Random Star Trek thoughts

[The Cat]

nooooo...
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I don't dislike Burnham, and Sonequa Martin-Green is great.

I just kinda hate how you know they are just going to make her a captain regardless of her character and behavior, and just fall back into a typical kind of role for a lead. I hate predictable and unrisky stuff. So they just pretend like they're going to take her in a different direction but it's all so inevitable.


It wasn't that Season 1 was convoluted, it was that it sucked emotionally and intellectually. Like, just noise and pictures, no real weight past the first episode -- aside from the episode with Riker and Troi, which I felt was well handled, and then the end of the finale with Data. I didn't care about much of it at all.

Yes, Q views Picard as a pet. We got that from the TNG pilot. Q's fun to watch, but unless there's something new to that relationship, did Season 2 add anything? (I'm actually asking.) Again, it's like really liking a band's first album from the 80's, then every album has felt like the same album and the songs interchangeable, and it's now 2022. Do I need to buy the new one?

I sometimes like to imagine that Data's cat Spot....is actually Q. Because that's what the Q actually are. Just cats...trickster gods experiencing an existence beyond mortal comprehension, sometimes becoming mortal cats again as a form of immortal nostalgia... Whenever a cat dies it wakes back up in the continuum and the whole thing goes on again.

​

 

[Totenkindly]

Crossover event?

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I sometimes like to imagine that Data's cat Spot....is actually Q. Because that's what the Q actually are. Just cats...trickster gods experiencing an existence beyond mortal comprehension, sometimes becoming mortal cats again as a form of immortal nostalgia... Whenever a cat dies it wakes back up in the continuum and the whole thing goes on again.

​

I'd like to alternate between god/cat life.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I am a bit surprised we haven't heard from the doctor yet. Given we have already seen Seven, Janeway, Chakotay and Tom Paris come back in various forms. Also considering Robert Picardo would probably do it in a heartbeat. I don't think his age is an issue. He looks good, and they could easily write in that he added an aging subroutine to his program.

My biggest wish would be to see Avery Brooks come back, but seems like he's been done with acting for a while and is perfectly happy living as a weird jazz cat pianist--a fate I think Sisko and the prophets would ultimately approve of after his contributions to galactic peace

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Disco season 2 started out promising enough, then it went off the rails. I hate the writing. It feels like every episode has some forced inspirational speech. I’m struggling to be engaged in the red angel and section 31 bullshit.

How about the conceit of taking a minor character and suddenly treating them as a major character and everyone’s best friend in order to force an emotional attachment to make her death more impactful? I thought that was cheap and lazy writing

I do like Pike A LOT, as in I have a slight man crush.

New Spock is ok I guess. I think I may prefer Zachary Quinto though

After season 2, I’m giving up and watching SNW instead. I already know spoilers for season 3 and it sounds like more boring grimdark stuff about facing some great threat to the Galaxy. Does every new live action Star Trek have to be about saving the Galaxy from a big bad? It’s become so one note

I feel like a lot of the obligatory emotional speech scenes are filler.

I want to like these characters, but so far only Tilly resonates, and even she is more grating in season 2.


It’s telling when the best characters and writing in new trek are on an animated show about ensigns

 

[Totenkindly]

After season 2, I’m giving up and watching SNW instead. I already know spoilers for season 3 and it sounds like more boring grimdark stuff about facing some great threat to the Galaxy. Does every new live action Star Trek have to be about saving the Galaxy from a big bad? It’s become so one note

I'll just note the finale of the Season 3 is a real letdown, it really wasn't worth the time invested in watching.

The whole show is a really weird mix of woke optimism with dark grit moments. I dunno, it didn't really do much for me in Season 3. it all seems inevitable and generally by rote. There were a few moments that I thought could have led to something good, but... naw.

It’s telling when the best characters and writing in new trek are on an animated show about ensigns

I'm kind of surprised Trek is still going. I feel like the entire show concept is comforting in some way to its fan base, but I generally would rather be watching something else. (It's not quite a bad as The Umbrella Academy that way, but not a lot better nowadays.) Like, hasn't it all just played its course after some decades and we've seen it all before -- and any attempt to introduce new things is just slapped down anyway because it doesn't match what comforts people about the franchise?

Normally when the aging die, we let them go... but not franchises like Trek.

That's why Lower Decks and similar seem to be at least fresh, it's a different angle on what we already know, still accepted by the fan base, and meta commenting on the foibles we've noted ourselves.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I'll just note the finale of the Season 3 is a real letdown, it really wasn't worth the time invested in watching.

The whole show is a really weird mix of woke optimism with dark grit moments. I dunno, it didn't really do much for me in Season 3. it all seems inevitable and generally by rote. There were a few moments that I thought could have led to something good, but... naw.

I'm kind of surprised Trek is still going. I feel like the entire show concept is comforting in some way to its fan base, but I generally would rather be watching something else. (It's not quite a bad as The Umbrella Academy that way, but not a lot better nowadays.) Like, hasn't it all just played its course after some decades and we've seen it all before -- and any attempt to introduce new things is just slapped down anyway because it doesn't match what comforts people about the franchise?

Normally when the aging die, we let them go... but not franchises like Trek.

That's why Lower Decks and similar seem to be at least fresh, it's a different angle on what we already know, still accepted by the fan base, and meta commenting on the foibles we've noted ourselves.

I really wanted Trek to die when I saw the 2009 movie. Morbid curiosity and a certain sense of loyalty have kept me watching the newer series. I agree it's run its course in the sense that they're just hitting old notes and rehashing old concepts, and it's become very self-referential, but worse, self reverent. It takes itself way more seriously than it should.

 

[The Cat]

I feel like the year of hell was supposed to be a full season arc, or at least a halfie. Voyager is pretty cool, but I sense all is not well on the set behind the scenes...

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I feel like the year of hell was supposed to be a full season arc, or at least a halfie. Voyager is pretty cool, but I sense all is not well on the set behind the scenes...

I think you're right. I've read that after DS9 ended, some DS9 writers were sent to work on Voyager, and many grew frustrated by the way the producers wanted to hit the reset button every week. I also remember before it aired, the PR for Voyager was talking about how the show would up the stakes and deal with interpersonal conflict carried out over arcs. The producers ultimately wanted a safe, exploratory show that would be TNG lite, despite initially advertising the series continuing the darker serialized DS9 type stuff.

I like Voyager but often have trouble believeing they're stranded 70000 light years from home with limited allies and resources. Had they just made it another deep space exploration mission, like maybe some 5 year thing where the ship is outside of federation space on the perimiter/frontier, it would have felt more believable at least when they were suddenly all repaired and back to normal by the next week. Like sure, deep space explorers like the past Enterprises would still stop by starbases to supply and repair before heading back into uncharted space. But it makes no sense when the premise is supposed to be zero contact with starfleet command or any allied starbases.

To its credit, Voyager was the most explorey trek show at the time it was airing (DS9 was the war show, TNG had been the diplomacy show, and both of those tended to focus more on dealing with established aliens and cultures vs exploring new and strange ones.)

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Choose your dream crew. This shit hard

Mine skews heavily TNG era:
Captain: Picard
XO: Chakotay because he’d challenge Picard more and JL likes that.
Medical: The VOY EMH
Science: Seven of Nine
Security: Odo
Weapons/tactical (I always thought this should be a separate post from security chief: Worf
Engineering: Geordi
Counselor: Guinan
Obligatory kid or cadet: Tilly or Nog
Honorary non starfleet crewmember: Garak
Ship’s mascot: Porthos
Helm: Tom Paris
Operations: Data

Though I’d almost be tempted to choose Pike or even Saru as a captain. Both are pretty model officers and all around decent guys.

 

[The Cat]

Captain: Jayneway
XO: Chakotay
Medical: The VOY EMH
Science: Jadzia Dax
Security: Tuvok
Weapons/tactical: Major Kira Nerys (I want someone who can use jury rigged broken ass shit)
Engineering: Belana Tores
Counselor: Guinan
Obligatory kid or cadet: Seven of Nine.
Honorary non starfleet crewmember: Garak
Ship’s mascot: Spot
Helm: Tom Paris
Operations: Reg Barclay

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I like the idea of Kira as a weapons officer.

And not sure how why l I didn’t remember Barclay but great ops choice

 

[The Cat]

I like the idea of Kira as a weapons officer.

And not sure how why l I didn’t remember Barclay but great ops choice

I almost picked Miles Edward O'Brien, but he's suffered enough. Though I would watch a series of him as a Teacher at the Academy; a family drama with light comedic elements on occasion, maybe Molly's probably in College...Idk it would probably mildly better than Picard mainly because they wouldnt feel the need to do...big political stuff, but just show slice of federation life through the perspective of Star Trek's working class "Everyman" and a batch of new Cadets getting their feet wet. Would have been a great cameo for Aaron Eisenberg may he rest in peace in the Divine Treasury.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I almost picked Miles Edward O'Brien, but he's suffered enough. Though I would watch a series of him as a Teacher at the Academy; a family drama with light comedic elements on occasion, maybe Molly's probably in College...Idk it would probably mildly better than Picard mainly because they wouldnt feel the need to do...big political stuff, but just show slice of federation life through the perspective of Star Trek's working class "Everyman" and a batch of new Cadets getting their feet wet. Would have been a great cameo for Aaron Eisenberg may he rest in peace in the Divine Treasury.

My dream O'Brien show involves him as a professor, but somehow crazy anomalies and painful situations just follow him. There could even be an episode where he catches up with Julian. "So Julian, still encountering crazy anomalies and dangerous space stuff on an almost weekly basis?" "Nah, there really hasn't been much of that since, oh, about around the time you left"

 

[The Cat]

My dream O'Brien show involves him as a professor, but somehow crazy anomalies and painful situations just follow him. There could even be an episode where he catches up with Julian. "So Julian, still encountering crazy anomalies and dangerous space stuff on an almost weekly basis?" "Nah, there really hasn't been much of that since, oh, about around the time you left"

I would even watch a Miles O'Brien prequel back when he was a commando with an older O'Brien sort of looking back while training new cadets. Could be good. I also think O'Brien would make a good PI; though I would love an Elim Garak PI show.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I would even watch a Miles O'Brien prequel back when he was a commando with an older O'Brien sort of looking back while training new cadets. Could be good. I also think O'Brien would make a good PI; though I would love an Elim Garak PI show.

any of these I would love.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I always go back to the lovesick Odo epsiodes where he pines over Kira. My favorite is Crossfire, where Quark finds out and tries to console Odo in his Quark way. Odo spends much of the episode watching Kira fall for another guy, and worse, having both her and her man come to him for advice on the matter. Been there, way too many times (mostly in my younger single days, but did sorta have to deal with this again recently). It is the worst feels ever. You want to cut your heart out with a rusty spoon when this happens.

My one gripe with the Odo Kira arc is that I almost think it shouldn't have worked out, his feelings should have gone unrequited, only for them to come to an understanding as best friends by the finale. I feel like Odo deserved better anyway and would have found love with some other misfit alien orphan with a background similar to his own. I also feel like Odo should have turned his back on the founders once he'd cured the female changeling and the great link. The perpetual lone, sad stoic.

 

[The Cat]

I always wondered how the Mirror universe was in our time...Now I know. We're living in it.

 

[The Cat]

Season 4 episode 23 of Voyager Living Witness...is a trip and a god damned half after the recent us history debates...

 

[The Cat]

half way through season 5 episode 2 Drone. It's already choked me up twice and I can just tell its gonna make me cry. For the love of all that is good. Please Give me a show like Voyager but with seasonal arcs instead of sitcom reset.