Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 1x02 - "Battle at the Binary Stars"

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

That was wild. I loved every minute of both episodes, even when trying to look at it with a critical eye. While I still think the Klingons look weird, I don't really care anymore. They were presented in an interesting way and their dialogue was pretty captivating for me personally. Now it just feels like, well this is what they look like now, time to move on. The acting was much, MUCH better than how it looked in the trailers, but I figured that was all because of the goofy editing they suffered from. It was popcorny, but I felt like it had a lot more substance in its writing than the popcorny JJ dialogue from the movies, for sure. The music and the cinematography were absolutely gorgeous. I can't bring myself to not like anything about it, but I guess I'm just a fanboy to the core.

But a random part that I loved was Michael's log at the beginning of episode 1, where she dates it, "...a Sunday." Instantly thought of the DTI books there.

Some fun confirmation we got, though, were that those lateral transporters really were just outdated tech on the Shenzhou.

 

[SAndrews10]

The Federation throws people in jail for life??!

 

[Mirror Mirror]

I think we need to in order to get the background on Michael's character because the Michael we saw when Sarek brought her on board and the Michael that commmitted Mutiny are not the same person so we need to see how she got from point A to point B. Kinda similar to Arrow where we had the island sequences to show us how he got to where he was.

I agree, and I think that is how they will play this.

 

[Mirror Mirror]

The Federation throws people in jail for life??!

Did you see her list of crimes? We know they do jail, Paris did 18 months before he was sprung early. So yeah, for mutiny and a list of other crimes it fits.

 

[trekfan_1]

Not sure where you're getting Egyptian from. But they're not just ISIS. They're basically the resurgence of the right in the West, particularly in Trump's America. I think the makers of the show are patting themselves on the back for how clever their allegory is, but I personally found it as subtle as a sledgehammer. They're going to have to get more intelligent than that if they're going to keep me interested...especially for the Klingons, a race far more developed in the Trek universe than these episodes would lead you to believe.

The ritualistic demeanour, especially regarding retrieving their dead, the sarcophagus ship and and just the way they behaved screamed Egyptian to me. It also felt vert cult like and radical which gives me the ISIS vibe as well. Regardless of the comparisons though, I'm not a big fan on how they are portrayed so far.

 

[cooleddie74]

The Federation throws people in jail for life??!

In 2256 they apparently did. This is over a century before Tom Paris gets thrown behind bars down in New Zealand so keep that in mind. The Federation of the Pike and Kirk eras wasn't quite as enlightened per se as it would be in the 24th century when it came to prison sentences for criminal convictions. At that point in history humanity and the Federation weren't viewed as utopian societies free of crime and greed even if they were approaching that status in the coming decades.

 

[MvRojo]

I think we need to in order to get the background on Michael's character because the Michael we saw when Sarek brought her on board and the Michael that commmitted Mutiny are not the same person so we need to see how she got from point A to point B. Kinda similar to Arrow where we had the island sequences to show us how he got to where he was.

There's an interview on EW where the producers confirm that there will be flashbacks

 

[Tim Thomason]

The Federation throws people in jail for life??!

Even worse if you happen to stumble on that poor planet of telepaths.

 

[David cgc]

Speaking of flashbacks, did anyone catch the mention during the first one about a "Vulcan Expedition(ary?)" that Burham might've gone on rather than joining up with the Shenzhou? That and Donatu V being mentioned by T'Kuvma seem to tick both of the major theories for the Secret Unchronicled TOS Reference. We'll have to see if it gets developed further.

In 2256 they apparently did. This is over a century before Tom Paris gets thrown behind bars down in New Zealand so keep that in mind. The Federation of the Pike and Kirk eras wasn't quite as enlightened per se as it would be in the 24th century when it came to prison sentences for criminal convictions. At that point in history humanity and the Federation weren't viewed as utopian societies free of crime and greed even if they were approaching that status in the coming decades.

Also, a mutiny in (more or less) a time of war is serious business, especially since Georgiou wasn't around to defend her or ask for clemency based on her performance in the away mission (though she also bungled that).

 

[trekfan_1]

And yes "life in jail" seemed like an over-reaction. What's with the dark, shadowy tribunal? It felt like a Cardassian court. Did Burnham even have a lawyer?

 

[Tim Thomason]

And yes "life in jail" seemed like an over-reaction. What's with the dark, shadowy tribunal? It felt like a Cardassian court. Did Burnham even have a lawyer?

It was Section 31. Burnham's going to a secret prison, never to be heard from again (until next week).

 

[Smoked Salmon]

And yes "life in jail" seemed like an over-reaction. What's with the dark, shadowy tribunal? It felt like a Cardassian court. Did Burnham even have a lawyer?

Yeah, I didn't think much about that, but you're right it's bullshit. But then the Federation Council did the same in Voyage Home.

 

[DaveyNY]

I gave it an 8.
Interesting characters (too soon to really form any more than a basic opinion about them) and I like the Federation ship designs we saw. A couple looked a little like ones we saw in ENTERPRISE.
(TrekYards is gonna have a field day for at least a week!) LoL
Loved the call-out to all the ship names we've heard before.

The Klingons were kinda boring for the most part.
Very glad they killed off the "GOD" Klingon already, had enough of that crap with Gowron.
Kinda-sorta wish they had made at least one of the responding Klingon ships look more like a TOS D-7.

Also very disappointed in not seeing the Discovery at least show up in-story, at or near the end.
(next week's preview notwithstanding)

Still hate the lens flare's. <shrug>

Would have liked to have seen more of the interior of the Shenzhou.

The Admiral looked very familiar.
(I was wrong, I thought he was Anthony Michael Hall but it's Terry Serpico. They look surprisingly alike)

Not really crazy about the "cloaking device" being used at this stage by the Klingons, but we already crossed that bridge with ENTERPRISE introducing it about 80 years before now, so I guess it's a moot point now.
And it was just the one very old ship that had it.
I suppose it could be retconned that T'Kuvma's dad somehow secretly got one from the Romulans and put it on his ship.

Overall, it was rather entertaining.
More than a bit annoying that CBS split it into two incomplete parts, just so they could try to force folks to buy their service. (I always loved playing a pirate as a kid, but never thought I would actually BE one) <shrug>

I figure I'll probably break down and buy a month's worth of their ad-free service in January, just to binge watch the first 8 episodes. Then do it again at the end of the season.
That way it'll seem more like paying the $20 bucks for a movie to watch in one sitting, instead of the $60 or $70 bucks for the entire strung out episodes.

 

[Tim Thomason]

T'Kuvma's death also threw me for a loop. Because, logically, with him out of the picture I'd assume that his whole plan is kaput and the Klingons will go back to infighting, and this Klingon war thing will peter out. But the previews suggest otherwise, so his albino friend must somehow unite the Klingon Empire and lead the council and start this war.

And, I guess, when he inevitably fails, it will explain why Klingons don't like albinos. Finally, an explanation to that fan favorite question.

 

[cooleddie74]

Starfleet wanted to convict Kirk for the accidental death of his friend and shipmate Ben Finney, strip him of not only his command but also possibly his rank and entire career and put him in prison. For one accidental death through heat-of-the-moment negligence experienced during an ion storm. Considering the time Kirk would have pulled had Ben Finney's plot to frame his old friend been successful I'd say Burnham getting life in a penal facility for attempted mutiny and triggering an interstellar war makes more than perfect sense.

 

[Sakonna]

Honestly, I liked that so much I could watch it again right now.

But that would be crazy! So instead I am watching other ST reruns...

 

[Smoked Salmon]

more than perfect sense.

"More then perfect"? No such thing.

 

[MvRojo]

T'Kuvma's death also threw me for a loop. Because, logically, with him out of the picture I'd assume that his whole plan is kaput and the Klingons will go back to infighting, and this Klingon war thing will peter out. But the previews suggest otherwise, so his albino friend must somehow unite the Klingon Empire and lead the council and start this war.

And, I guess, when he inevitably fails, it will explain why Klingons don't like albinos. Finally, an explanation to that fan favorite question.

I think they did rally around him and maybe some actually thought he was Kahless reborn, and so he did become a martyr, which they were going to try to prevent before Burnham switched her phaser to kill in anger.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I think they did rally around him and maybe some actually thought he was Kahless reborn, and so he did become a martyr, which they were going to try to prevent before Burnham switched her phaser to kill in anger.

He doesn't look anything like Kahless. Either Kahlesses.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The Federation throws people in jail for life??!

They kill people for "trespassing", so Burnham got off easy.