More likely, they increased the size of the Enterprise behind-the-scenes and increased the crew complement to match.
Spoilers Strange New Worlds 1x02 - "Children of The Comet"
- Thread starter Mudd
- Start date
Interestingly, in the Season 2 finale of Star Trek: Discovery, the Enterprise's phaser beams *were* blue, and they even made that high-pitched oscillating sound just like in TOS (albeit more subtly)
At least till 2032.
Pike is not exactly a suicidal person from what we saw. Its possible though that Pike WILL be seen taking increased risks in SNW that put HIS life on the line because he knows in order to become paraplegic, he will have to obviously be alive.
It sort of is like invinicibility because the time crystal showed him actual future that would in fact take any 'risky decisions that jeopardize his life' into account.
Another really good one.
I gotta say I was a tad skeptical about the whole "Pike knows what's going to happen to him" situation, but I like what they've done with it so far. Still slightly worried about them pulling off an ongoing storyline considering their track record on Discovery and Picard, but if the weekly plotlines continue to be this good I might just not even care if they fudge that up in the end.
I gotta say I was a tad skeptical about the whole "Pike knows what's going to happen to him" situation, but I like what they've done with it so far. Still slightly worried about them pulling off an ongoing storyline considering their track record on Discovery and Picard, but if the weekly plotlines continue to be this good I might just not even care if they fudge that up in the end.
Consider the following. In the 23rd century, the UFP has how many planets and alien species as part of it? Dozens probably... and Saru mentioned something along the lines of thousands of species (probably ENCOUNTERED by UFP and SF... not necessarily members... although who knows how many other alien species already lived on Vulcan, Tellar and Andoria... though its possible that prior to UFP, none have).
The universal translator would already have a MASSIVE database of languages available to give a clear, instant and pretty much exact translation for most new alien species that are encountered.
What should bug you more is how does a race become advanced for Space travel and not understand how Asteroids/Comets work
My question would be is how the crew of 1701 could have been so clueless to NOT think of the premise that the comet was run by a computer?
Any sufficiently powerful computer system would be capable of running trillions upon trillions of computations (quadrillons even) and analysies every second (or faster)... even in the 23rd century, they would have MASSIVE processing power available on UFP ships for this.
A comet (if it has forcefield technology) and other artificial structures onboard suggests the use of a computer... or automation.
Even Control was able to calculate with decent enough precision various future outcomes with SF starship computer tech at its disposal.
This comet would easily be able to do the same... heck, a simple adaptive algorithm could have done the same (no sentience is needed for this... just a dedicated algorithm).
The Shepards are also clueless for assigning some divine interpretation to this.
Also, if the comet's primary mission was to 'bring life' to planets, then, it stands to reason it always was going to shift its trajectory and NOT collide with the planet.
But the way it was presented in the show was that the comet 'knew' it was not going to collide... but it depended on Spock's shuttle to nudge it out of the way.
Why do you need Spock to do anything?
A computer runs the thing, so it should be able to calculate how close to the planet it needs to get to deliver significant enough quantity of water and not rely on external factors to do so.
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Precisely. The 1958 film "Run Silent, Run Deep" served as inspiration for "Balance of Terror".And at times - they WEREN'T SUBTITLE about it at all - See TOS S1: "Balance Of Terror". (Hell, the way the Clocking Device worked in that episode they even turned the ship's sensors into more of a Sonar Array in spots.))
Eh, they could have found ways around it. The shows could have featured more lost colonies of humans and other known races for example, as those could have just as easily been the appropriate "planet of hats" for the week's morality tale.
Still slightly worried about them pulling off an ongoing storyline considering their track record on Discovery and Picard, but if the weekly plotlines continue to be this good I might just not even care if they fudge that up in the end.
There is no ongoing storyline to SNW.
I liked it, though not as much as the premiere. It got me thinking: Could the Federation have expanded the prime directive to include changing fates of doomed civilizations as a a response to the Shephards/condition of the Shephards joining the federation. Good thing we have 24th and 25th and 32nd century shows which can follow up.
That harks back to the feel of TOS with its quasi-military utilitarian design. That's why Pike's quarters stick out like a sore thumb!
Around half an hour in when Pike asks the computer what song that was, the ship's computer made me do a double take when it first started speaking. That Alex Kapp is nailing those Majel Barrett vibes! Not identical but very good overall. It was so good that I wondered for a moment if they had finally done AI voice cloning for Majel. Kapp is a bit more stiff than Majel but that's honestly appropriate considering TOS had Majel literally doing the cliche monotonous robot voice. Kapp sounds more like Majel here than Majel sounded like herself during TOS 
That was very cool to listen too. Thanks for sharing!Since you provided explanation I’ll post an example I’ve always loved!
Thanks but I don't need reminding. (Again, mind your wording to avoid the condescending tone.) And those categories don't overlap, which is why I used the word "not." A dwarf planet is NOT a comet. A comet is NOT a dwarf planet. Just a friendly reminder about the word NOT.
And that's why I said I have my hand-wave and you've got yours. Of course, you like yours better. That's why you picked it for yourself. But we don't all have to see it the same way.
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I'm thinking about how Kirk reacted when he saw his dead brother. Something like: "Um, ok." I'm sure his old Enterprise comrades mourned him more. Seriously, it's interesting how storytelling has changed over the years. Today it would be unthinkable to treat the death of a close relative as an afterthought.
Seriously, it's interesting how storytelling has changed over the years. Today it would be unthinkable to treat the death of a close relative as an afterthought.Serialized Trek could work. It's just that Discovery and Picard writers don't have the talent for it. Or otherwise haven't figured it out. Other shows have done it right, showing that it is doable to make good individual episodes in the context of a serialized story. Switching to episodic stories in SNW was the write thing to do with those limitations in mind.
Death was largely laughed away in TOS a lot.I'm thinking about how Kirk reacted when he saw his dead brother. Something like: "Um, ok." I'm sure his old Enterprise comrades mourned him more.
IMHO there's a couple of different issues that DIS/PIC have had with serialization, but I see two major issues.
- As everyone would agree, they don't seem to be able to have decent payoffs for the season arcs. In many cases it seems like they began the stories with no idea how they were going to end.
- I also think the flabby middle section of the seasons is let down by a lack of focus on character. These are the sort of episodes that have the time for deep character studies, but they tend to create plot minutia to fill up time instead.
So, I loved this week's episode! Two in a row. Gave this one a 9. Probably a little generous, but I love having good episodic Trek with good characters and a real sense of Trek-ness back.
This episode was a little better than last week's. Mainly because the on-planet stuff felt a little shallow last week (last week felt a little like some early-season Voyager planet-of-the week stuff). The visuals were amazing. The ship combat stuff was way better than anything DIS has given us. And the character interaction was wonderful. I laughed, it was surprising, and heartfelt (especially the singing bit on the comet) without being sappy or melodramatic like some recent Trek.
[I thought I had an actual negative thing to include, but I can't think of it right now. Maybe I will edit to include later, if I think of it.]
Not the biggest fan of the acting of the guy who played Sam Kirk, but not terrible.
One thing I was thinking about last night after having watched this episode: we know way more about almost any of the primary TNG characters than we know about Michael Burnham and she has been the focus character for 4 full seasons. (Yeah, the TNG crew had 7 seasons, but they were an ensemble cast and the duties rotated more.) Burnham is the primary focus for like 95% of DIS shows, and I can't really think of anything we know about Burnham as a character outside of how she carries herself on duty. Does she have any hobbies? Any foods she likes? Does she do anything when off of work? Have any friends outside of the ship? Have they shown any character traits outside of what is strictly needed to get through the plot-of-the-season? I don't mean to bag on DIS, but I just realized this thinking about relatively how much effort each of the Trek shows put into developing their characters and that SNW is already doing a good job focusing on their characters in just the first 2 episodes.
As for the grace notes, yes. More time for Pillar-filler, but intentionally inserted (rather than fortuitous like in TNG-era-trek). It's great. And they are leveraging it well in order to tie into the themes of the episodes. A great job.
As for the detail-oriented, and efficient - I couldn't agree more. Compare to Picard season 2 or DIS season 4 for example. I am sure the producers and show runners there care about Trek, but they only really seem to understand their own current version of Trek. They drop the ball on the little details that make Trek feel like Trek. LDS and SNW and PRO seem to understand those little details.
Now, if they could just get Spock's sideburns right...
I am hoping as they advance into the season/series, they will increase the level of complexity of the plots or stories. After they establish a baseline for all the characters and their relationships, they can devote more story time and effort toward the new plots and challenges, expecting the viewers to already have a shorthand/comfort level with the crew. This is similar to how LDS went a little heavy on "this is what it means to be a lower decker...nudge, nudge" throughout season 1. But by the end of season 1 they were just like "here's cool stuff!" that just ran with the concept without feeling like the needed to reexplain it.
Speaking of end credits, is anyone else annoyed by the modern Trek (or is it all of Paramount+) trend of ending the episodes by going to commercial and then only putting the end credits after? Half the time on PIC or DIS (because of the serialized storytelling?) I don't know if the episode has ended until we come back to the credits, and it is a real let-down. Especially because DIS and PIC don't seem to really write their episodes to have individual conclusions or cliffhangers (though some of DIS season 4 did improve this a little by having mini-story arcs in episodes). Then again, maybe this is just because I have the "includes commercial breaks" subscription to P+. Maybe this isn't a real problem if there are no ads. I just miss the sudden audio of the TNG end credits telling me "that's the end, folks!"
I don't think serialized versus episodic is what really matters. I think what it really comes down to is if a show has character and historical continuity. That is what matters: if things that happened before that should have an effect on the things that are happening now are actually shown to have effect. If you throw out all historical/political/technological/character development, that is what is annoying to fans. 2- or 3- or 4- or 10-parters are all well and good if the storyline demands it, but if not, stick to 1 episode. Having a storyline that could cover 4-5 episodes stretched to 10 (PIC season 2, I am looking at you), is as bad as having Kirk have a true love one week and never mention her again.
If the alien of the week's civilization is older than ours and/or has been in space a lot longer, I see no issue with them having more advanced tech. Sure, our collective effort will likely allow us to catch up to an isolationist's technology level sooner or later, but nothing says it has to have happened yet. They could have had a huge head start.
I am not expert in astrophysics, but what if what the inhabitants were seeing was the "tail" of the comet being pushed by solar winds orthogonally to the direction of travel of the comet? Say the comet was coming in tangentially to the orbit of the planet, sure there would be smaller fragments traveling behind the comet, but wouldn't there also be energetic and very visible bits being shoved perpendicular by the solar winds and thus visible to the planet?
This episode was a little better than last week's. Mainly because the on-planet stuff felt a little shallow last week (last week felt a little like some early-season Voyager planet-of-the week stuff). The visuals were amazing. The ship combat stuff was way better than anything DIS has given us. And the character interaction was wonderful. I laughed, it was surprising, and heartfelt (especially the singing bit on the comet) without being sappy or melodramatic like some recent Trek.
[I thought I had an actual negative thing to include, but I can't think of it right now. Maybe I will edit to include later, if I think of it.]
Not the biggest fan of the acting of the guy who played Sam Kirk, but not terrible.
One thing I was thinking about last night after having watched this episode: we know way more about almost any of the primary TNG characters than we know about Michael Burnham and she has been the focus character for 4 full seasons. (Yeah, the TNG crew had 7 seasons, but they were an ensemble cast and the duties rotated more.) Burnham is the primary focus for like 95% of DIS shows, and I can't really think of anything we know about Burnham as a character outside of how she carries herself on duty. Does she have any hobbies? Any foods she likes? Does she do anything when off of work? Have any friends outside of the ship? Have they shown any character traits outside of what is strictly needed to get through the plot-of-the-season? I don't mean to bag on DIS, but I just realized this thinking about relatively how much effort each of the Trek shows put into developing their characters and that SNW is already doing a good job focusing on their characters in just the first 2 episodes.
I loved the part with the little impacts lighting up the shields! I just wished they stuck with the visuals that the ship shields don't hug the hull. That was how it was in TNG-era (and I think Discovery brought it back in Season 4). Though now that I think about it, I can't really remember how it was shown in the TOS movies...maybe in between?
This made me think, hopefully the show's writers will fill out her career/duties more fully. It would be boring just handling ship to ship comms for her whole career. Maybe they could show some of the other cool duties she actual performs (and not just temporary cadets try-out duty assignments). That would be neat.
It is precisely because of the link to Pike's story that that tidbit was included. "Knowing the future" vs. "interpreting or anticipating the future" is the whole point of Pike's arc right now. It applied to Pike, to the comet, to the Shepherds' interpretation of the comet's "mission", and to how our crew interpreted the comets "mission". That's the entire point!
They are definitely way better with that AR wall than Discovery. They are doing amazing work. No more styrofoam cave sets!
As for the grace notes, yes. More time for Pillar-filler, but intentionally inserted (rather than fortuitous like in TNG-era-trek). It's great. And they are leveraging it well in order to tie into the themes of the episodes. A great job.
As for the detail-oriented, and efficient - I couldn't agree more. Compare to Picard season 2 or DIS season 4 for example. I am sure the producers and show runners there care about Trek, but they only really seem to understand their own current version of Trek. They drop the ball on the little details that make Trek feel like Trek. LDS and SNW and PRO seem to understand those little details.
Now, if they could just get Spock's sideburns right...
I am hoping as they advance into the season/series, they will increase the level of complexity of the plots or stories. After they establish a baseline for all the characters and their relationships, they can devote more story time and effort toward the new plots and challenges, expecting the viewers to already have a shorthand/comfort level with the crew. This is similar to how LDS went a little heavy on "this is what it means to be a lower decker...nudge, nudge" throughout season 1. But by the end of season 1 they were just like "here's cool stuff!" that just ran with the concept without feeling like the needed to reexplain it.
Or maybe if/when (?) Number One gets promoted to captain she could take Ortega with her to her new posting...
Yeah, those are good examples, but as they develop SNW more (and they should have been doing this all along with Discovery since the first two seasons were set at the same general time period), they can have background situations and characters reoccur thus allowing for more character-based plots (political, diplomatic, technological, interpersonal, etc.). As you mentioned, DS9 is the king of this kind of thing and it made for a richer universe and richer storylines. TNG even did this to a limited extent, mostly with the Worf/Klingon storylines, even hampered as they were by the TV-era they were in with very limited focus or comfort with serialized elements.
I like this idea a lot!
Speaking of end credits, is anyone else annoyed by the modern Trek (or is it all of Paramount+) trend of ending the episodes by going to commercial and then only putting the end credits after? Half the time on PIC or DIS (because of the serialized storytelling?) I don't know if the episode has ended until we come back to the credits, and it is a real let-down. Especially because DIS and PIC don't seem to really write their episodes to have individual conclusions or cliffhangers (though some of DIS season 4 did improve this a little by having mini-story arcs in episodes). Then again, maybe this is just because I have the "includes commercial breaks" subscription to P+. Maybe this isn't a real problem if there are no ads. I just miss the sudden audio of the TNG end credits telling me "that's the end, folks!"
I don't think serialized versus episodic is what really matters. I think what it really comes down to is if a show has character and historical continuity. That is what matters: if things that happened before that should have an effect on the things that are happening now are actually shown to have effect. If you throw out all historical/political/technological/character development, that is what is annoying to fans. 2- or 3- or 4- or 10-parters are all well and good if the storyline demands it, but if not, stick to 1 episode. Having a storyline that could cover 4-5 episodes stretched to 10 (PIC season 2, I am looking at you), is as bad as having Kirk have a true love one week and never mention her again.
If the alien of the week's civilization is older than ours and/or has been in space a lot longer, I see no issue with them having more advanced tech. Sure, our collective effort will likely allow us to catch up to an isolationist's technology level sooner or later, but nothing says it has to have happened yet. They could have had a huge head start.
One minor goof with this episode: to the aliens on the surface of the planet, the comet would not be seen tracking across their sky if it was on a collision course. An object on a collision course visually appears to have 'zero bearing drift with decreasing range.' It would simply hang in the sky, getting bigger over days and months, until the very end when it hit atmo and might be seen passing overhead on its way to the impact point. This was something that the movie "Deep Impact" actually got right.
Very minor nitpick, and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the ep at all. I was more bothered by the size of the captain's cabin.
I am not expert in astrophysics, but what if what the inhabitants were seeing was the "tail" of the comet being pushed by solar winds orthogonally to the direction of travel of the comet? Say the comet was coming in tangentially to the orbit of the planet, sure there would be smaller fragments traveling behind the comet, but wouldn't there also be energetic and very visible bits being shoved perpendicular by the solar winds and thus visible to the planet?
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