Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 4x01 - "Kobayashi Maru"

[Ar-Pharazon]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Michael's conduct on the Butterfly People planet was fine. She communicated clearly and respectfully to them. The Butterfly People actively refused to listen to her and looked for an excuse to do violence against her.

Yup! There was no error on Michael’s part there. She wasn’t antagonistic, or flip, and the Alshain weren’t acting in good faith, and presuming/ascribing the worst intention to the Federation’s actions, actively ignoring what Michael said repeatedly.

They came in hostile and intent on refusing to listen, and Michael responded accordingly. They’re not ignoring or forgetting canon, there is nothing resembling a gotcha here, just a continual mischaracterization of what happened in the opening scene to fit a preconceived narrative.

We really don't know how badly the Federation acted leading up to and after The Burn™. Even the Vulcans took their leave of the Federation. I'd really like some information on that.

Then after The Burn™, anarchy and maybe no one knew why, so they probably blamed the Feds for that too.

 

[cultcross]

By that logic, Nog must have become Bashir when he joined Starfleet -- the awkward, naive junior officer with a lot to learn; etc.

This assertion is so reductive as to lose the actual context and content of these characters and their growth.

Except Nog was nothing like Bashir, which only highlights the point. Adira is now exactly like season one Tilly despite not being like that last season. Not because they're an Ensign, but because they're written exactly the same way as Cadet Tilly was. The quirky new officer who is awkward and rambles but is really keen to prove themself. It's like they recast Tilly, rather than progressed the character of Adira we met last year. I mean, they have lifetimes of experience including at least one Starfleet admiral - surely that would make some difference to the characterisation of 'new ensign'...

She communicated clearly and respectfully to them.

"She's a queen" is getting old as an in joke aside to the audience, as something to say during a diplomatic meeting with a touchy species, it's just silly.

 

[Sci]

By that logic, Nog must have become Bashir when he joined Starfleet -- the awkward, naive junior officer with a lot to learn; etc.

This assertion is so reductive as to lose the actual context and content of these characters and their growth.

Except Nog was nothing like Bashir, which only highlights the point. Adira is now exactly like season one Tilly

No, they are not meaningfully like Tilly because of one scene. That claim is reductive to the point of absurdity.

despite not being like that last season. Not because they're an Ensign, but because they're written exactly the same way as Cadet Tilly was. The quirky new officer who is awkward and rambles but is really keen to prove themself. It's like they recast Tilly, rather than progressed the character of Adira we met last year. I mean, they have lifetimes of experience including at least one Starfleet admiral - surely that would make some difference to the characterisation of 'new ensign'...

They're a 17-year-old kid. 17-year-old kids get nervous sometimes. That doesn't define the entirety of their character.

She communicated clearly and respectfully to them.

"She's a queen" is getting old as an in joke aside to the audience,

That seems a tad over-sensitive to minor repetition, but either way your metatextual reaction to a writing choice does not make Michael's in-universe diplomatic skills bad or make the Alshain's behavior reasonable in-universe.

as something to say during a diplomatic meeting with a touchy species, it's just silly.

Michael had already communicated to the Alshain the existence of non-literal meanings, and the Alshain made it clear that they understood and accepted that not all terminology used by Michael would be literal. The Alshain deliberately ignored their own assertion of the acceptability of non-literal terminology in the course of looking for an excuse to assault Michael.

 

[Kzinti]

''major grin garbage video''

major grin is still on this bullshit huh how sad

 

[Tuskin38]

Huh Burnham's leather jacket was originally designed as a civilian jacket, because Gersha thought that first scene in Episode 1 she wasn't acting on behalf starfleet, there was some miscommunication.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Did I miss an explanation of why they couldn’t use a tractor beam?

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The DISCO Writers forgot about them.

 

[Kzinti]

 

[fireproof78]

major grin is still on this bullshit huh how sad

Ridiculous. It's like youtube fandom exists only to bitch now. It's not even criticism but just bitching over and over again about the writers and demanding they get fired. Imagined doing a job where every day strangers are wishing for you to loose your job. Talk amount insensitive.

 

[jackoverfull]

No, it’s just a minority of YouTubers capitalizing on crossed fans to make a living out of it. Incidentally, the same exact thing is happening for other franchises and companies, such as apple and google.

 

[XCV330]

Ridiculous. It's like youtube fandom exists only to bitch now. It's not even criticism but just bitching over and over again about the writers and demanding they get fired. Imagined doing a job where every day strangers are wishing for you to loose your job. Talk amount insensitive.

In the online era I've learned when I sell a story not to read the comments. If you let that shit get to you, you need to be doing something else.

 

[fireproof78]

No, it’s just a minority of YouTubers capitalizing on crossed fans to make a living out of it. Incidentally, the same exact thing is happening for other franchises and companies, such as apple and google.

I would love to believe that but encounters on other sites are starting to erode my confidence.

 

[Paul Weaver]

No, it’s just a minority of YouTubers capitalizing on crossed fans to make a living out of it. Incidentally, the same exact thing is happening for other franchises and companies, such as apple and google.

its a self fulfilling cycle of hatred

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Maybe if the writing staff was more competent and used all the tools in their tool box instead of forgetting about a basic piece of kit like "The Tractor Beam", they'd get less criticism.

 

[XCV330]

Maybe if the writing staff was more competent and used all the tools in their tool box instead of forgetting about a basic piece of kit like "The Tractor Beam", they'd get less criticism.

The director and show-runner can't get too chummy with the writers, either. It's not pleasant, but know when to fire or not invite back.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

The director and show-runner can't get too chummy with the writers, either. It's not pleasant, but know when to fire or not invite back.

Why can't the Directors & Show-Runners get too chummy with the writing staff?

Is there some sort of Hollywood Law/Regulation that prevents that?

 

[XCV330]

Why can't the Directors & Show-Runners get too chummy with the writing staff?

Is there some sort of Hollywood Law/Regulation that prevents that?

Michael Scott syndrome. your employees can't be a substitute for family and friends. It's a transactional relationship, and it's one that ends when part of that transaction fails.

 

[fireproof78]

Maybe if the writing staff was more competent and used all the tools in their tool box instead of forgetting about a basic piece of kit like "The Tractor Beam", they'd get less criticism.

When people repeat it again and again it becomes completely dull and carries no weight any longer. It comes across as simple hatred, pure and simple, and the wish for them to be fired is just frustrating at a level I can't express because of the insensitivity it displays.

 

[Cyrus]

I finally saw this, liked it a lot.

The opening sequence with the butterfly people was fantastic, one of the best cold opens ever.

Loved the Archer dock with Archer's theme music.

SMG is now credited as a producer, so probably more creative control for her.

Credits show some writing staff changes. We already knew Boey and Erika have left (for a netflix show). The Kalinda lady (who was supposed to write a movie script) seems gone too. But a couple of new writers: Kyle Jarrow and Terri Hughes Burton.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

Rewatched this ahead of the premiere of S04E08 and ‪‪I caught what seemed to be a perfect Trek-adjacent reference ‪‪I’d missed before.

When Burnham gets back on the Discovery from the Alshain’s planet at the beginning of the episode she says “that was a hell of a thing.” This is also one of Tony Shaloub’s best lines as Fred Kwan in the perfect Star Trek homage Galaxy Quest.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Why can't the Directors & Show-Runners get too chummy with the writing staff?

Over half a lifetime ago, while I was working a temporary assignment repairing classroom computers for the Los Angeles Unified School District (you haven't lived until you've spent a day going through a stack of broken Apple //c's), I encountered this bit of wisdom about a good leader, the four Fs:

Firm, fair, friendly, but not familiar.

I will also note that Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru by hacking it, and (in the "early litverse") Piper nearly beat it by making it fight itself.