Spoilers Star Trek: Short Treks 1x02 - "Calypso"

[Red Panda]

Everything that needed to be "fleshed out" was. Extending the runtime with filler conversation and superfluous plotlines would have just ruined it.

It did the short film thing of having fleeting glimpses of big moments, and not really sitting with any of them except the dance at the end. It could easily have been expanded upon, without going into filler territory. But as a short film, yes it was perfect. Reminded me of the better episodes of TNG I've seen.

 

[XCV330]

It did the short film thing of having fleeting glimpses of big moments, and not really sitting with any of them except the dance at the end. It could easily have been expanded upon, without going into filler territory. But as a short film, yes it was perfect. Reminded me of the better episodes of TNG I've seen.

It was fine as it was. There's no need to turn a perfect snack into a bloated all you can eat buffet.
It's NICE to not have everything expounded or dragging 50 years of canon on its back.

 

[Kennelly]

Zora said, that the shuttle Craft later used was "just delivered" before abandonment, right? Given it appeared to be a standard shuttle it would suggest that the ship was basically abandoned in the Discovery era. And not in another galaxy or sth., because otherwise Craft would never have gotten there in an escape pod and the idea of getting back to Alcor IV would be totally ridiculous.
But then, we know the Federation was still around for several centuries, so why did no one ever retrieve it? Mysteries over Mysteries :-)

That said, if we take everything at face value, Human colonists getting decimated by aliens (if they were actually aliens) and not knowing what tuesday(!) is - on a planet known to 23rd century Starfleet - doesn't bode well for the Federation...

 

[Red Panda]

I'm predicting that this episode will turn out to be set between two "ordinary" scenes of DSC, where Pike says something casually to the ship like "look after yourself whilst we're gone", and then the crew jump forward in time 1000+ years. To us, it's just the next scene, but obviously for the ship it's been a millennia.

 

[DaveyNY]

At first I was only going to give it a 5, but upon further contemplation I gave it an 8.

It certainly isn't what I was expecting. (though I'm not exactly sure at this point, what that was either)
I do know I wasn't expecting a love story.

After a few hours of digesting what we saw, I find I like it more than I did while watching it.

I do hope later on down the road, They tie several of the story's aspects a lot more into the current DISCOVERY timeline.

 

[Rahul]

Holy cow, this was.... really fucking weird. In a fantastic kind of way!

Like, Im sure this little shorts creates a ton of canon/continuity issues, and is probably best regarded as "soft-canon" at best. (I like that they gave as little information about the state of the universe as possible, though him not knowing "tuesday" was weird).

But man, I think Star Trek hasn't felt THIS MUCH like high-concept science fiction since... I don't know, TOS?

I think I'll have to further process what happened before I can give a final opinion on the short.
Just three little nuggets:

• I can't fucking wait to see what Chabon does with the Trek franchise (and Picard in particular) next! If this is a peak of the things to come - I'm looking forward to new Trek like I haven't since I was a kid! Dayum.
• I think they should have set this episode on a sister-ship of the Discovery, not the Discovery itself. The story and sets could have been the same. But I really wish the makers would make the one or another refit/adjustment to the standing sets over the course of the series, but that will now clash with this short, where the future-Discovery will always look like season 1-Discovery
• I really, really like the new 3D-printer effect of the "replicator" that made the clothing! SO SO much better than the effect in season 1 where Burnhams uniform was generated!

 

[picardjean-luc]

Brilliant! Full 10. I wonder if Zora originates from Cygnet XIV. She does in my headcanon until they say otherwise.

In my head canon Zora is produced by the same creators who created Rommie in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda .

 

[picardjean-luc]

I would love to see Kevin Sorbo as a Trek Captain.

I'd love the idea too, but IMO his moment to shine was 20 years ago, when he played Capt Dylan Hunt in Andromeda, which could've been a great sci-fi show had the show-runners not screw it all up .

I think he might be too old for it now

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think he's too old for it now

Not even close. He's only 60.

 

[Vger23]

I think it's kind of sad that people can't enjoy a wonderful little story that was almost perfectly written, acted, and presented without getting all wrapped around the axle with ponderous questions.

This is an isolated story. The point isn't to understand every little thing and how it all weaves into the intricate tapestry of Trek history. It's to enjoy the story. Period.

Glad that most people seem to have gotten it though!

 

[Borgminister]

Not even close. He's only 60.

And Patrick Stewart is pushing 80!

 

[Deledrius]

I think it's kind of sad that people can't enjoy a wonderful little story that was almost perfectly written, acted, and presented without getting all wrapped around the axle with ponderous questions.

This is an isolated story. The point isn't to understand every little thing and how it all weaves into the intricate tapestry of Trek history. It's to enjoy the story. Period.

Glad that most people seem to have gotten it though!

It's a Star Trek story which takes place in the Star Trek universe. Viewing it through that lens is a perfectly acceptable (and likely the default) way to enjoy it.

Some stories work on multiple levels, and some don't. How strongly you feel about a story working or not is going to be subjective. It's not a matter of "getting it", unless you think that the way you enjoy something is the only valid way to enjoy it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It's a Star Trek story which takes place in the Star Trek universe. Viewing it through that lens is a perfectly acceptable (and likely the default) way to enjoy it.

I think the point that @Vger23 was trying to make was that "Calypso" is indeed a fine story, but it's not binding on Trek canon. Meaning, it doesn't impose any constraints on the Trek universe as a whole - "Calypso" is a possible future, not necessarily THE future.

It's a classic "what-if" story, nothing more.

 

[XCV330]

I think the point that @Vger23 was trying to make was that "Calypso" is indeed a fine story, but it's not binding on Trek canon. Meaning, it doesn't impose any constraints on the Trek universe as a whole - "Calypso" is a possible future, not necessarily THE future.

It's a classic "what-if" story, nothing more.

Until Trek is listed as a documentary, it's always about a possible future.

 

[Vger23]

It's a Star Trek story which takes place in the Star Trek universe. Viewing it through that lens is a perfectly acceptable (and likely the default) way to enjoy it.

Some stories work on multiple levels, and some don't. How strongly you feel about a story working or not is going to be subjective. It's not a matter of "getting it", unless you think that the way you enjoy something is the only valid way to enjoy it.

I didn't say it wasn't acceptable. I said it was sad.

It IS a matter of not getting it, if you don't understand the intent and purpose of the Short Trek format and this episode in particular. It's the very definition of "not getting it."

It doesn't make it "wrong" to feel that way. That's not what I said. I said it's sad that people can't enjoy a story without wondering about inane questions and feeling that the questions MUST be answered in order for the story to be enjoyed. It's a trend in how people view genre stuff these days. If it's not all spelled out and clearly interwoven...it confuses and chagrins people. People who supposedly pride themselves on their open imaginations no less.

We forget that sometimes it's purposeful, and the questions and mystery are intended to be part of the enjoyment..and the small, intimate story is meant to be just that...not some puzzle that demands to be solved.

 

[XCV330]

I Want to point out that Zora did not have a beard.

 

[tomalak301]

Well, as the lone person who gave this a 1, I would like to change my vote. Mods, Can I change my vote?

It was a lot better the second time around, but I think I was in the right mood and watched it based on it's own merits rather than preconceived notions. I still wish there was a connection to Discovery in this short, maybe a simple sentence, or a picture of the crew or something. My feeling last night and now have not changed in that this could have taken place anywhere and anytime. It only takes place on Discovery because that's in vogue at the moment. I don't even need to know how the Ship has survived in tact for that long, just some kind of connection to the series, even if it was small, and I would have been happy.

As it was, it was a beautiful little story that was like the movie Her meeting the movie Wall*E. Also, and I think this would have brought it up to a higher score for me, instead of Betty Boop, how about an episode from the Star Trek franchise, say maybe Data's Day or something like that. That's your connection to Star Trek right there.

Anyway, on a second viewing I would probably give this a 7. In terms of the short story experience, this one flowed better than Runaway did, as in that one I felt the editing jumped around a little too much. This one felt smooth and took better advantage of the short format. Still, one connection either to the series or the franchise as a whole and I would have liked it better.

Again Mods, if I can change my vote, I would like to. I know in some polls on Xenforo you can, and I wish in these polls you can as well. That's the power of rewatching something. It's better mood, better frame of mind, and you have the benefit of hindsight.

 

[picardjean-luc]

I Want to point out that Zora did not have a beard.

Good call. At least we know she's from the Prime-verse.

 

[Awesome Possum]

That was absolutely beautiful.

 

[Awesome Possum]

It's pretty evident that, given our current state of technology, by the time we get to the 2260s, the holograms will be much more sophisticated and advanced than the ones seen in TNG - such that not including them would be anachronistic. People really need to get over that.

Also, the state of the Federation during completely arbitrary super-future time has absolutely no relevance to the story. Who gives a shit?

It actually seems a lot simpler. It's basically just one 3D figure and the rest if flat, almost like the projection mapping that's used in theme parks.

But none of that really matters because it's just a way to tell a story. It's just a plot device, most details that some fans obsess with to the point that it negatively affects the show for them.