Star Trek: Discovery - spoilery thoughts?

[Dînadan]

Battle of Axanar with Lord Garth?

Wasn't Axanar before the series though? Checking Memory Alpha for dates and Axanar doesn't seem to have an established one, but Kirk entered the Academy in 2252 and would have graduated in 2257, while STD starts in 2256. As Kirk mentions that the battle was required reading when he was a cadet, I'd have thought it'd have happened at least a few years before the events of STD; although I suppose it's possible for it to happen some time between the latest episode and the first month or two of 2257 (assuming Starfleet Academy follows current British/American/etc school years, Kirk will graduate in mid 2257, so it needs to happen in time to be added to the curriculum for the Spring-Summer semester/terms; if it's school years run Jan-December, then it gives some extra time, but still probably cutting it fine). Also, I suppose it could appear in flashback as having occurred either before the series started or in the timeskip between episodes two and three. That being said, I don't think any hard date was given for Garth's incarceration, so it'd be entirely possible to have him appear either in his prime later in his career or even have an episode where the Discovery crew capture him and are the ones to have him commited.

[Archanubis]

Battle of Axanar with Lord Garth?

Wasn't Axanar before the series though? Checking Memory Alpha for dates and Axanar doesn't seem to have an established one, but Kirk entered the Academy in 2252 and would have graduated in 2257, while STD starts in 2256. As Kirk mentions that the battle was required reading when he was a cadet, I'd have thought it'd have happened at least a few years before the events of STD; although I suppose it's possible for it to happen some time between the latest episode and the first month or two of 2257 (assuming Starfleet Academy follows current British/American/etc school years, Kirk will graduate in mid 2257, so it needs to happen in time to be added to the curriculum for the Spring-Summer semester/terms; if it's school years run Jan-December, then it gives some extra time, but still probably cutting it fine). Also, I suppose it could appear in flashback as having occurred either before the series started or in the timeskip between episodes two and three. That being said, I don't think any hard date was given for Garth's incarceration, so it'd be entirely possible to have him appear either in his prime later in his career or even have an episode where the Discovery crew capture him and are the ones to have him commited.

I believe it was Garth's own crew that captured him. So unless Lorca is changed out with Garth, I doubt Discovery will be the ship that has him thrown into the mental institution.

I do have a couple of theories regarding how Discovery will go, based on the episodes so far:

1) The Discovery, or at least Lorca and certain elements of the crew, are associated, in some way, with Section 31. I think this is a theory that's been expressed before online, but it does fit with how Lorca and Landry operate - not to mention the black insignias seen in "Context is for Kings."

2) The Romulans will be revealed to be involved in some manner, and it will focus on T'Kuvma's cloaking device. It's always been fandom that the Klingons obtained cloaking technology during their brief alliance with the Romulans, and though Voq claims T'Kuvma developed the cloak in the second (?) episode, there's nothing that suggests the latter didn't obtain said device from the Romulans, either by stealing it or the Romulans giving a prototype/early version of their own device, either overtly or surreptitiously. After all, what better way to weaken two of your biggest, expansionist rivals than backing a faction of one of them that wants war with the other? I wouldn't put it past the Tal Shiar to have sent agents to T'Kuvma in order to convince him to turn his war-drums on the Federation, if only so he doesn't turn a united Klingon Empire's attention on them. And even if he did after warring with the Federation, the Klingons would be so weakened that the Romulans would have a good chance of winning the war.

Of course, there's always the possibility that T'Kuvma did develop the cloak and his ship is later captured by the Romulans and the cloak reverse engineered (although Enterprise suggests the Romulans already had cloaking technology before this time). After all, if this series does occur in the Prime Timeline (and I have my doubts), there would have to be a reason why the Klingons didn't use cloaks until at least Star Trek III.

[GandALF]

The other series' have always played fast and loose with the continuity of TOS, there are numerous aspects of it that have been downplayed or outright contradicted: a scarcity economy, human religion, starfleet militarism, less vikingish Klingons, the parallel Earths. So I think its fair to give them some leeway.

[Archanubis]

The other series' have always played fast and loose with the continuity of TOS...

TOS played fast and loose with its own continuity, so yeah...

[technobabbler]

TOS played fast and loose with its own continuity, so yeah...

Given the enormity of Trek canon, no problem with retcons. I have my own retcons I'd like to add---like deleting the plot point about never seeing a Romulan before in "Balance of Terror"

However there's a difference between retconning nitpicks and rebooting a character's established personality, goals and motivations. TOS/TNG Sarek goes from a father distant and combative with his own son, to a father who drops everything to take a holo-call from his adopted daughter and encourages his daughter to embrace her humanity. Ummm, ok?

Waiting for the reveal that Discovery Sarek is the cubicle mate of TOS Sarek at the Vulcan Academy. Same first name but different Vulcan tribes.

[Redem]

So I guess conjuring up the mirror people from Goosebump a pretty good reason why they don't use the spore drive

[MissKittyFantastico]

Still lagging behind - just saw 'The Lamb Can't Remember The Long Episode Title' - but not only are the fortune cookies still there, now Lorca's got his dinner plate on his desk too. I'm starting to wonder if they actually are setting up for an avalanche-of-tribbles gag down the line.

Oh, and the episode was pretty good too. But mainly I'm still on Tribblewatch.

[technobabbler]

So I guess conjuring up the mirror people from Goosebump a pretty good reason why they don't use the spore drive

I can't recall a TV scene with more ham-fisted foreshadowing. It's a serialized show. If we got this far, we'll see you next week.

Thanks for ruining a spoiler/plot device that had potential. apologies for sounding like a crank.

[Redem]

Thanks for ruining a spoiler/plot device that had potential. apologies for sounding like a crank.

TO be fair even if it wasn't prequel, it's way too much of a blessing for the federation not to have some drawback

[technobabbler]

TO be fair even if it wasn't prequel, it's way too much of a blessing for the federation not to have some drawback

correct.

Just irks me that scene was over-the-top clumsy. my suspension of disbelief was shattered right there and the scene tainted a solid episode (that had many character shield moments that didn't shatter my suspension of disbelief).

This show comes across as being written/laid out by Person/Team #1 and then heavily edited/re-jiggered by Person/Team/Executive Suite #2. Maybe this is why Bryan Fuller left----or a train wreck from having so many credited executive producers.