• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Spoilers Strange New Worlds General Discussion Thread

I enjoy the episode on its own, but when viewed as part of the season, it's very clear it was written with a different story direction in mind than the rest of the season.
 
I watched it not long ago because of some conversation about Pike. It was an okay show, nothing special. I liked it.
 
I think the faith and science plot vanished when Berg and Harberts were let go.

My hypothesis remains that after they left, CBS felt they had to scrap whatever plans they had for the rest of the season - probably because they might have to be given story credit and be paid through the remainder of the season as writers even if they were no longer executive producers.
 
My hypothesis remains that after they left, CBS felt they had to scrap whatever plans they had for the rest of the season - probably because they might have to be given story credit and be paid through the remainder of the season as writers even if they were no longer executive producers.

Maybe it was just that Kurtzman thought their “science vs. faith” storyline sucked?

Science and faith are fundamentally different ways of looking at the universe. One is based on gathering the best evidence we can about reality, and following it to our best ability. The other is based on wishful thinking and ignoring reality. So, to my mind, there’s no conflict. Science is reality-based. Faith simply isn’t.
 
Science and faith are fundamentally different ways of looking at the universe. One is based on gathering the best evidence we can about reality, and following it to our best ability. The other is based on wishful thinking and ignoring reality. So, to my mind, there’s no conflict. Science is reality-based. Faith simply isn’t.

I think it's more about the type of storytelling being really incompatible with Trek. Early DIS season 2 (and the end of part 1) had a lot of woo in it. It felt very Star Wars like in ways, in that it sort of draped itself in some technobabble, but it tried to keep the "how" unexplained. Spiritual mystery is fundamentally not a part of Trek storytelling. By the end of an episode/arc, everything is supposed to have a mundane explanation. Even DS9's nods to spirituality with the Prophets and Pah-Wraiths fell under this, as there was an entirely naturalistic explanation for everything.

As an aside, I think this is also part of the reason why a lot of people hated the ending to nuBSG. They were expecting a rational explanation to everything by the end of the series - not literal angels.
 
I think this is also part of the reason why a lot of people hated the ending to nuBSG.

Absolutely! “God did it” is a fundamentally unsatisfying answer. I want to know why and how. NuBSG completely sidestepped answering these questions with meaningless woo.
So did Lost, for that matter. Another hugely disappointing “big reveal.”
 
Maybe it was just that Kurtzman thought their “science vs. faith” storyline sucked?
Or at least didn't like the fact that they had a storyline in which Spock was meant to be instrumental, with no plans to include Spock outside of flashbacks to childhood. I doubt it's a coincidence the decision to cast Ethan Peck wasn't made until after Harberts and Berg were dismissed.
 
Absolutely! “God did it” is a fundamentally unsatisfying answer. I want to know why and how. NuBSG completely sidestepped answering these questions with meaningless woo.
So did Lost, for that matter. Another hugely disappointing “big reveal.”
Exactly. Science vs. faith damn near always fails to provide a good payout. The show either needs to completely debunk the faith-related elements to explain why things happened the way they did, scientifically or, as you say, go the "God did it" route which pretty much just amounts to a big fat old :shrug:. Going either way is likely to piss off some large chunk of the viewership. And then, yes, there's NuBSG's sit-on-the-fence ambiguity on the topic that embarrassingly reveals they never had a "plan" to begin with.

I'm still curious how Manifest is going to be resolved, as it's been treading heavily in to faith-based waters this past season. They're painting themselves into a corner with all the supernatural business going on, with the only out-door in the wall is a Matrix-like life-simulation. Just my theory based on what's been shown already, not actual fact (or a spoiler). Either that or the more-maligned cliche of "it was all just a dream".
 
Huh? Star Trek is just a medium to talk about todays social, political, Etc. issues in a sci fi envirnment, and religion, science, etc. are still there.
And my recollection was showing that Pike has some faith, maybe not for any mainstream religion, but some type of faith, and he wasn't poo pooing others having said faith. Its not black and white issue where if you believe in God, you hate science, or vice versa..
 
Huh? Star Trek is just a medium to talk about todays social, political, Etc. issues in a sci fi envirnment, and religion, science, etc. are still there.
And my recollection was showing that Pike has some faith, maybe not for any mainstream religion, but some type of faith, and he wasn't poo pooing others having said faith. Its not black and white issue where if you believe in God, you hate science, or vice versa..

And contrary to what writers think, God was mentioned quite a bit in the 23rd century. Too bad they didn't watch TOS before trying to rewrite it.
 
Huh? Star Trek is just a medium to talk about todays social, political, Etc. issues in a sci fi envirnment, and religion, science, etc. are still there.
And my recollection was showing that Pike has some faith, maybe not for any mainstream religion, but some type of faith, and he wasn't poo pooing others having said faith. Its not black and white issue where if you believe in God, you hate science, or vice versa..
Exactly.

And, even Kirk goes "Maybe God isn't out there-maybe he's in here *points at his heart."

I'll never understand the desire to belittle those who have faith, or are somehow anti-science. I work with science and have faith. Somehow, inexplicably, my brain is still intact.

And contrary to what writers think, God was mentioned quite a bit in the 23rd century. Too bad they didn't watch TOS before trying to rewrite it.
They were just adhering to the TNG mandate of don't reference TOS ever, ever, ever!!!! Except when they do.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top