Spoilers Strange New Worlds General Discussion Thread

[Jayson1]

There are a few things I like about having Boyce on the show. One thing mentioned is we can have a older character to contrast what I assume will be a mostly young cast. The other thing is I like having someone who Pike can confide in which will be a big issue I think since Pike knows about his fate. What I would like is to see him have a small but important role during the first to maybe 2nd season and then you kill him off like say Mrs Landinham on West Wing. The one person he trusts most with is now gone creating a sense of isolation and being lonely having to keep those feelings inside. This eventually gives way to him creating a stronger bond both with Number One and especially with Spock. This is where we see how his bond with Spock becomes so strong that years later he will betray Kirk and steal the Enterprise just to help his old captain out.

As for who to play him I also like Combs but IMO the person I think most of would be John Slattery.

Jason

 

[CorporalClegg]

They can do better than Boyce.

Aside from the main three (which is the whole reason people want this show), Kurtzman can let the casting directors do their jobs and build the cast from the ground up. They are under no obligation to include any characters from "The Cage" nor anyone who appeared in the Disco episodes. And I hope they don't. An arbitrary group of randos doesn't make for a compelling cast. Frankly, they'll have squandered a lot of creative currency if they just keep the same people around for the sake of 'consistency'.

And before anyone complains about the "C-Word", it works perfectly fine under the pretense ships' duty rosters change all the time. The whole "together for a decade" is one of Star Trek's most fantastical elements, really.

 

[Jayson1]

They can do better than Boyce.

Aside from the main three (which is the whole reason people want this show), Kurtzman can let the casting directors do their jobs and build the cast from the ground up. They are under no obligation to include any characters from "The Cage" nor anyone who appeared in the Disco episodes. And I hope they don't. An arbitrary group of randos doesn't make for a compelling cast. Frankly, they'll have squandered a lot of creative currency if they just keep the same people around for the sake of 'consistency'.

And before anyone complains about the "C-Word", it works perfectly fine under the pretense ships' duty rosters change all the time. The whole "together for a decade" is one of Star Trek's most fantastical elements, really.

I mostly agree but I actually like Boyce and what he brings to the table with Pike already having a friendship with him that goes beyond just being co-workers by having a history together. It's something you see in Trek a lot. Picard had Dr. Crusher, Sisko had Dax and Janeway had Tuvok and Archer had Trip. Like I mentioned before I don't really care to see any of the others like Colt and Tyler. I see it as 4 established characters and 4 new characters for the cast. Then you kill of Boyce eventually because you need at least a couple of deaths along the way to open some spots up for some new characters eventually to sort of bring in spice things up from time to time. Maybe Kirk shows up later down the line or Scotty. At some point you want Number One to get her own command and you don't want that to drag forever like it did with Riker.


Jason

 

[CorporalClegg]

In other words, he's Bones. But they've already had one of those, and they're not going to do better.

 

[fireproof78]

And before anyone complains about the "C-Word", it works perfectly fine under the pretense ships' duty rosters change all the time. The whole "together for a decade" is one of Star Trek's most fantastical elements, really.

Exactly. I think they should have a new crew and rotating them makes more sense. Heck, the Cage takes place after several crew members die, and Pike is considering retiring. I could see other crewmembers actually retiring.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I wouldn't mind if they brought back the Jose Tyler character and cast a Latino actor. Or just went with the original name "Jose Ortega".

 

[Jayson1]

I've already got the first episode worked out in my head. Episode opens with the ship getting a refit. Perfect excuse to update or change the sets already created and of course showcase the new ones. Pike is saying goodbye to Colt and Tyler who are leaving and Boyce is about to leave for retirement but Pike talks him into staying and tells him about his vision. Meanwhile we are introduced to our 4 new characters and giving a tour as we see them interacting with Number One and Spock. Space threat happens. Let's say a Alien planet has appeared out of nowhere in the Vulcan sky. Ship goes to investigate. They meet the Elder leader who is T'Pol. fans cheer at home. Pike leads a landing party to the planet and we meet some funky weird aliens. some are hostile but Spock is able to communicate with them. Turns out they don't understand why their planet shifted here as well. Number One figures out the science reason. Pike ends up having to beam down inside the core of the planet, fight a monster and activate some tech do hickey thing and beam out just in time. The planet returns to where it came from and happy ending. Ship ends with the ship heading off to explore and then you hear "Space the Final Frontier Theses our Voyages etc" theme line.


Jason

 

[CorporalClegg]

Exactly. I think they should have a new crew and rotating them makes more sense. Heck, the Cage takes place after several crew members die, and Pike is considering retiring. I could see other crewmembers actually retiring.

I've always found it funny that Star Trek has one of the most natural characters trap doors built into its premise yet never really had to use it other than with Gates, but she came back. Wheaton/Wes had a trap door of his own. Funny enough, the biggest departure was Lien, in which case the whole 'new duty posting' wasn't applicable anyway.

I wouldn't mind if they brought back the Jose Tyler character and cast a Latino actor. Or just went with the original name "Jose Ortega".

I like Jose de Onate in honor of Juan de Onate - a conquistador who bumbled around the Southwest for a while before landing in Santa Fe in the 1580s. He loved his chiles and is pretty much the whole reason the 'iconic' Americanized chile pepper exists.

 

[plynch]

Why can't it be Bones? in prime timeline he can predate Kirk on E can't he?

It would be weird, I admit. Piper would be great if he could bring along his granddaughter, Rhoda, as an antiWesley. (see "The Bad Seed" )

 

[Jayson1]

I don't think you want two TOS characters in the main cast. Plus it's just kind of weird to think Spock and McCoy were serving together before Kirk showed up. McCoy as a guest stint would be fine.

Jason

 

[CorporalClegg]

As I noted in another thread, I think exploring a Spock/Bones relationship without Kirk around to referee has a lot of potential.

 

[BillJ]

Why can't it be Bones? in prime timeline he can predate Kirk on E can't he?

It would be weird, I admit. Piper would be great if he could bring along his granddaughter, Rhoda, as an antiWesley. (see "The Bad Seed" )

Four white people at the top of the cast probably isn’t going to fly. They’ll need some diversity and CMO is the perfect place for it.

 

[fireproof78]

Here's the opportunity to do something different. Let them do something different.

 

[Jayson1]

CMO is just a job. No reason you can't have important characters in other jobs. Seven wasn't even a bridge officer and served in astrometrics and Tucker was the first Chief Engineer to be including in a Big 3 type of situation.

Jason

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Why can't it be Bones?

Because without Kirk, using McCoy would be pointless. The dynamic between Kirk, McCoy and Spock is what works. Take any one of those characters away and the whole thing falls down.

And it seems clear that Boyce would be the better choice anyway. He's as good a friend to Pike as McCoy was to Kirk.

Canonically speaking: In WNMHGB, Kirk is captain and Piper is the CMO. So it would seem that McCoy came aboard after Kirk.

 

[Lord Garth]

I don't care if they have Boyce or not. I'm neither for nor against it. I'm happy with who we've already seen between Discovery and Short Treks. But for the people who are against him being there the most, just watch him become one of their favorite characters if he's there. I'd bet money on it.

There's just no way to tell how something will be until it's right in front of us.

I see him as being just a 70-year-old asshole who calls it like he sees it.

 

[Jayson1]

I have heard theories that Piper was just aboard while on assignment and the Enterprise wasn't his main posting at the time. While I do sort of see value in seeing Spock and McCoy I think some of that is mostly only works if were using the original actors. Even this Spock isn't going to be classic Spock and you will never fully recreate Nimoy's version even if it's all in the same canon. What works with Boyce isn't something that's full represented either from The Cage. It's basically the premise of two old friends who can share a drink and talk about emotional problems and also Pike being old which actually is a value and also someone who I think is more down to earth and someone people will relate to. Especially older people.

You then have a friendship between Spock and Number One and I think we should then have a third big friendship with 2 of the new characters. One who is LGBTQ and one who is more conservative. The idea is to show how liberals and conservatives don't have to hate each other and can get along which to me is a positive Trek idea to send.


Jason

 

[Mudd]

Do you suppose CBS will release some sort of presentation for the show this week?

 

[Jayson1]

I'm not sure but you know I wouldn't be surprised if they made some Short Treks that pre-introduced some stuff we will see in the show. Like a new character or something. I mean I guess they sort of did that during the last Short Treks but maybe something even more specific beyond just getting to see Spock and McCoy and Pike interact.


Jason

 

[eschaton]

Since we know Pike and Spock will survive the series, it would be fun if it became a running gag how often Number One's life was endangered.

Since they were both older characters in TOS I wouldn't be totally averse to introducing McCoy and Scotty eventually. Not in the first season though. Scotty seems like the kinda guy who would have worked his way up through the ranks on the Enterprise. McCoy probably not, but they could give him a guest appearance - let us see how terribly his first meeting with Spock went for them to have a prickly frenemy relationship forever after.