Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 1x01 - "The Vulcan Hello"

[tomalak301]

My ranking of best to worst ST TV pilots/first episodes (tonight's version):

1. "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
2. "Beyond the Farthest Star"
3. "Emissary"
4. "Encounter at Farpoint"
5. "The Cage"
6. "The Vulcan Hello"
7. "Broken Bow"
8. "Caretaker"

Peeples wins.

Good idea

1. Caretaker (I really loved Voyager's pilot as it introduced the characters really well and set things in motion for the rest of the series)

2. Broken Bow
3. Emissary
4. Where No Man Has Gone Before
5. The Cage
6. The Vulcan Hello
7. Encounter at Farpoint

 

[CorporalClegg]

Penalizing The Vulcan Hello because of a lack of knowledge about how it and Battle of the Binary Stasrs were going to be aired, or an objection to that broadcasting decision on the part of CBS, is not offering legitimate criticism of the episode itself.

Of course it is. The episode's narrative, theme, and direction are all completely dependent on the second episode.

Even in the most serialized of TV shows, all the episodes have self-contained narratives. I've never seen anything else like this.

What aired tonight, by all other TV standards, was one episode. CBS just tried to falsely sell it at two.

 

[Trekfan12]

Various thoughts:

Desert scene seemed unnecessary other than to show Georgiou's cleverness. Also - no shuttlecrafts available to pick them up? Have to bring down a starship?

Klingons. Boooorrring. Too drawn out; too much awk bawk a cawk Klingon language.

Good to see the tradition of prick admirals continues in the new show. Burnham killed in self-defense. Not her fault (at that point) that things went sideways.

Scene of Burnham in underwear. Achievement unlocked. Decon gel anyone? Plus - why not CALL the bridge instead of dashing up there.

Sarek. Ugh. Didn't add much. Not really on board with Frain portraying him.

Not much action 'til the very end and then CLIFFHANGER! Pay up, you cheap fuckers.

Mutiny? Really? And you can't do a nerve pinch that'll knock someone out for more than 30 seconds? Amateur.

The visual stuff was really good and the ship looked great.

Loved Saru.

Very much like Burnham too.

I'd give it a B- or a C-. I'm doing the free trial to get 2 more eps and then we'll see if I continue. I'm interested, but it needs to improve.

I liked Burnham and Saru, I am not liking the Klingon look. And I feel for Frain, no one can match the dignity that Mark Lenard brought to Sarek. I find that some actors play Vulcans as very smug. And I, quite frankly, don't find them that way.

 

[Spider]

I don't think any of the pilots to any of the Star Trek shows were really that great, including Discovery. It wasn't until the shows got going did any of them begin to make really good stuff.

 

[DigificWriter]

The arrival of the Klingons is no less an acceptable stoppage point than, for example, Picard hailing the Ent-D as Locutus.

 

[TechnoBoY]

Lol, I didn't realize it was over at first. I'm glad there's a free trial, because I don't think I'd pay for it based on this episode.

Same here! I thought it was going to come back from commercial break and noticed the credits rolling on the bottom.

Disappointed I only got to see half an episode but I will NOT be paying for CBSAA. Don't want to encourage this type of behavior from these companies. If anything I'll pay a month and binge it at the end and call it a rental fee.

 

[DigificWriter]

What aired tonight, by all other TV standards, was one episode. CBS just tried to falsely sell it at two.

No, they didn't.

 

[Amaris]

Good idea

1. Caretaker (I really loved Voyager's pilot as it introduced the characters really well and set things in motion for the rest of the series)

2. Broken Bow
3. Emissary
4. Where No Man Has Gone Before
5. The Cage
6. The Vulcan Hello
7. Encounter at Farpoint

Ooh! I want in on that, too.

1. Emissary. For me, this was the best pilot of them all. Drama, pathos, origin, uncertainty, hope, and plenty of paths to take from there.
2. Caretaker. It really was a great pilot and set things on good footing.
3. Where No Man Has Gone Before. I remember being a kid and seeing this for the first time, and thinking how awesome it was.
4. Encounter At Farpoint. Definitely beset with issues and stilted acting, I still remember being enthralled with this at the tender age of 7.
5. The Vulcan Hello. Comments already submitted in-thread.
6. Beyond the Farthest Star. Wasn't much for TAS, but this was a decent pilot. Didn't like the animation style, though, never have.
7. Broken Bow. Probably my least favorite pilot. It just never really grabbed my attention, and I stopped watching ENT soon after.

 

[doublegoodprole]

They just hard cut the thing at the 40 minute mark "She's So Heavy" style. I'm surprised SM-G wasn't mid sentence.

Best song on Abbey Road.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Best song on Abbey Road.

Second best Beatles song IMO.

 

[David cgc]

Penalizing The Vulcan Hello because of a lack of knowledge about how it and Battle of the Binary Stasrs were going to be aired, or an objection to that broadcasting decision on the part of CBS, is not offering legitimate criticism of the episode itself.

I'm sympathetic to your point, but for tonight, at least, I think it is. Something I've seen raised about the modern, streaming age is that the "cliffhanger" is a transitory phenomena. This is going to be the only time for the rest of history where you have to wait a week, or even a day, to see what happens next after "Binary Stars." So, really, in the long term, judging the first two episodes as a unit (or even as a chapter in the larger season arc) is the more proper judgement, and we'll have all the time in the world to view them that way, eventually.

But for now, the presentation of the episode is definitely a candidate for critique, since part of it's function is to entice viewers to watch further (and, depending on how it's delivered in the future, it may be an ongoing issue. The separate titles make me think the Blu Rays may not present it as the single hour-and-a-half episode it desperately wants to be. I suppose we'll see how Netflix treats it in the morning, but it's entirely possible there will be a weird awkward stop in this premiere forever).

 

[CorporalCaptain]

It wasn't until the shows got going did any of them begin to make really good stuff.

I completely agree that none of the previous series' best episodes were their pilots/first episodes. I sincerely hope that's the case for DSC.

I'll likely see part two later this week. Here's hoping it's better....

 

[Owain Taggart]

The language is indeed Okrand's Klingon. I recognised various words here and there. The problem is that the delivery is so stilted. My hope was that the atrocious redesign would be made less by them acting and feeling like Klingons. But every time they are on screen it is painful because of the poor delivery of the Klingonese, something previous actors have not had an issue with. After trying to sell this as an look at the Klingons we have never seen, it felt like the complete opposite. It felt like the makers of the show had never seen any of Klingons from Worf onwards. I think if they had mostly spoken in ENglish, so that the delivery was less stilted, and had hair and beards it would have been easier to imagine these are the same Klingons we are used to.

Ok, yeah, I just wasn't sure if that's what the case was. Thanks for the confirmation. Like you say, delivery. I think what really makes them fail for me is in addition to them sounding muffled, they aren't very energetic like previous Klingons. What I mean is, they'd throw their voice out there and their bodies too, but these Klingons seem very heavy? They seem to lack charisma. And we have to spend a whole season with them as villains....

This was probably my biggest complaint about both episodes. The prosthetic teeth are not doing the actors any favors. I thought it might improve when they started speaking English but nope. And then to open the show with them? Strange, strange choice.

Well, I can see why they'd want to open the show with them given that they're the main antagonists this season, but yeah. Those teeth are definitely not helping them. Another thing is, Klingons have always been very iconic and distinctive. But these are looking very generic sci-fi aliens.

I was watching with my Dad, and based on the two episodes, he's not sure if he wants to watch more. I can definitely see his point.

 

[The Super Brando]

I get that CBS said this is set in the Prime universe, but between the window viewscreens and Klingon designs this really looks like it's set in the Kelvin universe. And I actually like that.

 

[Ometiklan]

...I don't recall any in-dialog exposition about why a shuttle couldn't be used...

Someone, either Georgiou or Burnham specifically says they don't have a shuttlecraft maneuverable enough to approach through the accretion disk.

As for my initial take (having viewed the first two episodes):
I liked it. I wasn't blown away, but it was good.
The best part was the characters and their interactions. I was a mite bit worried that, even thought I felt most of the pacing/dialogue issues in the trailers were due to trailer editing, there would be some issues still in the show. I am glad that is not the case. I liked all of the main cast members. Saru and Burnham's sibling rivalry was great. I felt Sarek was good, though not as great as Leonard. I am sad there won't be more Georgiou except maybe as flashbacks. Though I could do without minor bridge character's spouting random technobable in the middle of actual battles or dramatic scenes etc.

Probably the only big thing I didn't like was the dialogue/pacing of the Klingon scenes. While it was nice to not have the Klingons yell about honor every other word (it will still take some time to get used to), the scenes were very slow. It seemed like it was just hard to talk/act through those teeth and armor. The scenes also felt like not a lot happened. Ironically I think some of the problem comes from the holographic display technology. The show producers said they did it so they could have the characters stand in front of each other, instead of being up on the viewscreen. But now, instead of scenes that normally would have taken place with all the characters physically in the room (the meeting on the Klingon ship) with all the energy that creates, they can be "in the room" via hologram. But there is no physical presence, no sense of immediate confrontation (between, for example, Kol and the albino guy), and instead we get the other klingons projected as floating entities on a different level, different size, and all fuzzy. Put the actors in the same room and reduce the size of the teeth prosthetics and you would fix 75% of the problem.

The graphics were amazing. The ships looked cool. The rooms, displays, etc. were all very good. The opening credits were very nice.

I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the main cast and the Discovery and their whole plot. But man that sentencing? (In 100 years, you get a slap on the wrist and get to walk around New Zealand for a while (see Ro, Paris).) I think an unanticipated upside to this whole "second pilot" structure, is there is so much more to discover yet about the show.

One minor thing I didn't like was that when an episode ended, there was nothing telling you that it did (no climactic music, no producers credits), so I sat around waiting for more and there wasn't any until the next episode trailer. I don't like that at all; but I guess that is modern TV/streaming - trying to keep the viewer watching the channel/episode through another commercial break. Ugh.

So, just first thoughts. I will have to watch again to really get my head around it.

 

[Trekfan12]

That might be the problem--unfair or not. Lenard was one of those guys who owned every frame he was ever in. Balance of Terror would not have been the same without him.

But then just look at how important Sarek has become to the franchise, even though, if you added all the time up (including his TNG appearances) it doesn't amount to a whole lot. But he made his mark because Lenard made it so.

And I think his presence was really important to the character. In a lot of ways, he was torn between the two worlds--and trying to make them work together--more than Spock was because his job literally depended on it. And yet Sarek came across as a guy who demanded attention and respect whenever he entered the room, no matter what people were saying behind his back.

That was all on Lenard. And I just don't get it from Frain.

Exactly, Lenard did an excellent job portraying Sarek, there was a regal quality in him. Not just that it came with his job as ambassador, it came from his personality.

 

[Sheep]

Sonequa Martin-Green gave a great performance. Lt. Sanu seemed like a decent character they can build around.

The rest? Poorly paced tripe with some really cringey dialogue. The opening before the credits was arguably cheesier than anything in the Orville, with them walking in a Starfleet shield so the Shenzhou could find them. Every scene with the Klingons dragged terribly, with the Klingons speaking at a weirdly slow pace. And let's ignore the miracle healing med bay that can nearly instantly fix massive radiation damage with zero lingering effects.

I get that this is a pilot and there's going to be a lot of exposition to set things up. That said, this is an absolute failure if the goal was to bring in new viewers between the poor pacing, delay due to football and the obvious cash grab ending on a cliffhanger.

 

[Klingon Empire]

Ooh! I want in on that, too.

1. Emissary. For me, this was the best pilot of them all. Drama, pathos, origin, uncertainty, hope, and plenty of paths to take from there.
2. Caretaker. It really was a great pilot and set things on good footing.
3. Where No Man Has Gone Before. I remember being a kid and seeing this for the first time, and thinking how awesome it was.
4. Encounter At Farpoint. Definitely beset with issues and stilted acting, I still remember being enthralled with this at the tender age of 7.
5. The Vulcan Hello. Comments already submitted in-thread.
6. Beyond the Farthest Star. Wasn't much for TAS, but this was a decent pilot. Didn't like the animation style, though, never have.
7. Broken Bow. Probably my least favorite pilot. It just never really grabbed my attention, and I stopped watching ENT soon after.

Alright, I'll bite on this.

1. Caretaker: my childhood. It's a solid pilot that worked well for the show.

2. Broken Bow.

3. The Cage

4. The Vulcan Hello/BoTS

5. Encounter at Farpoint

6. Emissary

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Mixed feelings here. In no particular order:

Klingons: I bought it. They're the Klingons we've always known and loved. They're a warrior race looking for violence, there's a bunch of shit about houses fighting for honor and so forth, and they even stuck to the death yell. Anyway, I have no problems with this. They're Klingons.

SFX: There's a lot of lights and sounds that show me this is slightly pre-TOS. Phase cannons -- nice touch. The holo-phones, not so much. But anyway, I buy it.

Pace of show: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........ This was simply a ploy to get people to buy All Access (which I, sadly, will probably do). Nothing happen in the episode except to establish that there's a war a-comin'! And buy CBS All Access to figure out how it goes!

Will this last more than a season or two? Ehn....

 

[Tarek71]

4/10.

I came in with rock bottom expectations, so it wasn't a disappointment in any way. As a teaser for a pay service, it falls short. The comparison isn't with previous Trek, but with GoT and other premiere shows you have to pay for, as even the worst episode of Trek were at least free. Unlike the other pay services, they don't yet offer a lot of original programming. Personally, I wont continue a subscription just for this. But we'll see soon how well they are doing in that area.

I thought this was long and painfully dull until nearly the end, when things got more interesting. Though not in a plausible way. I didn't buy the radiated march to the bridge. Yeoh was flat and stiff as a board most of the way. A surprisingly disappointing performance. If they didn't call him "Sarek" I would never thought it was him. Same goes for the "Klingons", only more so. Their scenes were tedious. Saru was the only interesting character so far. We'll see about Burnham but so far I cant imagine the series focusing on her unless she becomes significantly more interesting, stable and believable. The mutiny was absurd.