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

I'm not entirely ready to dismiss the existence of known Klingon makeup jobs just yet. T'Kuvma and his crew are portrayed as racial purists. His opening monologue demonstrates this. Other "lesser" members of the Empire could still be moving around out there, doing all the heavy lifting for the Imperial Elite.

This is also a bit like what was established in the FASA sourcebooks back in the 80's. Since they've already acknowledged that they're using this and John Ford influences to inform their work, it could stand to reason that we may yet still see them.

They don't even really need to bring up the Augment Virus, just indicate that those particular Klingons are a lesser sub-species "infected" by external cultures (could be taken both literally and figuratively) and considered 2nd class citizens. Spending 5 seconds of dialog by briefly showing an Imperial Klingon shitting on an Augment-infected Klingon in a highly condescending manner would be enough to indicate the Empire's social-political racial strata and won't ever need to be brought up for the duration of the entire series. This could also add for some interesting conflicts and interactions between different Klingon characters, as well as between Klingons and Starfleet personnel.

Pretty simple, really.

That occurred to me as well. The reference to this Klingon as not belonging to a particular house seemed significant. The Abino may very well be a descendant who was always bitter that his house was never addressed by the rest of the culture with honor.

 

Except for Kor. He was of royal blood.

 

He may have been infected later than most. He and the other two TOS Klingon commanders may have even had surgery done to return their Imperial appearance, yet remain technically infected, as the virus would not discriminate between social status levels.

 

Those Klingon ladies were very well done.

 

I almost mentioned Azetbur and Martok's wife but couldn't remember if the headdresses were just hats or tiara-like headwear. Thanks for those pics.

 

We didn't see 24 Klingons via hologram, so there remains room to show the others (not that it much matters to me).

 

ehhh? Ehhh?

 

In the first "AfterTrek" post-show show, one of the interviewees specifically mentioned a "Klingon with albinism", so, yeah, they might be related, depending on the commonality of the condition in Klingon physiology.

 

The Vulcan Hello/Battle at the Binary Stars two part premiere – nitpicks
These are minor quibbles at most. They didn't impact my enjoyment of the episodes.

Klingon Appearance
Not really a problem. It could be an effect of an attempted treatment for the Augment virus. A counter-agent for that virus gone wrong.


Holographic communications
Not a problem either. The fidelity of the holograms are a lot less than they are in the holodecks/holosuites in TNG/DS9/VOY. It doesn't contradict In the Uniform either. The holocommunicatora in the Defiant, Malinche and Eddington's raider are a lot more advanced. There is also technological fads to consider.


Burnham's Court Martial
It shows her POV, from where she is emotionally after what she had done. Anyone would be in despair after that.


Sarek's adoption of Burnham
I don't see any problem here.

 

There's a Discovery Nitpick thread available.
Or were those responses to common nitpicks?

 

I hope it's the same guy. In that episode, the great Kor, Kang, and Koloth team up for a most glorious mission of vengeance, to stamp the life out of this most infamous...most insidious!...Albino...(whom we've never actually heard of before.)

I like the idea so much, that I just copy/pasted it to my head canon. That way it will elevate my enjoyment whenever I see him in Discovery.

 

Responses to common nitpicks

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My current ranking for the Star Trek pilots.
Emissary
Caretaker
Where No Man Has Gone Before
How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth
The Vulcan Hello/Battle at the Binary Stars
Encounter at Farpoint
The Cage
Broken Bow (Not bad but just not as good as the others)

 

I normally hate ranking episodes, but it's easier with Pilots:

1. Where No Man Has Gone Before
2. Broken Bow
3. Caretaker
4. Emissary
5. The Man Trap(Cuz why not)
7. Encounter at Farpoint
8. The Cage

I don't hate the Cage or anything. I just don't see what's so great about it.

 

Correction: Beyond the Furthest Star is the premiere episode of the Animated Series. (Must be because there is similarity in plot lines...)

Emissary
Caretaker
Where No Man Has Gone Before
Beyond the Furthest Star
The Vulcan Hello/Battle at the Binary Stars
Encounter at Farpoint
The Cage
Broken Bow


It probably would have been better if Yesteryear had been released first, then the ranking would be


Emissary
Yesteryear
Caretaker
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Vulcan Hello/Battle at the Binary Stars
Encounter at Farpoint
The Cage
Broken Bow

(And I wouldn't have been confused).

 

I wonder if the people (producers or otherwise) who said that allegory was there were talking B.S. because there's no similarity whatsoever unless you REALLY stretch things. It's like if you have the Red Skull say, "Make Hydra great again." Yeah, that is a reference but it has no relevance whatsoever to America. It's just the Red Skull and these are Klingon cultists.

It's not like it's above producers to stir up controversy for ratings.

 

Oh there is and I think the only ones in denial about that are Trump supporters.

 

I'm about as liberal as Anarky from Batman crossed with Sanders and they come off as Jihadist Orcs to me.

 

They believe in isolationism andanti-immigration. Very much Trump and the alt right. Their "remain Klingon" view is "America First" thinly veiled. Their desire to "rescue" the Klingon Empire from galactic influence is a thinly veiled commentary on the resistance of the far right to globalisation.

Islamists are religious fundamentalists. Frankly I'd argue that these Klingios are more like Trump and his followers than Islamists, albeit I acknowledge the similarities with the latter.

I assume you are American, yes? Perhaps as much as you are liberal there is a still a certain denial about just how dangerous and undemocratic a path your country has embarked upon under Trump?