Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x06 - "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach"

[Sakonna]

Just so we are all clear, Horak only appears in the titles of episodes he appears in. He isn't in the titles this week. When he does appear he's out of alphabetical order at the end (because he is reoccurring). Then Romijn is at the very end with "and" credit. Discovery has cast appear and disappear from the credits all the time. If you are saying that you think he originally was to be credited only in the end titles, like Kyle would be, I see no evidence for that. He's just the only "in between" actor on SNW, whereas on Discovery it was most of the bridge crew.

At least Babs Olusanmokun is also on some kind of fractional deal, he did not appear and was not in the credits for "Children Of The Comet" (which was a real loss to that episode, in my view -- you really want the full cast at that Pike dinner party in your 2nd episode).

I hadn't realized that Horak was the only one out of alphabetical sequence (besides the top three), but it actually supports my point, which is that if the chief engineer was played by a sighted actor, he probably wouldn't have this quasi-recurring status. Again, I have no firsthand knowledge of this particular situation, so who knows, I'm just saying I have firsthand knowledge of many situations like this one, and I never encountered one where some form of bias (conscious or unconscious) wasn't the actual reason the actor had fewer episodes guaranteed, lesser billing, etc. They always say it's a creative decision, and, in my personal experience, that was the truth on zero occasions.

Of course it's possible, but I would be surprised if creative choices were the motivation here. It would be an anomaly. Depressingly, it's just not the way business is done.

 

[Tuskin38]

which is that if the chief engineer was played by a sighted actor, he probably wouldn't have this quasi-recurring status.

It's up to the writers to put him in episodes, and as someone else said, he's also a full time painter.

 

[gweeps]

Plus the supposed plot twists are obvious a mile off.

It's the inevitability that's the most horrifying thing.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

Jesus. Like Ellison's 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream'...

This episode also reminds me of Jackson's 'The Lottery'.

Oh good. I was going to add The Lottery. LeGuin's take on it was a serious gut punch, but it's not a new concept. At least the Incas drugged their child sacrifices.

 

[Yistaan]

Number One: Captain, where the **** were you last night?

Captain: I was, uh, guarding Alora.

Number One: Isn't that for a security team to perform? Yeah, that's what I thought. Regulation 619: The commanding officer is required to relieve themselves of command if their current mission left them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions.

(Number One subsequently saves the First Servant and punishes the evil Majalans. Or at least that's what would have happened if she had been doing her duty)

 

[Sakonna]

It's up to the writers to put him in episodes,

Not necessarily. A lot of writing staffs are just told -- OK, we made deals with Actors A, B, and C for all 10, Actors X, Y, and Z for 8/10, and Actors Q and W for 6/10 (or whatever), and then they have to figure out how to portion out those appearances. In theory you can use these actors for more then their contracted minimum, but that's another occurrence I never once encountered in my actual career -- they try, and are told more episodes for Actor W are not in the budget.

 

[Yistaan]

Not necessarily. A lot of writing staffs are just told -- OK, we made deals with Actors A, B, and C for all 10, Actors X, Y, and Z for 8/10, and Actors Q and W for 6/10 (or whatever), and then they have to figure out how to portion out those appearances. In theory you can use these actors for more then their contracted minimum, but that's another occurrence I never once encountered in my actual career -- they try, and are told more episodes for Actor W are not in the budget.

I can believe this and am guessing I'm literally seeing this obviously happening on Discovery, where the screen time inequality is extremely obvious.

 

[Rahul]

Hemmer is appearing more often than Tig Notaru - the other "chief engineer"

TNG had a whole first season without a chief engineer (before Geordie took that place).

Chef Engineer & the doctor make sense to not appear every episode - they have their own domain. The rest of the crew is sitting on the bridge - someone from them missing is more obvious. McCoy & Tucker being the exception - but half the time they appear in their "best buddy to the captain" role, not their professional job. Even Robert Picardo and James Doohan were missing like every second or third episode.

 

[Voodoowoman2]

I gave the ep a 10 because it is so timely. This practice of child sacrifice was the norm on Planet Earth thousands of years ago. The ancient cultures believed Baal the rain god would make them rich if they offered their children to him. I'm suprised the writers actually may have used the idea of the origin of Babylonian money magic. This goes on in Africa to this day. Saw an article about child sacrifice in Uganda.
Pleased to see that Pike can draw a moral line and not just follow the trope that "We have to respect everyone's culture."

 

[Kevman7987]

Kirk would have burned down the entire planet to save the kid and force them to change their ways. Prime Directive be damned.

 

[MarsWeeps]

So, Pike can't fight as well as Kirk. Kirk would have whooped more ass.

 

[David cgc]

Not necessarily. A lot of writing staffs are just told -- OK, we made deals with Actors A, B, and C for all 10, Actors X, Y, and Z for 8/10, and Actors Q and W for 6/10 (or whatever), and then they have to figure out how to portion out those appearances. In theory you can use these actors for more then their contracted minimum, but that's another occurrence I never once encountered in my actual career -- they try, and are told more episodes for Actor W are not in the budget.

I've read about this in regards to Babylon 5, where the "main credits" cast was divided up among those who had 22 episode deals, or 13, or 6, and JMS juggling subplots or finding business for all of them to make sure they'd appear in the exact number of episodes they were contracted for. Or, on the other side of the coin, Ron Moore talking about the Battlestar Galactica flashback movie "Razor," and trying to figure out some way to wedge Baltar, Six, and Anders into the story because they all had contracts to appear in every episode of the season (they eventually just bit the bullet on Anders and let him not be in it, probably because they're only idea for giving him a cameo would've been blatantly pointless and probably expensive).

 

[IMC Headquarters]

This story just might have given the answer to how the Vidiians healed the Phage. Quantum medicine sounds plausible.

 

[Sakonna]

Did Discovery's Lt. Ina jump out to anyone else in this ep? https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ina Unless I'm crazy, the actress was one of the guards for the First Servant.

I was also struck that the chamber where they hooked the First Servant into the machine was a slight reworking of the realm of Species 10-C from Disco's "Coming Home." One of my favorite little details in Berman Trek was the endless reuses of the Angel One matte painting. https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/reused_planets_angelone.htm I thought the AR wall would have put such recycling behind us. Guess not! (This is not a complaint)

I can believe this and am guessing I'm literally seeing this obviously happening on Discovery, where the screen time inequality is extremely obvious.

Totally, Disco is one of the most obvious examples. That is a show where it's super clear to me they're working the story to fit the actor deals, not the other way around. They do a reasonable job of making it work, but the seams do show.

Hemmer is appearing more often than Tig Notaru - the other "chief engineer"

TNG had a whole first season without a chief engineer (before Geordie took that place).

Chef Engineer & the doctor make sense to not appear every episode - they have their own domain. The rest of the crew is sitting on the bridge - someone from them missing is more obvious. McCoy & Tucker being the exception - but half the time they appear in their "best buddy to the captain" role, not their professional job. Even Robert Picardo and James Doohan were missing like every second or third episode.

Tig only wanted to travel once for season 4 due to Covid, thus her diminished role. I don't think that character is the Chief Engineer either? But I didn't really mean to make a blanket statement about all Chief Engineers across the franchise. I suppose I should have written the name "Hemmer" instead of IDing him as "the Chief Engineer."

Also -- just because the question of SR non-appearances always fascinates me -- I have to point out Picardo appears in 164 out of 168 Voyager episodes. He only sat out 4 eps in 7 years. (Gasp! A 4 and a 7! 47!)

 

[Yistaan]

This story just might have given the answer to how the Vidiians healed the Phage. Quantum medicine sounds plausible.

It was actually said in a throwaway line that the think tank run by that Seinfeld guy cured the phage. Although maybe they did it via evil kid torturing machines?

 

[Belz...]

I gave the ep a 10 because it is so timely. This practice of child sacrifice was the norm on Planet Earth thousands of years ago. The ancient cultures believed Baal the rain god would make them rich if they offered their children to him. I'm suprised the writers actually may have used the idea of the origin of Babylonian money magic. This goes on in Africa to this day. Saw an article about child sacrifice in Uganda.

In that case wouldn't that make the episode "timeless" rather than "timely"?

 

[EnsignRedshirt]

The moment where the kid sees his predecessor and just mutters this terrified, “oh my god” before taking his place….total gut punch.

I knew it would be bad news for the kid pretty early on, but he sold that sense of terror in a way that just hurt to watch. Maybe it’s because I have a son who was that age not too long ago, but man….this one will sit with me a while.

 

[Airmandan]

still watching, but they're definitely telegraphing that Pike's lady friend is involved in the kidnapping.

 

[Skipper]

Sooooo, the Chief Of Security was the Tactical Officer too? Like in TNG? And was it a good idea to give someone who had just started Security training the order to shoot?

 

[Yistaan]

Sooooo, the Chief Of Security was the Tactical Officer too? Like in TNG? And was it a good idea to give someone who had just started Security training the order to shoot?

La'an gets away with way too much in this show. She's a jerk.