Star Trek: Discovery (2017)

[Paul Andrew]

Thanks for more evidence, JJ Trek is made for people who don't like Star Trek.

Well yeah. Did you think they made those movies NOT to put butts in seats?
Trek is a big space with room for multiple stylistic interpretations. That being said, we're talking about Discovery here and the only similarities I draw between the two are that Discovery is well shot and doesn't have cardboard sets or carpeted bridges.

 

[Syrus54]

Wow...ok.

 

[Caveneau]

Honestly guys, don't let the new stuff ruin your enjoyment of the series you like. We're all pretty smart people, we can just block out and ignore things you don't like. Personally, I'm so thankful that from 1966 - 2005 there's a gold mine of great Star Trek to go back to and rewatch.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Honestly guys, don't let the new stuff ruin your enjoyment of the series you like. We're all pretty smart people, we can just block out and ignore things you don't like. Personally, I'm so thankful that from 1966 - 2005 there's a gold mine of great Star Trek to go back to and rewatch.

True. There will always be a divide between fans who love these new shows and movies that have Star Trek in their titles and those eccentric fans who prefer quality storytelling, compelling and like-able characters, and a general adherence to the core elements and history of Roddenberry’s vision.

There should be room for both in this world, I suppose.

 

[patrickivan]

Wow... So much hate for this show, i bought season 1 and 2 of Discovery and i LOVE it. I love the character interactions, the special effects, the editing... Probably just my opinion, but damn guys... I dont understand the hate.

Granted the CBS ALL ACCESS streaming thing is crap, like Disney +, apple + discovery go, and every other one.... Everybody just gotta make more and more money. Its all about whos got more gold coins in their money bins to swim in...

Ive never been a fan of that way of thinking, and I hope all the hate for this show is subconsiously cintrolled for your distates of the grab-for-$$$, but you guys should really watch this show for what it is.

I saw the original star trek (personally; not my cup of tea). The next generatiin: I hate Picard because hes such a crimunal and a bad captain (and no one seems to notice but me) but i overall liked TNG. I thought voyager was good (nice to see a Professional captain for a change), and Enterprise was good (low quality special effects and directing are its only downfalls IMO) then you had the success and quality of the Star Trek 2000s movies which drove the quality of Discovery, and made it such a good looking (and written) show.

Seriously, watch the show again. Delete the hate from your minds, pretend you never saw anything 'star trek' related in your lives, and watch the show through my eyes. Too much hate guys, damn. This show is actually really good.

To be clear. Most of us who dislike STD don't dump on people who do like it.

You state that: "Picard was a criminal. Enterprise had low quality SFX. We're subconsciously controlled and that drives our hate."

I'm really unsure how you arrived at such a bizarre conclusion. And your like of discovery is fine. Go and Love the show that has such great character interaction filled with an insane amount of inappropriately timed crying, selfish introverted characters that show such disrespect for each other, and refuse to work together willingly. But don't expect fans of what Star Trek is, to accept this kind of dark depressing aimless poorly written drivel.

To be blunt, most of what you said is wrong. That's not opinion.

You're just wrong.

 

[Paul Andrew]

To be clear. Most of us who dislike STD don't dump on people who do like it.
-- Go and Love the show that has such great character interaction filled with an insane amount of inappropriately timed crying, selfish introverted characters that show such disrespect for each other, and refuse to work together willingly. But don't expect fans of what Star Trek is, to accept this kind of dark depressing aimless poorly written drivel.

People - here and everywhere - often identify too personally with brands (and media) they like and take an attack on what they like as an attack on themselves. That said, a lot of the bagging on STD and JJ's movies borders on rehashing the old "Star Wars in name only" mantra that some folks adhere to regarding the sequels and it reeks of fandom gate keeping.

"Oh sure, go ahead and like the thing I don't like, but it's not valid anyway because it isn't really Star Trek."

It's a way to phrase your dislike of a thing that also has the added benefit of poking at people who do like it. Much as I dislike the JJ movies, when I give my opinion on them I'll only say they don't feel like the Trek I like and that to me they're more like decent action movies with a coat of Trek paint on top.

It just doesn't take that much effort to justify why you don't like a thing and still leave room for others to dig it if they do. We're not writing reviews here, we're a community discussion board. None of us gets the final say on anything in this format.

 

[Krieger]

True. There will always be a divide between fans who love the new shows and movies that have Star Trek in their titles and those eccentric fans who prefer quality storytelling, compelling and like-able characters, and a general adherence to the core elements and history of Roddenberry’s vision.

There should be room for both in this world, I suppose.

Ouch lol

 

[renaissance_man]

Wow... So much hate for this show, i bought season 1 and 2 of Discovery and i LOVE it. I love the character interactions, the special effects, the editing... Probably just my opinion, but damn guys... I dont understand the hate.

Granted the CBS ALL ACCESS streaming thing is crap, like Disney +, apple + discovery go, and every other one.... Everybody just gotta make more and more money. Its all about whos got more gold coins in their money bins to swim in...

Ive never been a fan of that way of thinking, and I hope all the hate for this show is subconsiously cintrolled for your distates of the grab-for-$$$, but you guys should really watch this show for what it is.

I saw the original star trek (personally; not my cup of tea). The next generatiin: I hate Picard because hes such a crimunal and a bad captain (and no one seems to notice but me) but i overall liked TNG. I thought voyager was good (nice to see a Professional captain for a change), and Enterprise was good (low quality special effects and directing are its only downfalls IMO) then you had the success and quality of the Star Trek 2000s movies which drove the quality of Discovery, and made it such a good looking (and written) show.

Seriously, watch the show again. Delete the hate from your minds, pretend you never saw anything 'star trek' related in your lives, and watch the show through my eyes. Too much hate guys, damn. This show is actually really good.

You can't watch through someone else's eyes.
If you pretend you hadn't seen any Star Trek before then why bother setting Disco in the Star Trek universe? People like Star Trek. It's clear Kurtzman and co. don't which is why they can't write the show.
Visual effects are just the glossy veneer, if you can't get stories or characters right then the superficial extras are just that.

 

[The Terminator]

Well yeah. Did you think they made those movies NOT to put butts in seats?
Trek is a big space with room for multiple stylistic interpretations. That being said, we're talking about Discovery here and the only similarities I draw between the two are that Discovery is well shot and doesn't have cardboard sets or carpeted bridges.

Who the FRAK gives a flying rats butt if the set is gold plated or not. A great set does not make great characters, nor compelling storytelling.

And it most certainly isn't shot well, with all those shaky cam moments, weird AF angles and so on.

 

[Paul Andrew]

Sorry, I find characters with real hangups and internal conflicts more engaging than utopian archetypes. I completely disagree that the show isn't shot well. I find it to be a joy to watch most of the time.
I appreciate the reverence for TOS, but I cannot get behind it myself. Even as a kid in the 80's I found it to be hokey and incredibly dated looking. I did enjoy the TOS crew movies, for the most part. TNG is where my heart really lies for Trek, but even that show didn't have much in the way of ongoing plot threads. It was very much a monster/problem of the week format that didn't deal much with character growth, excepting Picard, Data and Worf as the few that showed any real change over the course of the show's lifespan.
All of that is beside the point. I can't convince you the Discovery characters are compelling to you, so I won't bother to try. I will say I find them much more relatable and realistic in their responses to adversity than any previous Trek I've watched.

 

[Krieger]

I like them all, there is something interesting in each. And I grew up on TOS and the movies from the original crew. Especially Wrath of Khan. The Best. Trek. Ever.

i could even deal with Riker commanding a starship, mostly...



But seriously folks, Frakes is a great director, I liked his work on discovery.

 

[patrickivan]

Sorry, I find characters with real hangups and internal conflicts more engaging than utopian archetypes. I completely disagree that the show isn't shot well. I find it to be a joy to watch most of the time.
I appreciate the reverence for TOS, but I cannot get behind it myself. Even as a kid in the 80's I found it to be hokey and incredibly dated looking. I did enjoy the TOS crew movies, for the most part. TNG is where my heart really lies for Trek, but even that show didn't have much in the way of ongoing plot threads. It was very much a monster/problem of the week format that didn't deal much with character growth, excepting Picard, Data and Worf as the few that showed any real change over the course of the show's lifespan.
All of that is beside the point. I can't convince you the Discovery characters are compelling to you, so I won't bother to try. I will say I find them much more relatable and realistic in their responses to adversity than any previous Trek I've watched.

That's fine. You can relate to the angry mean spirited characters in Discovery. But what makes Star Trek, Star Trek isn't present in Discovery.

You can suggest that my comments mean that means old Trek's lack of ongoing story arcs, and sets, or style of filming, but that's not what we mean. Star Trek has a feeling to it that makes it different than most sci fi.

Discovery doesn't have that feel because they didn't care to include that. They embrace the bland and generic and wrap it in something called Star Trek.

Like it. That's fine. But it isn't Star Trek. It's mean, angry, dark, dismal, bland, poorly written in general, not well thought out, reactive (like the characters), and just so remarkably generic.

Sure, it's filmed fairly well and modern. The sets are sci fi standard and well built. They look like great sci fi sets. The acting is fine for most characters. Some of the stories are even okay if you don't think of Star Trek.

You're description of TNG characters not having any real growth is a little perplexing though. Picard, Riker, Data, Geordi, Troi, Wesley... They were very more complex by the end of the series. More comfortable with themselves. And even since the start, they're ability to work so well together is what made them so great as characters.

I have no idea why people want to watch constant failure and mean spirit people, hate and lie and cry and be so self centered in Discovery and then say that is great Star Trek.

Like the show, it's just so incredibly sad and depressing to think people want to see that because they can relate to it.

 

[Paul Andrew]

That's fine. You can relate to the angry mean spirited characters in Discovery. But what makes Star Trek, Star Trek isn't present in Discovery.

You can suggest that my comments mean that means old Trek's lack of ongoing story arcs, and sets, or style of filming, but that's not what we mean. Star Trek has a feeling to it that makes it different than most sci fi.

Discovery doesn't have that feel because they didn't care to include that. They embrace the bland and generic and wrap it in something called Star Trek.

Like it. That's fine. But it isn't Star Trek. It's mean, angry, dark, dismal, bland, poorly written in general, not well thought out, reactive (like the characters), and just so remarkably generic.

Sure, it's filmed fairly well and modern. The sets are sci fi standard and well built. They look like great sci fi sets. The acting is fine for most characters. Some of the stories are even okay if you don't think of Star Trek.

You're description of TNG characters not having any real growth is a little perplexing though. Picard, Riker, Data, Geordi, Troi, Wesley... They were very more complex by the end of the series. More comfortable with themselves. And even since the start, they're ability to work so well together is what made them so great as characters.

I have no idea why people want to watch constant failure and mean spirit people, hate and lie and cry and be so self centered in Discovery and then say that is great Star Trek.

Like the show, it's just so incredibly sad and depressing to think people want to see that because they can relate to it.

It feels like Trek to me. I see a group of people with flaws and conflicts trying desperately to uphold the ideals that Trek has always had through situations that would be much easier to navigate if you could just be ruthless or efficient, which feels a lot more real than the broad strokes the future has always been painted with - meaning the basic assumption that everyone in the ship will always put the greater good ahead of themselves or their personal wants. That's not how people act, but it sure seems to be how the older shows operated, at least through most of TNG. Maybe not so much DS9. There are certainly exceptions, but even most of those were basing what they wanted off of what they thought was for the greater good (measure of a man, etc).

I can relate to estranged siblings. I can relate to a relationship dissolving when one person grows in a direction and the other person is static. I can relate to wanting to make the right decision so bad in a given situation that it paralyzes you because the answer isn't clear and failure means a setback of months or years or forever.

You can call it dark and angry and dismal, but I find it quite the opposite. I find the constant striving against our darker motivations to be inspiring, which is what Trek has always been about.

 

[NakedMoleRat]

I was surprised that we are three episodes in now, and nobody has revived this thread.

First I do appreciate that they have backed off on the language. I very much appreciate that. That is the biggest thing that has turned me off and away from Star Trek Picard.

So far, we episodes have been kind of underwhelming. I know they have to build into their new season, and their new direction, but I’m getting a vibe of this is going to turn into another Gene Roddenberry‘s Andromeda.

I hope it gets exciting soon.

Wait a minute, this is season three...

 

[JOATRASH FX]

With all the rumors that have been going on, and the horribly dark direction Picard took, and the awful vibes I'm hearing about Lower Decks (which seems to be a show that encourages ridicule and bullying) I've been hesitant to watch the new episodes.

But this video... if it's true... is just... beyond infuriating. I usually side with a lof of the "it's just a TV show" sentiments, but this kinda makes me see red.

Those of you here who have seen it... can you verify that it's true? Did they brutally insult Roddenberry? (I know he was a rather imperfect soul... but his creation demands more respect.)

 

[AnubisGuard]

Don't believe anything Doomcock, Midnight's Edge, or anything else those raigebait youtube pages post. They just make crap up to get angry fans even more riled up. I mean, according to Midnight's Edge, Discovery was cancelled during season o̶n̶e̶ t̶w̶o̶ t̶h̶r̶e̶e̶ and Picard got cancelled before it was even filmed. And "the humiliation of Gene Roddenberry?" Please. That's selling to a myopic fanboy mindset that assumes corporate suits make decisions out of the same cult of personality that fans do. They don't. I work in Hollywood; suits are quite capable of making bad decisions on their own merits.

It's all nonsense.

.

and the awful vibes I'm hearing about Lower Decks (which seems to be a show that encourages ridicule and bullying) I've been hesitant to watch the new episodes.

There's stuff I don't like about LD, but it's (IMO) far and way the best, most respectful modern take on Star Trek to come out of the Kurtzman era, and I think it's because you can tell how much the showrunner loves TNG and the TNG era. It's filled with dumb humor and characters who are often silly and sometimes selfish, but it's got a good heart under all the craziness. Of curse, don't listen to me either; the only way to know is to try for yourself.

Meanwhile, I continue to struggle with Discovery. When I like it, I like it a lot, but when I don't...oof. I continue to not be on board with all the big, maudlin character stuff they do every 45 seconds. For example, Burnham's relationship with the rest of Discovery's crew was largely sidelined in season 2 for the sake of pairing her with Spock and/or Pike, but now this week she "loves" and "will always love" what are essentially her office coworkers, people she's barely interacted with in some cases. Please. And the last time I remember her and Tilly getting any character building scenes together was early season 1. Having Burnham and Tilly get all emotional about how much they mean to each other is paying off character arcs that never happened. This is just....ugh. Stop.

Burnham and Book have probably the best relationship on the show because when they're together, they just talk like normal human beings. The rest of the writing could take a clue from that and dial way back on the soap opera theatrics.

 

[zapwizard]

The first episode of season three felt more like Dr. Who than Star Trek. Partly because of the British accent, and partly because Burnham was desperate for help from the first person she literally runs into.

The latest two episodes actually felt a bit more like Star Trek, granted it was only through heavy handed "Just talk to each other" diplomacy. The writers are still lazy and can't figure out more clever ways to get this concept into the show.

Making Saru the captain is a great move and probably will keep me watching. He is the only genuinely "Star Trek" character on the whole show thus far. Everyone else is still stuck in a cliché roll.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I finally put my money where my mouth is and have watched neither Lower Decks, after the first episode, and none of Season 3 of Discovery, nor do I intend to.

I am happily disconnected and 100% apathetic about any modern Trek shows, and I have absolutely “zero” investment in where the show runners are taking the franchise.

There is a curious “peace at the center” that comes with this mindset. I highly encourage everyone else to give this mindset a try and to push yourself away from the table and refuse to eat what they are serving. There are better ways to spend your time.

 

[Apollo]

I finally put my money where my mouth is and have watched neither Lower Decks, after the first episode, and none of Season 3 of Discovery, nor do I intend to.

I am happily disconnected and 100%apathetic about any modern Trek shows, and there is a curious “peace at the center” that comes with this mindset.

I have absolutely “zero” investment in where they take these shows. I highly encourage everyone else to give this mindset a try and push yourself away from the table and refuse to eat what they are serving. There are better ways to spend your time.

You did better than me!

I opted out years ago and have not watched any of the new “TV Series” and never will!!

 

[robn1]

Maybe some folks can sift through a pile of turds and pick out the best one, but to me it's all turds.

I hope it gets exciting soon.

Wait a minute, this is season three...