Kirk's first wish in the Nexus, was the cure for space herpes.
Spoilers Star Trek: Short Treks 1x03 - "The Brightest Star"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
I will have to watch again, I thought the communicator had a built in UT.
I liked it well enough, but didn't think it was great - wound up giving it a 7, almost gave it an 8.
It did leave me wondering what the Federation's take on all this is. Given that a warp-capable society is exploiting the Kelpiens, how strictly does the Prime Directive apply here? From what Georgiou says at the end, they aren't directly intervening in the situation by contacting the Kelpiens, but are they pressuring the Baul to stop abducting Kelpiens? Would the Federation function as a United Nations type organization here, trying to get other societies to behave more ethically through the Federation's own economic and political strength? Hopefully we'll get some exploration of that at some point.
It did leave me wondering what the Federation's take on all this is. Given that a warp-capable society is exploiting the Kelpiens, how strictly does the Prime Directive apply here? From what Georgiou says at the end, they aren't directly intervening in the situation by contacting the Kelpiens, but are they pressuring the Baul to stop abducting Kelpiens? Would the Federation function as a United Nations type organization here, trying to get other societies to behave more ethically through the Federation's own economic and political strength? Hopefully we'll get some exploration of that at some point.
They've had a large magical piece of Alien Technology floating in their front yard and controlling their life & death's for as long as they can remember...
Do you really think another magical blip in the night sky going to create any more consternation?
Last edited:
It's probably got more to do with the Federation convincing the Baul (who may not be a Fed member) to investigate an alternate food source while also trying to get them to become, a Fed member.
That would be like Humans telling the Vulcans that they have to give up Logic to be a Federation member.
Or making the Andorians have to give up their Multiple Sexes.
I would guess that eating Kelpians has been a part of the Baul way of living for generations and is so intrinsic to their society that giving it up would be just as big of an adjustment as telling the Kelpians that their religious beliefs have all been a lie since the start.
Last edited:
It does, that's why they specifically showed Lt Georgieu holding it up toward Saru during their conversation.
Oh, forgot.. I gave it an 8.
Would also have graded it higher if it had been a regular episode.
Last edited:
IIRC, Doug Jones said at New York Comic-Con we'd see his sister in Season 2 as well as Kaminar.
Interesting, the shuttle prefix was 'SHZ' while in DSC Season 1 the abbreviation on the Mirror shuttle was 'SHNZ'
Chalk it up to universal differences I guess :P
Interesting, the shuttle prefix was 'SHZ' while in DSC Season 1 the abbreviation on the Mirror shuttle was 'SHNZ'
Chalk it up to universal differences I guess :P
Last edited:
Discovery doesn't do these too often, so I have to point it out whenever they do and it especially stands out here. The exterior location shots are breathtaking. Those first few shots of the outdoors are an instant hook.
The paraphrasing of "If man could fly, he'd have wings." Ha.
I can see the argument for having a younger actor play Saru... but underneath all that make-up, I don't think that's necessary. Just stretch the "skin" of the prosthetics a little, slightly alter Doug Jones' voice, and it would've worked. As it is, I can suspend disbelief. Or strike that. Saru's father sounds like he has an older type of voice. So Saru is an adult son. Maybe "the good son". I notice Saru's mother isn't around. So, my mother died when I was 18, and I could've moved out around that time, and my father probably would've told me to live on campus when I was in college, but he didn't want to have the house all to himself. So maybe Saru actually is an adult adult at this point. But anyway, just some personal insight.
I love the quiet moments outside, butterfly, Saru across from his sister. Then back inside where Saru sees the message "HELLO" from the device he has.
Saru sounds kind of like a typical science-fiction fan. Or the idea of one. "How can this life be enough for them?" I can't be the only here who's ever thought, "Just imagine what it would be like to get away this world and this existence!" Jupiter Ascending -- I don't know how many people here have seen this -- starts out much the same way.
It's amazing the technological transition Saru will have to make. He lives in a hut and writes with a quill. Living in our society would've been an adjustment for him. Never mind Star Trek's. Once again, the exteriors -- especially the extreme wide-shots -- as Saru waits for Georgiou, are feature-film quality. It feels about the right length. In a larger episode, I imagine we'd have seen the debate about whether or not Starfleet should even contact Saru. Never mind pre-warp. Saru was of a pre-industrial society. Then the episode ends on a note that hope is stronger than fear.
Hmmmm..... 9? I'll go with a 9.
The paraphrasing of "If man could fly, he'd have wings." Ha.
I can see the argument for having a younger actor play Saru... but underneath all that make-up, I don't think that's necessary. Just stretch the "skin" of the prosthetics a little, slightly alter Doug Jones' voice, and it would've worked. As it is, I can suspend disbelief. Or strike that. Saru's father sounds like he has an older type of voice. So Saru is an adult son. Maybe "the good son". I notice Saru's mother isn't around. So, my mother died when I was 18, and I could've moved out around that time, and my father probably would've told me to live on campus when I was in college, but he didn't want to have the house all to himself. So maybe Saru actually is an adult adult at this point. But anyway, just some personal insight.
I love the quiet moments outside, butterfly, Saru across from his sister. Then back inside where Saru sees the message "HELLO" from the device he has.
Saru sounds kind of like a typical science-fiction fan. Or the idea of one. "How can this life be enough for them?" I can't be the only here who's ever thought, "Just imagine what it would be like to get away this world and this existence!" Jupiter Ascending -- I don't know how many people here have seen this -- starts out much the same way.
It's amazing the technological transition Saru will have to make. He lives in a hut and writes with a quill. Living in our society would've been an adjustment for him. Never mind Star Trek's. Once again, the exteriors -- especially the extreme wide-shots -- as Saru waits for Georgiou, are feature-film quality. It feels about the right length. In a larger episode, I imagine we'd have seen the debate about whether or not Starfleet should even contact Saru. Never mind pre-warp. Saru was of a pre-industrial society. Then the episode ends on a note that hope is stronger than fear.
Hmmmm..... 9? I'll go with a 9.
Last edited:
Watching this episode, I was reminded of something from TNG's first season. In "The Last Outpost", Data states,
They should add that Starfleet has permitted several civilisations to fall. We have at times allowed the strong and violent to overcome the weak.
I may have issues with this short episode; however, Starfleet's reluctance in getting involved with the exploitation of the Kelpiens by the Baul is not one of them. It lines in with what has been established about Starfleet.
I felt that PG had permission from Starfleet for this first contact encounter. Thinking about it further, I was reminded of another thing, of the episode "Pen Pals" where a member of another pre-warp civilization sent a message into space, which was picked up by a Federation starship and the debate which ensued.
They should add that Starfleet has permitted several civilisations to fall. We have at times allowed the strong and violent to overcome the weak.
I may have issues with this short episode; however, Starfleet's reluctance in getting involved with the exploitation of the Kelpiens by the Baul is not one of them. It lines in with what has been established about Starfleet.
I felt that PG had permission from Starfleet for this first contact encounter. Thinking about it further, I was reminded of another thing, of the episode "Pen Pals" where a member of another pre-warp civilization sent a message into space, which was picked up by a Federation starship and the debate which ensued.
Great article with an interview from the episode's writers here:
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/write...-explain-how-it-fits-into-official-trek-canon
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/write...-explain-how-it-fits-into-official-trek-canon
It was beautiful to behold, and a great look at one of my favorite characters of the show. Very, very Star Trek-y, with the right balance of hope and sadness. Really enjoyable stuff.
One note, I thought at first they were referring to "The Bowel," and was wondering if this was referring to the predators as some kind of cosmic digestive tract.
One note, I thought at first they were referring to "The Bowel," and was wondering if this was referring to the predators as some kind of cosmic digestive tract.
I'm not sure I understand all the "it's too short" complaints. I mean "short" is literally in the name.
I think one reason these show a marked improvement both quality and consistency is because they're short. I think the one underlying problem with the first season was the "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" mentality of the writers' room, which was really the root cause of all the little annoyances that sprung up over the course of the season. However, being so short, these vignettes really force them to stay focused and on task.
I think one reason these show a marked improvement both quality and consistency is because they're short. I think the one underlying problem with the first season was the "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" mentality of the writers' room, which was really the root cause of all the little annoyances that sprung up over the course of the season. However, being so short, these vignettes really force them to stay focused and on task.
From this article, the writers reasoning why Geogiou thinks she's not violating the PD here
"too short" means two things for me (i didn't mention this in my earlier comment but i suspect i'm not alone here):
- i really enjoyed the world and world building and wanted to spend more time with it
- the story was more ambitious than the 15 minutes allowed, resulting in unfortunate leaps that led to a little head scratching (saru's mastery of ba'ul tech was too quick and too easy)
It would have helped the story if we saw him tinkering with the technology before he got the device.
I arrived at the same conclusion as the author of the piece about the time frame of the story. I did it another way. Again, from TNG, we learned from Data that the typical career path of a Starfleet officer was three years as an ensign, then ten or twelve years as a lieutenant. PG graduated from the Academy in 2224. Using the knowledge from Data, she served as ensign from 2224 to 2227, then as a lieutenant from 2227 to 2237 or 2239. The author made a small mistake, stating MB boarded the Shenzhou in 2248. She did it in 2249.
I arrived at the same conclusion as the author of the piece about the time frame of the story. I did it another way. Again, from TNG, we learned from Data that the typical career path of a Starfleet officer was three years as an ensign, then ten or twelve years as a lieutenant. PG graduated from the Academy in 2224. Using the knowledge from Data, she served as ensign from 2224 to 2227, then as a lieutenant from 2227 to 2237 or 2239. The author made a small mistake, stating MB boarded the Shenzhou in 2248. She did it in 2249.
See also: TNG's Pen Pals. A girl from a pre-warp society communicates with Data using equipment at hand. It's all innocent until she legitimately asks for help, making it a distress call. The Enterprise responds to the "rando" and saves the planet. Perhaps Saru's pleas were seen as a request for asylum. His not being able to ever return is akin to the ENT-E crew erasing Sarjenka's memories in Pen Pals.
The fact that he was able to manipulate what he had was the reason he got their attention, that was part of the PLOT. Did you miss the dialogue where she said it took quite a fight to convince Starfleet to make an exception for him? I mean they held your and and answered all your questions.
It thought it was okay, (and I laughed when they showed 'Kelpiens' harvesting Kelp); but ity raises so many questions:
- How did the Kelpians develop their heightened, 'threat ganglia' senses and fighting ability to avoid being prey if the Balul (sp?) have indoctrinated them so well to a religion where they just stand in a circle and are teleported directly onto 'food transports'?
- If there is indeed another Predator species on that planet, where is it?
- What was so extraordinary about Saru that Starfleet would suspend the Prime Direct here? (Sorry the "You figured out how to assemble an off world Communicator doesn't cut it for me.
- Why aren't the Balul (sp?) protecting/guarding the Planet of what I assume is a primary food source more tightly? (IE Lt. Philippa Georgiou just flies a Shuttle right on to the Planet, no fuss/no muss.)
- How did the Kelpians develop their heightened, 'threat ganglia' senses and fighting ability to avoid being prey if the Balul (sp?) have indoctrinated them so well to a religion where they just stand in a circle and are teleported directly onto 'food transports'?
- If there is indeed another Predator species on that planet, where is it?
- What was so extraordinary about Saru that Starfleet would suspend the Prime Direct here? (Sorry the "You figured out how to assemble an off world Communicator doesn't cut it for me.
- Why aren't the Balul (sp?) protecting/guarding the Planet of what I assume is a primary food source more tightly? (IE Lt. Philippa Georgiou just flies a Shuttle right on to the Planet, no fuss/no muss.)
She could have used the technolgy of the shuttle to hide it from the sensors of the Bau or she could have flown the ship at high speed into the atmosphere. Once she had Saru on board, she high-tailed it home.
A major problem with the story for me is how did Saru's village keep ahead of the demands of the Baul, by always having enough people to meet their needs annually.
I did have expectations of Saru's homeworld based on the meager amount of information provided by the first season of Discovery, which I felt were not met, eliciting in me some disappointment with the episode. It seems the people behind Discovery could not fully commit themselves to the world they painted in broad strokes in that first year.
A major problem with the story for me is how did Saru's village keep ahead of the demands of the Baul, by always having enough people to meet their needs annually.
I did have expectations of Saru's homeworld based on the meager amount of information provided by the first season of Discovery, which I felt were not met, eliciting in me some disappointment with the episode. It seems the people behind Discovery could not fully commit themselves to the world they painted in broad strokes in that first year.
Similar threads
