Spoilers Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1x01 – “Kids These Days”

[jackoverfull]

Watched while I wasn’t in the best of mood due to some stuff going on in my life, so that may influence how I saw it.

I really didn’t like the first part, it improved a lot once the attack on the Athena started.

Characters felt a bit flat, the captain/chancellor seems really unprofessional a lot of the time and I don’t think that a drill sergeant is what makes the most sense in Starfleet academy, nor I see how Caleb suddenly got from defiant to compliant after meeting her. The villain is really cartoonish.

I don’t mind the ship, far better than anything else 32nd centaur we’ve seen so far.

The transporter not functioning? Really? In the 32nd century the badges themselves were supposed to be independent transporters, have they forgotten that already?

All in all a 7. Not terrible, more or less enjoyable but far from great.

 

[BillJ]

The transporter not functioning? Really? In the 32nd century the badges themselves were supposed to be independent transporters, have they forgotten that already?

As much as I generally dislike Kurtzman Trek, this can always be chalked up to they haven't received that hardware yet because they haven't been trained in its use.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Yeah, I think the Burn is doing a lot of heavy lifting to say, "We have generally forgotten a lot of how the culture of this is supposed to work."

 

[Fateor]

The transporter not functioning? Really? In the 32nd century the badges themselves were supposed to be independent transporters, have they forgotten that already?

That was really just bad writing.

After all, they could have just as easily had the character say something like "the enemy ship is generating an inhibitor field".

 

[fireproof78]

don’t think that a drill sergeant is what makes the most sense in Starfleet academy

It's a military structure. Why doesn't it make sense?

 

[Yistaan]

The transporter not functioning? Really? In the 32nd century the badges themselves were supposed to be independent transporters, have they forgotten that already?

They'll have a hastily written scene showing that in between Discovery and SFA a transporter badge turned someone into a misshapen blob in a scene so agonizing it makes the equivalent in TMP look merciful by comparison.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Watched while I wasn’t in the best of mood due to some stuff going on in my life, so that may influence how I saw it.

I really didn’t like the first part, it improved a lot once the attack on the Athena started.

Characters felt a bit flat, the captain/chancellor seems really unprofessional a lot of the time and I don’t think that a drill sergeant is what makes the most sense in Starfleet academy, nor I see how Caleb suddenly got from defiant to compliant after meeting her. The villain is really cartoonish.

I don’t mind the ship, far better than anything else 32nd centaur we’ve seen so far.

The transporter not functioning? Really? In the 32nd century the badges themselves were supposed to be independent transporters, have they forgotten that already?

All in all a 7. Not terrible, more or less enjoyable but far from great.

Yeah. The retconned that the badges have to be connected to the main ship transporter to work. Basically they havent advanced them since data used the mini transporter badge on Picard in nemesis.

 

[fireproof78]

They'll have a hastily written scene showing that in between Discovery and SFA a transporter badge turned someone into a misshapen blob in a scene so agonizing it makes the equivalent in TMP look merciful by comparison.

The transporter is the worst invention ever for Star Trek from a drama standpoint. The independent transporter of various systems has long been forgotten, from shuttles to runabouts. It can undo artificial aging, yet people still age, and promote long term storage of personnel.

The transporter being nerfed doesn't surprise me one iota because it's abilities far outpaces any dramatic potential.

 

[bdub76]

The transporter is the worst invention ever for Star Trek from a drama standpoint. The independent transporter of various systems has long been forgotten, from shuttles to runabouts. It can undo artificial aging, yet people still age, and promote long term storage of personnel.

The transporter being nerfed doesn't surprise me one iota because it's abilities far outpaces any dramatic potential.

It's Star Trek's sonic screwdriver.

But we did get the great episodes with Barclay and his transporter fear in TNG.

Realm Of Fear (episode)

Lieutenant Barclay faces his fear of transporting, but now he thinks that he's being attacked by a creature inside the transporter beam. "Captain's log, Stardate 46041.1. We have located the USS Yosemite, a Starfleet science vessel sent to the Igo sector to observe a remote plasma streamer. The...

memory-alpha.fandom.com

 

[Fateor]

It's a military structure. Why doesn't it make sense?

No, they're an exploratory corps.

The transporter is the worst invention ever for Star Trek from a drama standpoint. The independent transporter of various systems has long been forgotten, from shuttles to runabouts. It can undo artificial aging, yet people still age, and promote long term storage of personnel.

The transporter being nerfed doesn't surprise me one iota because it's abilities far outpaces any dramatic potential.

Not really, it just means you have to put in a bare minimum level of effort about why the transporter can't be used to solve a problem.

It is very easy to do, as was shown by the writers in TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, LD, and Pro.

Also Artificial Aging =/= Actual Aging.

 

[fireproof78]

No, they're an exploratory corps.

No. Just no. Exploratory corps don't respond to battle cruisers of foreign powers as insurance.

Not really, it just means you have to put in a bare minimum level of effort about why the transporter can't be used to solve a problem.

It is very easy to do, as was shown by the writers in TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, LD, and Pro.

Except when they didn't. DS9 being one that did it, ENT and Voyager as well.

Also Artificial Aging =/= Actual Aging.

Which is just an artificial limit because the rules of the deaging would apply to regular aging using DNA that was unaltered.

 

[James Cole]

Okay, finally watched SFA episode 1. It could have been... worse, I guess? At least it was a lot better than S31.

I'm sure any critical points I could make have already been made by others, and I don't care enough to dive too deeply into what could've been done better etc, except note that a few studio notes would've sanded off some unnecessarily sharp edges.

Caleb actually worked better in execution than I thought I would hearing the general background. Also surprisingly good acting job.

Some (production) things I really liked...

They actually shot it in 16:9 instead of falling victim to streaming's endless black bar inflation chasing greater and greater "cinematic" aspirations. It was interesting to see contemporary 4K rendered effects actually fill up a fucking screen for once.

I also liked the fade to black at the end of each act. Despite the episode running 1 hour 15 mins, it actually helped with the pacing as they had to hit a crescendo for each act.

 

[Fateor]

No. Just no. Exploratory corps don't respond to battle cruisers of foreign powers as insurance.

They do when their government doesn't want to have an actual military.

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Except when they didn't. DS9 being one that did it, ENT and Voyager as well.

And when are these times they didn't?

Which is just an artificial limit because the rules of the deaging would apply to regular aging using DNA that was unaltered.

That is fully an assumption on your part.

 

[fireproof78]

They do when their government doesn't want to have an actual military.

"I'm a soldier," James Kirk.

And when are these times they didn't?

Don't have a comprehensive list of these episodes.

That is fully an assumption on your part.

It uses DNA to restore Pulaski back. Why can't that be true?

 

[jackoverfull]

Just had a flashforward to the season finale…

Nus Braka: did they ever tell you what happened to your father?
Caleb: they told me enough, they told me you killed him!
Nus: No. I am your father.
Caleb: that’s not true. That’s impossible.

Great and original piece of writing, don’t you think?

 

[fireproof78]

Just had a flashforward to the season finale…

Nus Braka: did they ever tell you what happened to your father?
Caleb: they told me enough, they told me you killed him!
Nus: No. I am your father.
Caleb: that’s not true. That’s impossible.

Great and original piece of writing, don’t you think?

Caleb is right; it is impossible. The genetics is all wrong

 

[jackoverfull]

Caleb is right; it is impossible. The genetics is all wrong

Are they though? Who knows how that particular mix would blend?

 

[fireproof78]

Are they though? Who knows how that particular mix would blend?

Klingon traits are said to remain dominant even in lesser mixes, as shown with B'elanna and Alexander.

 

[Firebird]

Not really, it just means you have to put in a bare minimum level of effort about why the transporter can't be used to solve a problem.

Tell your story about people, not about science and gadgetry. Joe Friday doesn't stop to explain the mechanics of his .38 before he uses it; Kildare never did a monologue about the theory of anesthetics; Matt Dillon never identifies and discusses the breed of his horse before he rides off on it.

- Gene Roddenberry, The Star Trek Guide, April 17, 1967, page 5.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

[/QUOTE]

No, they're an exploratory corps.

It uses a military hierarchy and tasks its members with duties of defense.

And in at least the 23rd-24th century series, the need to perform under extreme stress in combat situations was tested in a battle simulation, the Kobayashi Maru.