DIS - Brother

[FaxModem1]

Regarding the sneeze, the Saurian crew member is meant to be a slight gag on the openness of the Federation and Starfleet. The Saurian is meant to pretty much be a reptile monster looking guy, and everyone just says excuse me politely as they shuffle by him into the turbolift. Michael asks how he is doing, and he makes a rasping sound similar to Bossk in Empire Strikes Back. Michael then nods in concern, saying that whatever the guy is sick with had been going around. He then turns and sneezes so as to not sneeze on Michael, hitting not-Spock on accident. Not-Spock even says bless you right after.

It's showing the IDIC of the Federation, where they just treat him like another guy in the elevator, as opposed to the fear and apprehension most would have for sharing a small room with a giant reptile in another work. More of a return to form of how they don't blink at what we'd consider strange today.

Sounds to me like they are saying: ''if you point out that he sneezed on you, you're a racist.''

Actually, y'know what, that would stick well with modern liberalism. Carry on.

youtu.be/TE_CQqLh6lo

I'm not sure where you got that. I think it was just a bad attempt at physical comedy.

Oddly enough, Linus the Saurian became a bit of a fan favorite in season 2. After all, how could you not love that face?

[BunBun299]

I remember when they released this episode for free on YouTube. It solidified for me that I do indeed hate every single aspect of this show. I have heard good things about new Pike from those who have watched further into the season than I have, but here, he was only just there for me. Better than the regulars, I suppose, but that's not saying much.

The Turbolift scene in particular I consider a microcosm of everything wrong with this show. Like how we're supposed to hate Not-Spock for mansplaining to Michael. I think having him sneezed on was the show just being obnoxious. I don't like Michael at all, so another character in the show not liking her already is a point in his favor. And the sick alien had to turn his head at the guy to hit him with the snot. He deliberately aims, where as if he had just sneezes straight ahead he'd have hit the door. But even worse was the visuals. Showing all that wasted space inside of Discovery, with room for all of those tiny ships to be flying around the turbolift shaft. We've seen the inside of those shafts before. There is not room to have all these tiny crafts flying around them. Space on a starship is going to be at a premium. Maybe on a Starbase you could get away with something like that, though it still strains credibility. But someone thought it looked cool, gave zero thought to it, and so they put it in.

Another thing that bothers me. I haven't watched the rest of the season, but I've made an effort to at least remain informed on it. Pike is supposed to be wearing the new style uniforms. But Discovery just left Earth. So how could the Enterprise being wearing newer style uniforms than them, when they have supposedly been out exploring, and everyone back on Earth still has the crappy STD uniforms? And what's more, they show a flashback from The Cage in a later episode, and Pike and crew were wearing the TOS style uniforms, 3 years prior. How could the Enterprise have the "new" uniforms, 3 years ago, and no one, anywhere else, has bothered to update their wardrobe?

The tag line of the review mentions them trying desperately to convince us that they don't hate the source material. This episode failed, miserably, at that. I am not convinced that there is a single person working on STD that has any love for Star Trek, or anything more than a passing, pop culture level, familiarity with any prior Star Trek series. I did love Chuck using that particular clip from The Simpson at the end of the review. Because that is what how this season ended feels like. Let us never mention it again, under penalty of torture. I'm cool with that.

[Worffan101]

So, I think that Chuck's efforts to hide his distaste for the show are failing fast.

I had a number of issues with season 2, and many of them are apparent here. Many of them also boil down to "everything Kurtzman ever writes is tired collections of lifeless genre tropes", too.

Sneezy lizard guy? Just plain stupid! Douchebag blueshirt death fodder? I rolled my eyes at how hard they were shilling Burnham. Continued overemphasis on "SHE'S SPOCK'S SISTAHR!"? It's like they're TRYING to piss off the hard-to-please TOS hardcore fans. The plot is largely "whatever works in the moment to cause drama" and little else.

A big problem is that Burnham has very little character. all I can really say about her is that she's The Hero and is a bit of a racist. That's it. Martin-Green also is obviously struggling to bring life to the crap material she's given, especially next to superior performers like Rapp, Jones, Yeoh, and Wiseman. Hell, Tilly's written like a cardboard cutout this season, and I still like her more because at least Mary Wiseman is a good performer. (She even does good voice work! Mirror!Tilly on Star Trek Online is a laugh a minute!)

If anything, I thought season 2 was WORSE than season 1, not helped by the blatantly obvious change in showrunners halfway through and the return to Brannon Braga-style "this biology makes no sense" crap.

I'm skipping season 3. I hated every episode of the first two seasons and I really don't want to suffer more of this. It's like watching the first two seasons of Enterprise, but with louder music, more action, and edgier edges.

[Sir Will]

I don't think a show like this should have a single character dominate this much. But if it's going to, don't make them as boring as Michael seems to be. (disclaimer, I haven't actually watched the show, just these reviews)

[BunBun299]

So, finally had time to read through the rest of the thread. My previous post was just my raw reaction. Something I saw stated several times in this thread, and which I've seen repeated around the internet here and there, is that this is at least an improvement on season 1. Now, admittedly, I have only watched 2 episodes of this show in total. The Vulcan Hello, and this episode. I have watched all of Chuck's reviews of this series. And I've made an effort to at least keep informed of the events of the rest of the season. But my first hand experience is limited.

So, can someone please explain to me, how is this episode any better? I hate that this series exists at all at this point. But I don't want to. I was initially excited at the idea of new Star Trek after such a long drought of it. And nothing I have yet heard in any way endears it to me. So, even if I can't like this, I at least want to understand the opposite perspective as best I can. What do people like about this?

[Enterprising]

So, finally had time to read through the rest of the thread. My previous post was just my raw reaction. Something I saw stated several times in this thread, and which I've seen repeated around the internet here and there, is that this is at least an improvement on season 1. Now, admittedly, I have only watched 2 episodes of this show in total. The Vulcan Hello, and this episode. I have watched all of Chuck's reviews of this series. And I've made an effort to at least keep informed of the events of the rest of the season. But my first hand experience is limited.

So, can someone please explain to me, how is this episode any better? I hate that this series exists at all at this point. But I don't want to. I was initially excited at the idea of new Star Trek after such a long drought of it. And nothing I have yet heard in any way endears it to me. So, even if I can't like this, I at least want to understand the opposite perspective as best I can. What do people like about this?

While this is coming from someone of the same perspective, it’s “better” in so much it’s just bad as opposed to being, really bad.

[FaxModem1]

So, finally had time to read through the rest of the thread. My previous post was just my raw reaction. Something I saw stated several times in this thread, and which I've seen repeated around the internet here and there, is that this is at least an improvement on season 1. Now, admittedly, I have only watched 2 episodes of this show in total. The Vulcan Hello, and this episode. I have watched all of Chuck's reviews of this series. And I've made an effort to at least keep informed of the events of the rest of the season. But my first hand experience is limited.

So, can someone please explain to me, how is this episode any better? I hate that this series exists at all at this point. But I don't want to. I was initially excited at the idea of new Star Trek after such a long drought of it. And nothing I have yet heard in any way endears it to me. So, even if I can't like this, I at least want to understand the opposite perspective as best I can. What do people like about this?

Mostly, it's a sign of what's to come. Discovery starts actually feeling like a Star Trek show, something the first season only really did during the Mirror Universe arc and the one with Harry Mudd. Whereas this entire season feels like Star Trek, with our focus on other characters besides Michael, a more optimistic feeling, humor and fun added in as opposed to "Woe is me, the universe is awful for Michael" and "War is awful, and the Federation is only a day away from collapsing" that the first season was doing way too much of. The crew feels like they have more importance than the first season. Also, unlike Lorca, Pike exudes everything great about the Federation, with his commitment to being everything great about Starfleet, and leading by example.

In season 1, everyone but Burnham, Lorca, and Saru didn't matter. This episode shows that's no longer the case:


youtu.be/pwlyMM7RM-w

To sum up, the tone is much more optimistic than season 1, which was sorely needed, and we're actually moving to full on ensemble.

[RobbyB1982]

Season 2 actually feels like a Star Trek show. Its still not great, largely due to the baggage from the first season, but it feels like Star Trek in terms of tone and goal, and the rest of the cast actually get to do things.

As opposed to wannabe Game of Thrones in space.

Season 3 should be something of a clean slate so we'll see how it goes.

[jakinbandw]

The weirdest thing for me, as a fan of TOS, is hearing all my reactions to TNG and DS9 being leveled at DIS. It's like looking in a mirror. Every single complaint here is one that I've leveled at TNG at some point. Even the pandering to feminists by changing the opening from 'Where no man has gone before' to, 'Where no one has gone before.' (Because the second one's a lie. Many beings have gone all these places, just mankind has not).

The weird shift to having children around and the annoyance they caused with what I can only assume was supposed to be humor.

This is so bizarre.

[Sir Will]

Even the pandering to feminists by changing the opening from 'Where no man has gone before' to, 'Where no one has gone before.' (Because the second one's a lie. Many beings have gone all these places, just mankind has not).

The weird shift to having children around and the annoyance they caused with what I can only assume was supposed to be humor.

This is so bizarre.

Oh fuck off.