Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x08 - "The Elysian Kingdom"

Kirsten Beyer is quite possibly the best writer in all of the modern ST productions.

So what's your take on "A Piece of the Action?"

 

I can't speak to what she does as a staff writer, but of the five episodes she is credited with writing in Disco and Picard, three (Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, Unification III and Stardust City Rag) are the worst episodes of those series for me.

Fine, if forgettable. Certainly don't recall anything anywhere near as grating as Mount was (and I normally love his work).

 

Mount was great in The Elysian Kingdom. I thought Peck was the weak link in that episode.

 

It was fun watching Anson play against type as a cowardly fop.

 

Masaka is waking. But fear not, for Korgano lives.

 

I liked everybody in it.

These people certainly do funny episodes better than TOS did.

 

M'Benga was the standout for me. Trying to be serious while at times accepting the absolute ridiculousness of it all and focused on his daughter's safety.

 

Not sure they do comedy or absurdism better than most ST casts: they all handle them well enough. And of course LD is at the top of that game.

FWIW, I immediately got out my TNG Season 7 DVD set and saw "Masks." Dunno why it's so hated.

 

So far, they do. They're actually funny.

 

Me either. Not only is it a clever concept, but it allows Brent Spiner a chance to stretch.

 

Tribbles, A Piece of the Action, and I, Mudd weren't?

 

Kind of, once or twice. None of them are brilliant comedy. "I, Mudd" is below "meh." "A Piece of The Action" was, granted, my Dad's favorite episode of Trek - but then, he found the rest of the series unbearable. And "The Trouble with Flatcats" is probably the most overpraised bit of fluff in the Trek canon. It's cute. It has one great visual gag.

Now, "The Elysian Kingdom" isn't brilliant either. But these people have great timing, they're not afraid of the material and they make the show fun. I'd watch it a dozen times before I'd sit through the Tribble thing one more time.

 

In other words, you would have tribble sitting through "Tribbles"?

 

How did you know?*

*Easy, because there's only one and everyone knows it.

 

After a recent rewatch, I still find elements of this episode to be very forced, ie: all the cosplay D&D stuff... However I do like the TOS-ness of redressing existing sets and it's all worth it for the tear inducing M'Benga ending. Babs Olusanmokun is an absolute treasure.

 

I do like Spock petting the Tribble too.

 

"To not do so would introduce a meanness of spirit that no Vulcan can countenance, from the V'Tosh Katur to the Kolinahru."

 

6.5 because its "one of those" episodes where an alien of the week nukes the crew into some fantasy thing...

The last few minutes of the show was the bit that saved the episode for me because that felt better then the actual main story and I'm a sucker for nice endings.

 

For me, Hemmer nailed it. I loved the character's take on the situation in the script and the actor's portrayal.