Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x08 - "The Elysian Kingdom"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
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Maybe I might feel differently in the morning, but I thought that episode was amazing. I gave it a 10.
I didn't know what to feel about this episode as it was airing. I got a little TNG's Imaginary Friend, mixed with TNG's Clues, Mixed with Dramatis Personae (DS9), and I wasn't entirely a fan of making Pike the coward. However, once we got to the Quarters and we saw Rukiya, this episode changed dramatically for me. It went from this silly romp to this episode about love, family, and having to let go and it provided a nice conclusion to the Rukiya storyline. I especially liked older Rukiya showing up saying she's happy and safe and it's time for M'Banga to make his own stories. I actually almost got choked up during that scene, and it made the entire episode worth it.
I didn't know what to feel about this episode as it was airing. I got a little TNG's Imaginary Friend, mixed with TNG's Clues, Mixed with Dramatis Personae (DS9), and I wasn't entirely a fan of making Pike the coward. However, once we got to the Quarters and we saw Rukiya, this episode changed dramatically for me. It went from this silly romp to this episode about love, family, and having to let go and it provided a nice conclusion to the Rukiya storyline. I especially liked older Rukiya showing up saying she's happy and safe and it's time for M'Banga to make his own stories. I actually almost got choked up during that scene, and it made the entire episode worth it.
So, wait-- Spock has another unknown sibling? 
That dress looked good on her. She should wear it more often.
This one really fell flat for me. I had fun with the first 3/4ths, but the resolution felt way too pat and M'Benga way too passive. And the episode as a whole just wasn't up to carrying the emotional weight the writers were aiming for - it felt like a loose end from a prior season someone was trying to wrap up, which is a weird notion for a ten-episode first season. Give it a 5 for good intentions and muddled execution.
I feel the same as tomalak301.
The performances by the cast were phenomenal. It was clear that they were enjoying doing something different.
As Benny Russell was the writer for the storybook, does that mean "Far Beyond the Stars" was not an illusion but an actual series of events in the Star Trek universe?
I think M'Benga was at the end of the road with treating his daughter. She was getting sicker and a cure was still far away. It was a choice between giving her a life or letting her die slowly. He explained his decision by using the example of the Mercury Stone from the book.
The performances by the cast were phenomenal. It was clear that they were enjoying doing something different.
As Benny Russell was the writer for the storybook, does that mean "Far Beyond the Stars" was not an illusion but an actual series of events in the Star Trek universe?
I think M'Benga was at the end of the road with treating his daughter. She was getting sicker and a cure was still far away. It was a choice between giving her a life or letting her die slowly. He explained his decision by using the example of the Mercury Stone from the book.
I liked it. Being a fan of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, I've always gravitated towards such films/shows, and this episode is no exception. The actors must have had fun doing this episode, thanks to the obvious romp into comedy. Costumes were top notch. IMO, this is as close we're going to get to a live-action depiction of LD's Hysperia, planet of the Ren-faire LARPERs. And I swear there was some subtext between "not-Una" and "not-Ortegas". Hmmmm...
Anyway, I give this episode a 9. Normally, I would have given an episode a lower score, but Hemmer, my favorite character on the show, made this episode for me. Good job!
Anyway, I give this episode a 9. Normally, I would have given an episode a lower score, but Hemmer, my favorite character on the show, made this episode for me. Good job!
I'm always a big fan of these "genre" episodes (in any TV show) so this was an absolute hit!
Also the "magic" scenes with Hemmer (or should I say Ham-mer because I loved how much he was intentionally hamming it up) were quite funny. Especially the transporter one.
HEMMER: Turn away now, or I'll unleash the full power of my powerful wizard ... powers. I'll ... I'll ... I'll ... send you to the Event Horizon. A dark realm full of chaos and monsters and ...
SPOCK: There is no such place, My Queen. He's bluffing.
M'BENGA: What are you doing?
HEMMER: Abra ... [beeps] ... cadabra! [click]
...
HEMMER: Once again the magic of science prevails. Too much? I know.
HEMMER: Turn away now, or I'll unleash the full power of my powerful wizard ... powers. I'll ... I'll ... I'll ... send you to the Event Horizon. A dark realm full of chaos and monsters and ...
SPOCK: There is no such place, My Queen. He's bluffing.
M'BENGA: What are you doing?
HEMMER: Abra ... [beeps] ... cadabra! [click]
...
HEMMER: Once again the magic of science prevails. Too much? I know.
Castor and Pollux. The Gemini twins.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Prophets had chosen an Earth man for Sisko's vision.
Or maybe even created Benny's entire life.
I'm not sure how I feel about the episode. The premise was fun, but the ending is... I mean, reading it literally, it's a man letting a 10 year old girl make a literal life changing decision for herself and be raised by an alien being. Meanwhile, Star Trek has already done episodes about how kids can be screwed up if left to their own devices.
Of course they shoehorn in an expository "it's okay!" ending to make sure you don't think about the fact that a 10 year old is basically abandoned, which I think cheapened the impact of the choice. Like they didn't trust the audience enough to leave it ambiguous, so they have to make sure you know that it's ethically okay to leave the girl with a stranger.
I think the better way to wrap up this arc is if M'Benga had to choose between using the technology of the aliens who sacrifice kids to run machines. Then you have a "can I use the death of a child to save my own?" type of moral quandary. This just didn't have the same impact for me.
On another note, I wonder if the Una/Ortega thing could be considered queer-baiting or not. I suppose the fact that they have no chemistry (presumably by design) compared to an Una/La'an pairing implies probably not. lol
Also the Boltzmann brain turning from a thought experiment to an actual theory is just sus to me, since it just implies that everything can now just appear spontaneously due to the nature of entropy and infinite time.
Of course they shoehorn in an expository "it's okay!" ending to make sure you don't think about the fact that a 10 year old is basically abandoned, which I think cheapened the impact of the choice. Like they didn't trust the audience enough to leave it ambiguous, so they have to make sure you know that it's ethically okay to leave the girl with a stranger.
I think the better way to wrap up this arc is if M'Benga had to choose between using the technology of the aliens who sacrifice kids to run machines. Then you have a "can I use the death of a child to save my own?" type of moral quandary. This just didn't have the same impact for me.
On another note, I wonder if the Una/Ortega thing could be considered queer-baiting or not. I suppose the fact that they have no chemistry (presumably by design) compared to an Una/La'an pairing implies probably not. lol
Also the Boltzmann brain turning from a thought experiment to an actual theory is just sus to me, since it just implies that everything can now just appear spontaneously due to the nature of entropy and infinite time.
"I like this... "Science."
Give me that over, well the "other one."
I'm about half-way through. I think it spent too much time in the fantasy story before getting i to what was really happening. I'd also argue it's too soon for us to get an episode with the characters acting out of character (not "The Naked Now" too soon, but...)
I'm enjoying it so far but unless the last 20 minutes of this are stellar I think this one isn't going to be more than an 8 for me.
Really, the last 2-3 episodes have been feeling like "filler" episodes between Seeeps runs. Nothing really blowing away or incredible since the "Gorn Episode."
Still a good series and for me the best of NT and it feels like I'm watching "Trek," or at least one I can enjoy, but the "pace" of things has tempered a bit.
Give me that over, well the "other one."
I'm about half-way through. I think it spent too much time in the fantasy story before getting i to what was really happening. I'd also argue it's too soon for us to get an episode with the characters acting out of character (not "The Naked Now" too soon, but...)
I'm enjoying it so far but unless the last 20 minutes of this are stellar I think this one isn't going to be more than an 8 for me.
Really, the last 2-3 episodes have been feeling like "filler" episodes between Seeeps runs. Nothing really blowing away or incredible since the "Gorn Episode."
Still a good series and for me the best of NT and it feels like I'm watching "Trek," or at least one I can enjoy, but the "pace" of things has tempered a bit.
I may be biased as a father of two girls around the same as as Rukiya but...
...that may have been the best episode of Star Trek I've ever watched. I was literally in tears when he had to make the choice to let her go. Holy crap. I was super skeptical of that whole storyline from the start but wow, what a payoff.
...that may have been the best episode of Star Trek I've ever watched. I was literally in tears when he had to make the choice to let her go. Holy crap. I was super skeptical of that whole storyline from the start but wow, what a payoff.
I assume we all want La'an to have Princess Runa as her actual dog, correct? Because, otherwise, we riot.
It would be great for Lieutenant Hardass to secretly have a puppy. One of my favorite parts of this episode is it allowed Christina Chong to finally play someone other than a total stick in the mud.
