Random Star Trek thoughts

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

There hasn't been an interesting or entertaining Borg-focused storyline since the TNG episode "I, Borg". I really, really, really wish someone was able to write an interesting Picard stoyline involving anything but another Borg plotline.

Oh, Q? I love De Lancie, this could be really cool, because I always felt like Q left open the possibility of another trial after "All Good things" and oh shit more Borg bullshit. Oh they're probably going to work in some grand connection between the Borg and Picard that will explain Picard's backstory. Great, let's retcon some more stupid shit into the timeline

It's just member berries at this point. The story seems to exist solely for the purpose of moving on to the next member berry. And how telling that the second most interesting Borg character after Seven (Hugh) was kind of just there and then killed off in season 1 of Picard

"member de borg queen?"
"member Q?"
"oooh member quark and the ferengi? the skull has ear shaped bones!"
"member star trek first contact? meeember?"
"member ten forward?"

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

This is a pretty neat ranking of the various Alpha Quadrant powers of the 24th century, with Borg and the Dominion included for perspective. Although I would like to see these powers ranked on the Kardashev Scale as well.

I completely agree that the Romulans and the UFP are the real Alpha Quadrant superpowers circa 2370 (this would be right around TNG season 7 and DS9 season 3). I agree that the Klingon Empire is a paper tiger by the time of TNG. If the Klingons posed any serious military threat, they would have conquered the UFP or Romulans already. They know they are weak and need the UFP as an ally.

Since he didn't look at the 23rd century, here is my take (let's put it at 2270, which is right after TOS but before the films):
UFP - ascending Great Power (UFP is borderline Superpower by this point--I would speculate you can pinpoint the time around TOS films 2-4 as their transition into full fledged superpower--acquiring a downed Klingon Bird of Prey in IV probably helped them catch up and possibly exceed the Klingons in the military race, plus the rumors of UFP having a superweapon like Genesis might give them added leverage and intimidation factors in their dealings with the other major powers. The Romulans and Klingons likely started being more cautious after the Genesis crisis)
Klingon Empire - declining Superpower (I believe the events of Star Trek 6 mark the beginning of their decline from superpower to great power)
Romulan Empire - ascending Great Power
Tholians - Regional Power
Gorn - Middle Power
Ferengi - ? Probably nothing beyond a middle power at this point
Breen - ? Probably nothing beyond a middle or regional power at this point


Plus like the guy notes in the video, the UFP itself consists of multiple smaller regional powers such as Earth, Andorians, Vulcans, etc. I think the UFP's diversity and adaptability explain their utter dominance in the late 24th century

And some 24th century Delta Quadrant powers ranked:
Kazon - Regional Power. They have vast territory but no real organization or leadership, so they're just a lot of minor tribes, but otherwise they could easily be considered a Great Power
Krenim - Regional Power in the normal timeline, superpower in the episode "Year of Hell"
Hirogen - Declining regional power


So aside from the Borg, there are no dominant super or hyper powers in the delta quadrant, just a lot of xenophobic middle and regional powers. Likely all or most of them have found their growth toward superpower status stifled by the constant threat of the Borg Collective hyperpower.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

It's also a fascinating film if you think of it like a prototype for the TNG format and vision. I love the other trek films but a part of me wants to know what direction the films would have gone if Roddenberry had retained control and been allowed to further develop the ideas he was toying with. But then it's likely we wouldn't have gotten TNG in the form we did, so it's probably for the better that events worked out this way. Star Trek even at that point needed a fresh start as opposed to the same old song and dance from an aging cast. I mean I am glad the old cast continued on, just saying I think the newer idea of ST Roddenberry wanted to show off was not as well suited for the TOS cast as it was for a new and fresher cast and setting. Moving the story forward about 100 years for TNG is also one of the best things to ever happen to ST, just wish the new franchise wardens could take a similar approach instead of retreading a lot of old ground and member berries.

I like that there isn't really a villain and that they solve the problem by trying to understand something alien rather than just blowing it up. Essentially it's like The Devil in the Dark in that respect which is my favorite TOS episode so far.

Star Trek IV is kind of like that, too, and I like that about it. I need to watch VI still. I actually saw that in theaters when I was five but I barely remember it.

Also, in January I went to the aquarium where they filmed IV and it was awesome. I also actually saw whales on that trip, too. Gray whales, not humpbacks, though.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

How 'Star Trek: Picard Season 2' fixed its biggest starship controversy

The makers of 'Star Trek: Picard' heard fans didn't like that starship fleet in 2020. Here's how an assist from the Star Trek MMO brought the new 'Picard' Season 2 fleet to life.

www.inverse.com

that's great, I just wish they'd put the same level of

I like that there isn't really a villain and that they solve the problem by trying to understand something alien rather than just blowing it up. Essentially it's like The Devil in the Dark in that respect which is my favorite TOS episode so far.

Star Trek IV is kind of like that, too, and I like that about it. I need to watch VI still. I actually saw that in theaters when I was five but I barely remember it.

Also, in January I went to the aquarium where they filmed IV and it was awesome. I also actually saw whales on that trip, too. Gray whales, not humpbacks, though.

I like the parallels to IV. IV added a cool spin by making the probe a visitor trying to communicate with someone other than humans--I like Spock's line where he chastises Bones for assuming humans would be the only species intelligent enough to be worth visiting and talking to.

I like that the mystery is never really explained beyond that, because a big convoluted explanation might have spoiled the film or detracted from the actors' chemistry, and sometimes it's more fun to leave mysteries like that to speculation and the imagination. Plus, the film shows us enough to figure it out without having our hands held--we know enough without needing a drawn out explanation or origins tale (that said, I would welcome a story detailing the probe's origins and other travels too). Too many films seem to condescend and be written with total idiots in mind these days. Sometimes showing is a lot more effective than telling.

Funny what if would be a scenario in which a bunch of wayward creator-seeking probes all happened to visit Earth around the same time. I wonder what V'Ger would've made of the whale probe and vice versa. "Oh you're visiting too? I'm here to see some whales but they don't seem to be answering my calls." "You're here to see Whales? I'm here to meet up with my parents. We've never met."

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

How 'Star Trek: Picard Season 2' fixed its biggest starship controversy

The makers of 'Star Trek: Picard' heard fans didn't like that starship fleet in 2020. Here's how an assist from the Star Trek MMO brought the new 'Picard' Season 2 fleet to life.

www.inverse.com

that's great, I just wish they'd put the same level of

I like the parallels to IV. IV added a cool spin by making the probe a visitor trying to communicate with someone other than humans--I like Spock's line where he chastises Bones for assuming humans would be the only species intelligent enough to be worth visiting and talking to.

I like that the mystery is never really explained beyond that, because a big convoluted explanation might have spoiled the film or detracted from the actors' chemistry, and sometimes it's more fun to leave mysteries like that to speculation and the imagination. Plus, the film shows us enough to figure it out without having our hands held--we know enough without needing a drawn out explanation or origins tale (that said, I would welcome a story detailing the probe's origins and other travels too). Too many films seem to condescend and be written with total idiots in mind these days. Sometimes showing is a lot more effective than telling.

Funny what if would be a scenario in which a bunch of wayward creator-seeking probes all happened to visit Earth around the same time. I wonder what V'Ger would've made of the whale probe and vice versa. "Oh you're visiting too? I'm here to see some whales but they don't seem to be answering my calls"

Do you think Star Trek V is the Rise of Skywalker of Trek movies? I watched it last year and I couldn't believe how bad it was. I heard it was bad but I didn't think it would be that bad.

Like we get a full minute of Kirk wrestling with a cat alien stripper and then defeating her by throwing her in a pool of water and you hear off screen yowls of pain.

Also like Rise of Skywalker something it does have going for it is that the interplay between the cast is pretty good, and you really wish they had a good story to be in.

I haven't seen Insurrection or Nemesis yet but somehow I don't think they are quite as bad as V... they're probably "prequel" bad.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Do you think Star Trek V is the Rise of Skywalker of Trek movies? I watched it last year and I couldn't believe how bad it was. I heard it was bad but I didn't think it would be that bad.

Like we get a full minute of Kirk wrestling with a cat alien stripper and then defeating her by throwing her in a pool of water and you hear off screen yowls of pain.

Also like Rise of Skywalker something it does have going for it is that the interplay between the cast is pretty good, and you really wish they had a good story to be in.

I haven't seen Insurrection or Nemesis yet but somehow I don't think they are quite as bad as V... they're probably "prequel" bad.

maybe so, because it feels like there's a really good film somewhere underneath the mess. It has some of the best main trio interactions, and even though the supporting cast are sort of portrayed like buffoons, it's fun to see them doing a little more than the usual 'aye sir' and button punching. It feels like a film that was compromised by competing interests. An inexperienced director didn't help, although from what I have read, it sounds like Shatner gets a lot of blame but it sounds like his hands were tied much of the time. Not having ILM available (I think the old DVD commentary said they were all booked up with other blockbuster films that year) really shows in the finished product, as a lot of the FX aren't up to the earlier films' standards.

I thought Nemesis sucked, but it had its moments. It just felt like a real bummer way to send the TNG cast off at the end though. I like Insurrection more every time I see it, however I do have some Plinkettesque complaints and nitpicks, but overall I like it. I think it features some of Picard's best movie moments and lines. It did a good job of trying to balance blockbuster action with a very Trek story about the prime directive. First Contact used to be my favorite TNG film, but Insurrection and Generations have moved closer to it for me. Picard as portrayed in those two feels to me like the most natural continuation of the character, whereas I thought they lost sight of his character a bit in FC and Nemesis. That said, Nemesis is worth watching before the series Picard, because some events in that film do lead into events mentioned or seen in Picard. Though I don't think it is absolutely nevessary to have seen it beforehand

What the TNG cast needed after Nemesis was a proper send off in a similar vein to Star Trek VI. A slow sailing off into the sunset as the torch is passed to the next crew..

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

maybe so, because it feels like there's a really good film somewhere underneath the mess. It has some of the best main trio interactions, and even though the supporting cast are sort of portrayed like buffoons, it's fun to see them doing a little more than the usual 'aye sir' and button punching. It feels like a film that was compromised by competing interests. An inexperienced director didn't help, although from what I have read, it sounds like Shatner gets a lot of blame but it sounds like his hands were tied much of the time. Not having ILM available (I think the old DVD commentary said they were all booked up with other blockbuster films that year) really shows in the finished product, as a lot of the FX aren't up to the earlier films' standards.

Yes, the critique of televangelists is a pretty good idea, but the way it's executed is pretty awful.

I suppose that makes Rise of Skywalker worse, because the idea of bringing Palpatine back at the last minute is dogshit. It was dogshit in the E.U, and it's dogshit here.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Yes, the critique of televangelists is a pretty good idea, but the way it's executed is pretty awful.

I suppose that makes Rise of Skywalker worse, because the idea of bringing Palpatine back at the last minute is dogshit. It was dogshit in the E.U, and it's dogshit here.

Agree. Sybok in theory makes for a more interesting villain than most in Trek because he truly believes he is the protagonist of the story (although most villains probably see themselves as heroes). But unlike many villains, his motives aren't really malicious and ultimately he is an explorer and a seeker like the Enterprise crew, albeit a delusional and misguided one. Never thought of how a ranking of Trek villains might look, but I would probably put him middle to high on such a list. A classic "misunderstood" trek villain, although trek did do that trope better at other times. Of course my boys Dukat, Damar (he gets dual honors of being ranked as a great hero/ally too) and Weyoun would top any list I were to make. Few treks did villains better than DS9.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

1st officer's log. My beard's all gone.

Gods what a monster. Lwaxanna Troi should never be observed directly or damage to the eye will result.

 

[The Cat]

When I first saw it back in the 90's Deep Space Nine's Sanctuary Cities episodes was terrifying.
Thinking to where we've come and where that was supposed to take place in 2024...

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

When I first saw it back in the 90's Deep Space Nine's Sanctuary Cities episodes was terrifying.
Thinking to where we've come and where that was supposed to take place in 2024...

Scary how they had to go through Children of Men and Mad Max to get to Star Trek in their timeline

 

[The Cat]

Scary how they had to go through Children of Men and Mad Max to get to Star Trek in their timeline

Yeah, Children of Men and Mad Max and the Book of Eli seem to be half of peoples wet dreams these days. Honestly I know for the most part boys are toys, for all the dreams they'll believe in...but you'd think they'd at least clue into(this far into the future) the fact that that most foolish little boys who grow up wanting to fight "dragons" and find their "masculinity" by "becoming monsters" in the deep dark woods of life...don't live happily ever after as god kings...they're just grist for the mill at best, or all eaten up and not in a fun sexy way...doomed to forgotten oblivion as broken toys and discarded tools. Exploitation sponsored by Jeremy's shitty razors.

Can't wait for this particular fashion trend to go out of style. I'd even take the next generation uniforms to whatever the hells this maxed madness that demands to be witnessed.

Welcome to the world of tomorrow...today...I guess...Shame...we have such potential to not be tooly foolies...

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I am working from home today and have TNG season 4 playing in the background. Good background noise because I've seen it so much that I don't have to pay close attention. This is a really good season, with mostly solid episodes back-to-back. If you ranked every season of every trek series against one another, this one would have to come out near the top. You can tell the writers were still brimming with ideas and the show finally felt like its own animal. Every character gets at least one standout episode, including Wesley and Troi.

If season 3 was the first to feel like TNG (rather than a pale imitation of TOS), and the first consistently good season, then season 4 marks when it became a great show

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Sooo the episode "First Contact" (not to be confused with the film) is a standout, but the scene where Lilith from Cheers coerces Riker into sex hasn't aged well. I know it was supposed to be humorous but it felt icky then and it feels icky now. Riker looks vicibly uncomfortable and he clearly doesn't want to participate, doing so only for help escaping.

While TNG was parsecs ahead of TOS in portraying egalitarian values, it also had its share of cringe

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Looking forward to seeing Strange New Worlds. By the sounds of it, they’ve made what I’d hoped Discovery was going to be. I have lots of trek to catch up on. I like new Pike a lot. Was meh on Jeffrey Hunter’s original Pike although I was always fascinated by the idea of a “proto-Kirk” and wanted to see more of his missions.


New season of The Orville has been pretty good so far (it’s sorta trek so worth mentioning here)

 

[Totenkindly]

I heard Orville might end after Season 3 with McFarlane wanting to work on other things... is that what others understand?

I have Trek friends who really like the Season 3 episodes so far.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I heard Orville might end after Season 3 with McFarlane wanting to work on other things... is that what others understand?

I have Trek friends who really like the Season 3 episodes so far.

ugh. But I don't see why it couldn't continue without him. Brannon Braga is one of the producers, so you know it's most likely in good hands if he leaves. I think they were waiting to gauge the reception to season 3 before making any official announcement about the show's future.

From what I have seen, some of the main cast are already working on new projects, though this doesn't mean the Orville is done. But even if the entire cast left, I could see more shows working set in the same universe.

Season 1 was where I was hooked, if not a diehard fan. Season 2 really upped the quality of writing and showed it can be a series with an organic balance of the humor and serious drama. Season 3 is a lot more somber in tone, but it has proved that this show also works when the humor is almost entirely absent (or at least very subdued).

Part of me thinks McFarlane just wanted to produce and write for Trek, but the CBS/Paramount suits didn't trust someone known for raunchy satire, so he went to Fox with his show idea. I think the only way he was ever going to get it made was to pitch a Seth McFarlane comedy in space, but based on the show's trajectory into serious drama, I really think McFarlane always wanted to produce and write a serious sci-fi drama, but no one was going to trust the voice of Peter Griffin, hence the initial billing as another Galaxy Quest styled parody

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

completely uncontroversial opinion: I think Horner's Star Trek III score is better than his ST II score.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

The latest Orville was heartbreaking. This season is about loss, change, and coming to terms with that which we'd like to change but remains constant. It's been a very somber season.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

The latest Orville was heartbreaking. This season is about loss, change, and coming to terms with that which we'd like to change but remains constant. It's been a very somber season.

Sounds like a bummer.