Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x10 - "A Quality of Mercy"

[Lakenheath 72]

I enjoyed the episode for the most part, though I have to admit that it was jarring to hear the dialog from "Balance of Terror" spoken in this episode. The writing styles are so different. Seeing the battle updated with 21st century CGI was impressive. I did not perceive Pike as weak - I felt that he was the wrong leader at the wrong time. This resonated with me as there are real world leaders who are like this. I feel it is too early to judge this Kirk. We have a season coming up where we will see more of this Kirk.

I liked how Kirk used the ignorance of his enemies about the capabilities of the Federation to bluff his way through a situation. In TOS, Kirk used the corbomite device ruse against the Romulans in "The Deadly Years" to success. So, the use of the mining drones as a Starfleet armada was a nice callback to that.

 

[Oso Blanco]

I almost expected James Frain to appear as the Romulan Commander ...

Paul Wesley - unlike Chris Pine - is clearly not up to the task of portraying James Kirk. What the hell were they thinking?

 

[Tuskin38]

Paul Wesley - unlike Chris Pine - is clearly not up to the task of portraying James Kirk. What the hell were they thinking?

It's a single episode. give him more time, not everyone nails it in one go.

I thought he was fine.

 

[Jedi Marso]

His tactics was working, the Romulan was standing down but was betrayed by his officer calling the fleet. If that same officer was in the TOS episode a war might still have started, under Kirk, if he called the fleet. The young Romulan was gagging for a war, regardless of the situation.

So was the Romulan Praetor, with whom the decision for war actually lies, so Pike was doomed to fail no matter what, once she determined that the Federation was weak and ineffective. If the Romulan commander had returned with a peace proposal in hand, the outcome would have been the same- execution for him, and war.

As for Ortegas, IME real life events in the UK in 2016 (Brexit vote), revealed prejudices from people I have known for years. Never underestimate your fellow humans unconscious biases. Ortegas lives and works on a Humancentric ship for a Humancentric organisation.

Being a human show with human actors, it certainly seems human-o-centric. What we don't see are the episodes of "Star Trek: Blue Fleet" shown on the Andorian entertainment channels, which feature a crew of predominantly Andorian cast members, with the occasional Aenar thrown in. But they are out there. Yes, they are out there...

 

[Jedi Marso]

As funny as this might, this 'body shaming' of actors is silly. Pressuring people/actors to change their physical body to suit some superficial body image should not be a requirement for a fictional character.

Comments on a message board do not equate to 'body shaming' or pressuring an actor to change his physical body. When you communicate directly or sign the guy's paycheck and start making those sorts of comments, then there's an argument to be made.

 

[Oso Blanco]

It's a single episode. give him more time, not everyone nails it in one go.

I hope you're right, especially if they make him a full time Kirk in a TOS reboot. This guy didn't feel like a Captain at all, let alone Kirk. Feels more like a guy that is usually behind a desk ... no charisma at all!

 

[Nerys Myk]

I hope you're right, especially if they make him a full time Kirk in a TOS reboot. This guy didn't feel like a Captain at all, let alone Kirk. Feels more like a guy that is usually behind a desk ... no charisma at all!

Desk jockeys and Romulans are never a good mix.

 

[Trekker4747]

It's a single episode. give him more time, not everyone nails it in one go.

I thought he was fine.

As Starfleet Captain #236-C he was fine. As Jim Kirk? No.

 

[tenmei]

Comments on a message board do not equate to 'body shaming' or pressuring an actor to change his physical body. When you communicate directly or sign the guy's paycheck and start making those sorts of comments, then there's an argument to be made.

So your argument is "they can't read it or hear it so it's okay". Okay then

 

[Voodoowoman2]

I like the alternate take on "Balance of Terror", but this doesn't match up to that. Kirk also doesn't feel like Kirk. @Trekker4747 sums it up.

Pretty much my take.

The Romulan Commander, though, did act in-character and felt the way he should. And the Praetor's response was dead-on. She wants to test the Federation's strength and, in her eyes, they failed.

Pike, here, was even more dove-ish than Picard. Even Picard, always less gung-ho than Kirk, knew how to stare down the Romulans.

Pike really cares about his crew and doing what he thinks is best for them. Like any father-figure. And he's willing to sacrifice his own fate so Spock can have a better future and so millions of lives won't be lost on a war with the Romulans.

I'm wondering why it took until the 10th episode to arrest Number One. I wonder if it took seven episodes' worth of time for the Federation Council to deliberate? In which case, if it took that long to argue about it behind the scenes and figure out what to do, then not everyone in the Federation Council agrees with arresting her.

I'll go with an 8.

Prosecutors conduct investigations in proper democracies and then get Grand Jury indictments. Una should not be incarcerated but out on some kind of bond because this is a nonviolent crime. Alas, for drama purposes she will be in jail probably without legal counsel or incompetent counsel provided to her. Her only crime is lying. So you boot her out of Starfleet. Her abilities are a big threat to some faction or other.
Why the sudden arrest? It's a very intimidating tactic. Usually you would just forward an indictment and then prosecute. Why is she in jail? This is political.

 

[Voodoowoman2]

Am I missing something? Why doesn't Pike just resign Starfleet in protest over Una's arrest? It literally solves all his problems.

By not being in Starfleet, the delta radiation accident can't happen.
By not being in Starfleet, Kirk will be in command of the Enterprise and the Romulan war won't happen.
By not being in Starfleet, Pike is making the strongest protest he can possibly make against Una's treatment.

Because his future "self" tells him, nonsensically, "No matter what you do if you don't "accept your fate" Spock goes to the big grinder. Notice Pike is smiling a bit at the end. Interesting. Not really sure what it means.
I also have a huge problem with Spock accepting that his grand future is more important than Pike. So, of course, we all accept it and just go on waiting for the train wreck. Fans think this is over. I don't think so.

 

[Voodoowoman2]

No one, so far, has questioned Klingon Time Crystals. Everyone just seems to accept that what you get shown is accurate. Do the Thalosians have something to do with this? I know that's a stretch of the imagination but what are our imaginations for then? Pike should NOT accept the fate presented to him by some crystal authority. It's ridiculous.

 

[jackoverfull]

As I’ve said before, I see Pike’s fate as inevitable, but I don’t necessarily think he will have to stay as a disabled person on Talos IV forever. He might be restored.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

If he (Wesley) isn't going to look rhevrole then he needs to act the role. He did neither.

Wesley did perfectly well as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Trekker4747]

Wesley did perfectly well as far as I'm concerned.

Watch an episode of TOS. That wasn't Jim Kirk.

 

[Jedi Marso]

So your argument is "they can't read it or hear it so it's okay". Okay then

Heh. No, it would not be okay, if that what was actually happening. Even in the MB comments, nobody was 'pressuring' anyone to do anything, as if they could even do that from the board. Merely noting that the guy's physique is different than Shatner's is also far from 'body shaming.' Hell, if the actor read it he would probably consider it a compliment, given Shatner's physique.

Now, I've said my piece on this topic. I won't be circling back to it in this thread to support or oppose the imaginary 'right to not be offended.'

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Wesley did perfectly well as far as I'm concerned.

Perfectly? Hardly.

His performance was about as milquetoast and pedestrian as you could possibly get. The only thing "Kirk" about him was that the other characters insisted on calling him by that name. Aside from being given the name, there was little-to-nothing else portrayed on screen to distinguish the character as James T. Kirk.

 

[Neopeius]

If the Romulans wanted a war with the Federation, why did they wait until 2266 to do it? Logically the time to strike would've been 10 years before, right after the 2250s Klingon war when the Federation was in no shape to fight back. This wasn't an issue in TOS as the 2250s Klingon war wasn't invented yet. But in SNW they should've accounted for it as it's a big part of SNW's background being a direct sequel to Discovery's first 2 seasons

"Beaten. The Praetor's newest and biggest ship beaten."

Warbirds were brand new in "Balance of Terror".

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Watch an episode of TOS. That wasn't Jim Kirk.

I've watched plenty. He was fine. Different strokes for different folks

 

[DaveyNY]

LOL. Shatner was not a particularly impressive specimen in the 1960s.

Their challenge here is not finding someone to live up to Shatner. It's finding someone you'd want to see replace Mount, who's now made Pike the best starship captain in Trek, ever.

??????

For that Era he most certainly was...

Very few of the major male TV actors coming out of the 1950's were bodybuilders (as in almost none), but all of them were considered "fit" and quite desirable.

The era of Hollywood overtly muscled beefcake didn't start till Arnold began making his movies.