TOS fan reactions to 'Discovery'?

[F. King Daniel]

So blame BREXIT?

That's why there were British flags in Into Darkness. England wasn't part of the Federation, and infact still hadn't quite finalised it's exit from the EU.

 

[Nyotarules]

That's why there were British flags in Into Darkness. England wasn't part of the Federation, and infact still hadn't quite finalised it's exit from the EU.

Was Mrs May cloned for the 23rd century?

 

[Boris Skrbic]

If everyone is taught English from an early age, why would they learn it with a variety of accents? I’d imagine it would be studied intensively with one or two standardized pronunciations, and Picard would’ve learned RP.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Heck, it may have been a Picard that led the British forces. How they got that sweet vineyard in an economy with no money.

Hey,they only took back the territories lost by King John in the 1200's. The new Angevin Empire laid the foundations for the European Hegemony.

 

[Zulamay]

This surely has already been discussed in many threads but now after digesting 'Discovery' seasons 1 and 2 for a while, how do TOS fans react to 'DIscovery' and especially Spock and his story?

I'm not an old TOS viewer, TOS is something I watched for the first time on this millennia. I'm curious to know how fans, particularly those who have watched the original series decades ago, react to this prequel, telling the story of Spock before the original series? Even if you're new to TOS, feel free to share your thoughts.

I think prequels are not that cool. While they may have nice stories, they may change the character too much that we thought we already knew. Change it into something that the original creators wouldn't want to happen.

I have been binge watching Star Trekiscovery during this past week. My first time seeing these episodes. I am half way through season two. My take is it is as exciting as watching TOS the first time, years ago. I was only about four years old; but I remember it. My stepdad teased me constantly about being "in Love with ole Captain Kirk". I have no idea why but it has stuck with me. I DO love Captain Kirk. I think the buildup over Spock is over the top; and I just wished they would get on with it already. Bringing TOS into Discovery for Pike and Spock was too weird.

Spoiler: Discovery Season 2

They did do a good job of recreating the Talosians, though. I am thoroughly enjoying Discovery.

 

[1001001]

I have been binge watching Star Trekiscovery during this past week. My first time seeing these episodes. I am half way through season two. My take is it is as exciting as watching TOS the first time, years ago. I was only about four years old; but I remember it. My stepdad teased me constantly about being "in Love with ole Captain Kirk". I have no idea why but it has stuck with me. I DO love Captain Kirk. I think the buildup over Spock is over the top; and I just wished they would get on with it already. Bringing TOS into Discovery for Pike and Spock was too weird.

Spoiler: Discovery Season 2

They did do a good job of recreating the Talosians, though. I am thoroughly enjoying Discovery.

As I said earlier in this thread (and several other places) you cannot post spoilers for Season 2 of Discovery without spoiler tags (outside of the actual Discovery Forum).

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/hey-you-spoiley-spoilerson-listen-up.299514/

 

[Commishsleer]

The effects and look, distracting and pointless lens flares aside, didn't bother me. Those might bother the actors who are being upstaged by the flares and effects and if one wants to give an impression of business, have consoles with flashing lights and status conditions - not blank walls with a lens flare popping out. (As we've seen in many franchises that do prequels decades after the main event, they will look more refined. It's a given, inevitable, they're also trying to bring in new fans, so it should be discounted to a point.)

But the show's all about the look, as the premiere quickly exemplifies style over substance - and to walk across the desert to make a large enough icon that basically states "Starfleet is here" from orbit, yet they're trundling through sand... style > substance - logic = why. Or style > (substance - logic), the sum's similar enough either way.

Worse, season 2 with axe murderer Spock - I stopped watching, because while there probably was a follow-up to explain such seemingly apocryphal behavior, so many more elements were just dumb. Never mind the new opening theme monologue, how much bigger sledgehammer do they need - unless the target audience hasn't passed the final test to graduate from preschool to get into kindergarten?

Granted, I heard about the finale -

Spoiler

free from the shackles of the past there's a chance, with better scripting, the show can become genuinely appealing again, .

the actors aren't at fault - there is potential in the show but they're stuck with such ultimately dreadful material that only works if you consider it an alternate universe timeline. It's not in the TOS timeline and not because of the the shiny pretty things but character and plot details, which don't begin to mesh up. Even ENT did a better job - with trying to fit in AND balance modern stage set polished pretty with harking back to the 1960s TOS.

But to be fair, I don't recall seeing any prequel that actually felt like it fit in with what was made previously. (Even Rogue One, which I liked more than Episodes I-III, is somewhat overrated and doesn't always fit in either (par for the course, the snafus are not deliberate). One more rewrite and Solo would have been more of a hit than a miss, but that's all in another franchise...)

Then again, who is the target audience? And if DSC is in TOS's universe, the audience starting with DSC - how would they sit through TOS's differences with Pike, Mudd and the rest? There ya go.

Look I don't want to watch DISCOVERY if its going to assasinate TOS stalwarts.
I don't agree they need to have depth added to them by having a dark/edgy past.
What's next? Do we find out that Kirk was actually one of Kodos' lieutenants?

Look I realise that Sarek/Michael/Amanda/Pike are now DISCOVERY's characters and thus are the new heroes. We get to see that Sarek is "justified" in his treatment of Spock. That Michael is responsible for every good thing that Spock has done etc. OK OK maybe some exaggeration here but you know maybe it needs to be done to make DISCOVERY relevant. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean its wrong for DISCOVERY to do it. After all like someone else said I'm not in DISCOVERY's target audience.

But I'm not that worried about the new technology except maybe in sick bay.After all Discovery is an experimental ship.

 

[BillJ]

Discovery tries to make Spock an incomplete character in TOS by shoving in unnecessary backstory. When, from my perspective, Spock was probably the most fleshed out character in the history of the franchise. He had a satisfying character arc that starts in (in-universe) "Yesteryear" and ends with Star Trek (2009).

I understand the decisions made from a business perspective, but there was no need for Discovery to mess around with Spock's backstory from a creative standpoint.

 

[Nyotarules]

If everyone is taught English from an early age, why would they learn it with a variety of accents? I’d imagine it would be studied intensively with one or two standardized pronunciations, and Picard would’ve learned RP.

I doubt in-universe everyone would learn or have to learn English, the French would never allow it! lol.
Not even all English born people speak RP so why should anyone else? How many people speak a foreign language without their own mother tongue accent?

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Because unless you’re learning English in a specific native-speaking environment, ESL tends to use RP or General American, though phonetics experts are open to worldwide accents as long the speaker is being understood. The intent on Star Trek doesn’t seem to be a variety of Earth languages handled by the universal translator, or we would’ve seen some ongoing evidence thereof; it just sounds like everyone is learning English really well.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

Because unless you’re learning English in a specific native-speaking environment, ESL tends to use RP or General American, though phonetics experts are open to worldwide accents as long the speaker is being understood. The intent on Star Trek doesn’t seem to be a variety of Earth languages handled by the universal translator, or we would’ve seen some ongoing evidence thereof; it just sounds like everyone is learning English really well.

Folks who live 45 minutes down the road from me have a different accent from me, so I wouldn't get my hopes up about it. Classroom accents don't usually have that level of influence, and native speakers can be some of the most stubborn about it.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Yes, but I’m talking about English as a Second Language students (which Picard seems to have been), not native speakers with various native accents.

 

[Nyotarules]

Because unless you’re learning English in a specific native-speaking environment, ESL tends to use RP or General American, though phonetics experts are open to worldwide accents as long the speaker is being understood. The intent on Star Trek doesn’t seem to be a variety of Earth languages handled by the universal translator, or we would’ve seen some ongoing evidence thereof; it just sounds like everyone is learning English really well.

But they retain their regional accent when speaking English or you have to assume the UT is being used, after all we have to pretend Picard really has a French accent, Uhura really has an East African accent, all those aliens are not really learning English from copying American subspace holoTV, that Spock, Linus, Worf accent (Worf should sound Russian) sounds different from their human colleagues and that all those Vulcans/Klingons/Bajorans/Romulans etc do not sound the same to each other, even if humans cannot tell the difference.
Pretend none of them are really actors from the Anglosphere of Earth, and fans can stop coming up with reasons (tho entertaining) why Picard sounds like a posh Yorkshireman

 

[Nyotarules]

Yes, but I’m talking about English as a Second Language students (which Picard seems to have been), not native speakers with various native accents.

I have had Chinese Mandarin flatmates, Chinese Cantonese flatmates, Spanish flatmates, French flatmates, Haitian flatmates and an English flatmate, all of them speak English using their own accents. I see no reason why the humans in the 23rd century will not do the same. None of the non British had an American accent or RP one.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

But why pretend that if we extrapolate the current predominance of English in global communication into a United Earth that became part of UFP? Some people, like Chekov, might be more proud of their heritage and choose to keep their native accents; others wouldn’t care as much so they’d use a standardized pronunciation; still others would be native speakers with a variety of native accents.

 

[Kor]

If everyone is taught English from an early age, why would they learn it with a variety of accents? I’d imagine it would be studied intensively with one or two standardized pronunciations, and Picard would’ve learned RP.

In countries where English is taught from an early age in addition to the local language(s), accents are very common. Michelle Yeoh's first language was English, for example.

Kor

 

[RandyS]

I really like Discovery, but comparing it to TOS is like comparing Gotham to the old Adam West Batman. They're not the same world or characterisations, no matter what CBS says.

Yep, that's my take also. Both shows have their charms, just for different reasons.

 

[Mudd]

On the whole, STD is not at all good. It sure looks expensive, though.

 

[BillJ]

On the whole, STD is not at all good. It sure looks expensive, though.

I hope they get their act together as far as the writing goes with season three.

 

[Mudd]

I hope they get their act together as far as the writing goes with season three.

Yeah, I'm not real concerned by it. There's enough entertaining stuff on TV...