Star Trek (Dis): Battle at the Binary Stars

[GandALF]

It fits in thematically with the TOS era as the characters are more flawed, if they had put it in the post-Voyager era there would be even more whining about the lack of commie peacenik utopians.

The aesthetics of Trek are supposed to present "the future", in Discovery the futuristic spaceships look like futuristic spaceships, the Klingons look like bumpy foreheaded barbarian aliens. The reuse of TOS sets in the later series were always done in a tongue-in-cheek way, nobody after 1980 looked at TOS and genuinely believed that they saw what the 23rd century might look like.

[bronnt]

Here's the thing about Michael's mutiny: her reaction seems so impulsive and overblown based on such a strained set-up that it's hard for me to imagine she's lasted 7 years on this ship without flipping out like this. "Oh hey, there's Klingons, I heard this thing about what we should do about Klingons, therefore, I'm going to forcefully take command of this ship until we do this thing that I only just learned about." And Vulcans are members of the Federation at this point, it seems even more insane to think that Vulcans have this policy of always attacking Klingon vessels that is somehow unknown to Starfleet captains.

I honestly have a tough time relating to this character and rooting for her to succeed. It's not like the Captain is showing signs of cowardice or incompetence, she's merely rejected a suggestion based on how weak the argument is.

[Yukaphile]

About the continuity problems, the writers said they are gonna try and solve it in Season 2. I'm not confident they can, though.

[MixedDrops]

Being that I watch plenty of subtitled films and TV shows, the Klingons speaking their native language didn't bother me from the things Chuck listed, and it actually enhanced the show for me, and I don't speak a lick of Klingon or have any interest in learning any. It's just one of those things that tickles my scifi/fantasy boner.

The problem here is that STD is overstepping its boundaries. It really should have been set a century after Voyager. Then again, this is the kind of stuff JJ Abrams' Star Trek has been doing too, and for the same reason: Trying to cash in on nostalgia, bank on what is safe and their study groups think is marketable than actually taking a chance, while at the same time making glaring errors that annoy the fans. It's the same attitude going on with Star Wars now.

I always feel the "they were just trying to do what was safe" criticism holds no water whatsoever when talking about Discovery (as evidenced by nitpicky fans doing what they always do). The Kelvin timeline, yeah the complaint holds water since they just redid the original crew and the "angry villain out for revenge" plot over and over, complete with laughable recreations of iconic scenes. The only thing about Discovery that reaches that is that it's set close to TOS and it features Sarek sometimes, which feel more like little fan service continuity things than playing things safe.

It fits in thematically with the TOS era as the characters are more flawed, if they had put it in the post-Voyager era there would be even more whining about the lack of commie peacenik utopians.

As with so many things, there were a lot of "fans" who already decided they were going to hate the show and they reached for anything to complain about so they could justify that after the fact (and that's still true even if you ignore the sizable group of recent "politically incorrect" assholes who need to hate Discovery because it contains minorities). Nobody who participated in any discourse leading up to Discovery's release can deny that and remain an honest person.

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

It fits in thematically with the TOS era as the characters are more flawed, if they had put it in the post-Voyager era there would be even more whining about the lack of commie peacenik utopians.

I don't know what fans would have said, but the Trek EU ended the TNG-era utopia thing even more definitively than DS9 already had. Obviously I wouldn't expect them to follow the novels, but I don't think a gritty late 24th or 25th century show would have been a problem. It just feels like an oddly restrictive setting for the series, when you could have chosen any time period, why ten years before the most famous show?

I still find Michael being able to serve in any capacity aboard a starship to be absurd, but I do have to admit it isn't exactly without precedent. I just rewatched Obsession from TOS, and Ensign Garrovick chops Kirk in the back in an effort to "save" him from the blood-sucking cloud creature, an action that could have just as easily incapacitated him and ended with Kirk's death. The consequence? That Garrovick is "on report" and they're best buddies as soon as they beam up to the ship.

[Admiral X]

The psychic thing isn't true. Distance has never mattered in Star Trek telepathy.

Spock sensed V'Ger across the Quadrant
Lxanna Troi talked about how the two people had a psychic connection across multiple Star Systems their entire lives

And the pseudoscience behind quantum physics-based telepathy is quantum entanglement.

And yet at least with Spock, sensing it didn't mean being able to chat with it in his headspace or whatever. So, yeah, the stuff in this show is pretty unprecedented.

[CharlesPhipps]

Also, notably, Deanna could sense emotion and communicate with their mother across interstellar distances.

My biggest problem with the Battle of Binary Stars is T'Kuvma really doesn't make much sense as a Klingon. So, he's a big racist but he's accepting of albinos and other "flawed" Klingons into his ranks. He's all about Kahless but he violates his word to negotiate peace. Basically, he doesn't seem like the kind of character who could really be an interesting villain and he dies too soon to establish himself. His substitute, Kol, also doesn't appear until far later.

Plus, I agree with Chuck, he's a weenie.

Also, I think we're supposed to think Michael is ONLY having a breakdown when it relates to Klingons.

[Sir Will]

Also, notably, Deanna could sense emotion and communicate with their mother across interstellar distances.

When did she do that? Or, well, the sense thing ok, which was kinda dumb, but when did she communicate?

[Asvarduil]

What makes this WORSE than Enterprise, at least to me, is how it craps on established "Trek science." I mean, a Mind Meld that allows communication across the galaxy? This, from a race of touch telepaths, even before we consider how that communication is travelling. Holographic communications? That was NEW technology in DS9, there's no way it should be here. Force fields over hull breaches? Again, TNG was where that was first seen. This is stuff that's already been established, and they're completely ignoring it.

This might all seem trivial. It's NOT. I'm a huge Trek fan. It isn't an exaggeration to say it was formative in my life, my personality. It MEANS something to me, something very significant. That's why it really bothers me when I see it crapped on (I'm looking at Voyager and Enterprise too), and that's why it should be significant when I say I want nothing to do with the new series.

Yeah, the breakage of the "Magic A is Magic A" rule gets to me too. The 'long-range call mind-meld' thing in particular is particularly egregious, and has some nuances that are particularly disturbing - in order for Trip and T'Pol to have that sort of ability to communicate, they had to sleep together and initiate a mating bond.

...I think I need to stop right there, since that should tell you exactly why I consider this development disturbing.

[Madner Kami]

It's an established fact, that Sarek got the hots for human booty and none of his wives were even close to his age