 

[Noname Given]

Why didn't Terrell and Chekov just count the planets in the Ceti Alpha system?

One better: How did Khan meet Chekov in person (Kahn: "Mr...Chekov...I never forget a face..." - because even in the original show they acknowledged he was a NEW crewman in Season 2 and thus wasn't around in person for the incidents in "Space Seed".

Yep - plot holes, canon issues and inconsistencies galore <--- Yet STII: TWoK remains one of the most beloved and looked to as in "Yes, THIS is Star Trek..." entries in all of the Star Trek franchise...

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

Nice to see a subtle little TFF reference worked into this one (even whilst continuing to cleanly sidestep any direct reference to Sybok)...

I also enjoyed the smiley-shouty-Spock callouts, and how the real-life porting over of Number One's more reserved qualities to Spock's character following the first pilot was in turn transposed into the fictional context here.

-MMoM

 

[ELURIA]

Ahh okay I was really wondering about that. Personally I found the music really jarring because it sounded so much like Kelvinverse. I mean, come on, they can’t write different music for a 14 minute short??

You still expect JJ's pal Kurtzman to be true to the original Star Trek after what he did with STD season 1, 2 and the previous 4 Short Treks?

 

[The Wormhole]

One thing Discovery and this Short Trek has done is that, before Discovery, we thought that Number One was just what Pike always called his first officer. Now, we see that she demands others call her Number One even though she has the name Una.

It honestly makes her character more unsettling...

Tie-in material's been doing that for years, though usually the reason was to avoid giving her a name. Even in a comic series which featured her as a cadet. They've just finally made it canon with Disco and Short Trek.

Yes, let's waste the better part of fifteen minutes explaining why they can't use the transporter. Because this is what the viewers want, right?

Don't you know, according to Trekkies, the very text book definition of compelling entertainment is to have everyone sit around the briefing room table with stacks of computer pads displaying detailed starship schematics and droning on an Treknobabble about how and why something is or isn't possible. You damn well better believe that if I were writing this it would be about the Enterprise's engineering staff going through the options and reviewing them at length and in depth for the 45 minute length of a proper episode before ultimately beaming Spock and Number One out of the turbolift. And all the True Fans would love it and demand I be given the Keys to the Franchise, so that I can remold Star Trek in my vision.

because even in the original show they acknowledged he was a NEW crewman in Season 2 and thus wasn't around in person for the incidents in "Space Seed".

The only thing established about when Chekov transferred aboard the Enterprise is that it was likely after Mudd's Women, given in I Mudd he had no idea who Harry Mudd was. He could still easily be aboard for Space Seed.

 

[Timo]

It's pretty clear-cut. Chekov is indicated to be new to the bridge in "Catspaw", which happens more than a hundred stardates before "Space Seed".

Timo Saloniemi

 

[pst]

Ahh okay I was really wondering about that. Personally I found the music really jarring because it sounded so much like Kelvinverse. I mean, come on, they can’t write different music for a 14 minute short??

it wasn't a note-for-note rendition of the theme, so technically it was different.

i think it's nice the enterprise is getting a somewhat consistent musical identity in whatever universe it appears. musical consistency has never really been this franchise's strong suit.

 

[The Wormhole]

musical consistency has never really been this franchise's strong suit.

Music itself has never really been the franchise's strong suit. At least as far as television is concerned.

 

[Tuskin38]

You still expect JJ's pal Kurtzman to be true to the original Star Trek after what he did with STD season 1, 2 and the previous 4 Short Treks?

He has been so far

 

[ELURIA]

He has been so far

If one closes one's eyes and plugs one's ears, perhaps. Otherwise, no

 

[Timo]

Naah. Trek is Trek. If it has Klingons and Spock, it's already two thirds classic Trek...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

One better: How did Khan meet Chekov in person (Kahn: "Mr...Chekov...I never forget a face..." - because even in the original show they acknowledged he was a NEW crewman in Season 2 and thus wasn't around in person for the incidents in "Space Seed".

It's pretty clear-cut. Chekov is indicated to be new to the bridge in "Catspaw", which happens more than a hundred stardates before "Space Seed".

Actually, I don't recall anyone in "Catspaw" (TOS) outright saying Chekov was then a new crew member, and Pavel even admonishes DeSalle that he's emphatically "not that green." (But of course, 'new to the bridge' need not equate to 'new to the ship' anyway...his temporary re-assignment to Engineering in Into Darkness was a nod to the long-held fandom theory that he was indeed aboard at the time of "Space Seed" [TOS], but had simply been posted below-decks, yes?)

-MMoM

 

[fireproof78]

He has been so far

Yeah, he's been doing a fine job.

 

[Greg Cox]

I had issues with listening to the dialogue and I was frustrated that the CC (subtitling) was not available for this episode. I know that in general an accord was reached between Spock and Una, but because of my issues with listening to the dialogue, I do not know the specifics.

Ah, so that's why I couldn't get the CC to work. I thought maybe it was just my computer being wonky.

 

[BillJ]

Yes, let's waste the better part of fifteen minutes explaining why they can't use the transporter. Because this is what the viewers want, right?

Fifteen minutes? You likely could have done it in fifteen seconds to close the plot hole that Discovery opened up.

 

[Tuskin38]

Fifteen minutes? You likely could have done it in fifteen seconds to close the plot hole that Discovery opened up.

None of the other series that showed interbeaming had to explain it.

 

[ToyBoxComix]

Related to the absurdity of the turbolift roller coaster and all the dead space, I was also vaguely annoyed that the rescue involved Number One grabbing a thing with one hand and being lifted up through the turbolift nonsense without any safety measures.

Regardless, it was a fun story.