Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

So apparently Number One's backstory was actually taken almost wholesale from DC Fontana's "Vulcan's Glory" novel. And I checked the episode's credits... Dorothy was not credited at all.

Also, on the issue of genetic modification, didn't Chapel use that in the first episode to disguise the landing party? So its allowed in certain instances?

I've been reading Vulcan's Glory and there's more the SNW team might have lifted from it. The novel (which is quite good, by the way) depicts Spock's first mission on the Enterprise under Pike's command. Besides Number One's backstory, it also includes Spock meeting with T'pring on Vulcan (she's scheming and manipulative, and I wonder if this subplot will be borrowed wholesale) and a Pike who considers his crew like family and is much warmer than we see in "The Cage."

I'm only halfway through, but I can recommend Vulcan's Glory unreservedly as an antidote to modern Trek. Fontana had a firm grasp on the material, for obvious reasons, and the characters behave and speak like real crew on a real ship. Such a breath of fresh air.
 
Last edited:
I can also recommend the five issues of Star Trek: Crew by John Byrne. They focus on Number One's adventures before "The Cage," with cameos from Pike, Spock, Boyce, and April. The stories are high-stakes and engaging, and it's clear that Byrne has a profound respect for canon. While I have no interest in his TOS photonovels, I do look forward to reading his comics about Gary Seven, the Romulans, and Dr. McCoy.
 
I can also recommend the five issues of Star Trek: Crew by John Byrne. They focus on Number One's adventures before "The Cage," with cameos from Pike, Spock, Boyce, and April. The stories are high-stakes and engaging, and it's clear that Byrne has a profound respect for canon. While I have no interest in his TOS photonovels, I do look forward to reading his comics about Gary Seven, the Romulans, and Dr. McCoy.

Beat you to this recommendation, upthread.


And the photonovels are great, too. Experimental and wonky, at times, but the stories are just as good as the comics he actually drew. Very clever and fun stuff, with a deep love for the lore.

The ROMULANS storyline is brilliant (and co-stars Number One, now a Commodore in command of the Yorktown, which is how she also appears in a few of the photonovel stories), MCCOY: FRONTIER DOCTOR is a fun prequel to TMP, and ASSIGNMENT: EARTH it’s a clever glimpse of the show which could have been. And it does not mash together Gary Seven’s bosses with the Travelers from TNG.

Among the many, many problems with NuTREK would be the complete lack of understanding of TOS and TNG. Byrne paid close attention to ASSIGNMENT: EARTH (the episode), and correctly determined that Gary Seven was NOT a time-traveler. Seven only makes the connection that the Enterprise is from the future because humans have transporter technology and are working side-by-side with a Vulcan.
 
Among the many, many problems with NuTREK would be the complete lack of understanding of TOS and TNG. Byrne paid close attention to ASSIGNMENT: EARTH (the episode), and correctly determined that Gary Seven was NOT a time-traveler.

How is this a problem with "NuTrek"? They never stated he was a time traveler in Picard, nor that Tallinn was either.
 
Beat you to this recommendation, upthread.

Great minds?

And the photonovels are great, too. Experimental and wonky, at times, but the stories are just as good as the comics he actually drew. Very clever and fun stuff, with a deep love for the lore.

I've read that Byrne can be overly critical of his artistic skills, especially his likenesses. I've not seen a problem, but perhaps that's why he went the photonovel route. I'll give them a go on your recommendation.

The ROMULANS storyline is brilliant (and co-stars Number One, now a Commodore in command of the Yorktown, which is how she also appears in a few of the photonovel stories), MCCOY: FRONTIER DOCTOR is a fun prequel to TMP, and ASSIGNMENT: EARTH it’s a clever glimpse of the show which could have been. And it does not mash together Gary Seven’s bosses with the Travelers from TNG.

Among the many, many problems with NuTREK would be the complete lack of understanding of TOS and TNG. Byrne paid close attention to ASSIGNMENT: EARTH (the episode), and correctly determined that Gary Seven was NOT a time-traveler. Seven only makes the connection that the Enterprise is from the future because humans have transporter technology and are working side-by-side with a Vulcan.

Retconning Gary Seven to be a Traveler (or in their employ) was egregiously stupid. Equally dumb was retconning the Traveler to be a "temporal agent" protecting the galaxy, when he had always been presented as one dude checking out time and space on his lonesome for kicks. Do NuTrek writers just get hammered and cruise Memory Alpha trying to make the most irrational connections between existing characters?
 
So apparently Number One's backstory was actually taken almost wholesale from DC Fontana's "Vulcan's Glory" novel. And I checked the episode's credits... Dorothy was not credited at all.

Also, on the issue of genetic modification, didn't Chapel use that in the first episode to disguise the landing party? So its allowed in certain instances?


Genetic modification is allowed to cure genetic conditions, back to average. Chapel's research is about temporarily inducing changes. They aren't permanent and inheritable, so would be allowed.
 
They also seem to be purely cosmetic, and not ability driven changes. Not sure if cosmetic modifications are ever addressed in universe, would you be able to change your child's eye colour?
 
They also seem to be purely cosmetic, and not ability driven changes. Not sure if cosmetic modifications are ever addressed in universe, would you be able to change your child's eye colour?
Probably not, that opens the door to everyone trying to make their kid the next big supermodel. You could probaby argue height, but only if you were going to be significantly shorter than your parents.
 
Yes, Byrne has always struggled with getting likenesses up to a level that satisfied him. You can sometimes tell where he used photoreferences in his comics, but the likenesses by and large look good. There's also a clever bit in the MCCOY series where Number One and Doctor Chapel appear in the same scene, which is drawn AS IF Majel Barrett played one role at a time, with a double used for the other character, but carefully facing away from the camera. Which is exactly how it would have been done in live-action. A fun little wink-wink.


Speaking of likenesses, some actors didn't sign off on them, which is why Byrne's version of Roberta Lincoln looks rather generic, and why Harry Mudd in the photonovels is...well...that would be spoiling it. But it's a fun and clever workaround in regards to having the character appear without using Roger C. Carmel, one that I could imagine seeing in TOS.

And, he did a story showing Chekov's early days on the ship, and, implicitly, that he was there during "Space Seed", despite not having Ricardo Montalban's likeness rights for the photonovels. So, Khan doesn't appear in the story, but he did put together a one-off, jokey panel of Khan and Chekov for his forum.

There are also subtle and not-so-subtle connections between all of the Byrne TREK series, which is why they're all worth a look. My favorite TREK comics ever, because they really "get" the characters' voices and personalities, and are spot-on with both the lore and the tone. They really feel like lost episodes.


SNW is the crippled kid at the back of the shortbus, by comparison.
 
Last edited:
I’ve had to let that go…

Let go of nothing. No compromise. No lowering of standards. Hold these clowns accountable for their reckless, insulting, and irresponsible treatment of the lore and the fandom.

People are free to like what they like, but I could never support garbage products made by people who hate me and hate real STAR TREK. Vote with your wallets.


As nerd culture collapses around us, it's well past time for some proper gatekeeping. It's too late, of course, at least for TREK and WARS and various others.
 
So apparently Number One's backstory was actually taken almost wholesale from DC Fontana's "Vulcan's Glory" novel. And I checked the episode's credits... Dorothy was not credited at all.

Also, on the issue of genetic modification, didn't Chapel use that in the first episode to disguise the landing party? So its allowed in certain instances?
Interesting…

 
The Prop Department needs to show the actor who plays M’Benga the proper way to use a TOS Medical Scanner.

He seems to misunderstand the prop and holds it backwards with the clear acrylic cylinder containing the spinning sensors pointed backwards towards him and the handle pointed at the patient…

FD5DEA4D-0F1D-4529-B686-155E57914F3F.jpeg
FCB7151B-ABF2-45DD-BE2C-D8BB378AE5AE.jpeg
D2D63DF6-4434-4BF3-9120-E46B87F5B344.jpeg
 
Last edited:
The Prop Department needs to show the actor who plays M’Benga the proper way to use a TOS Medical Scanner.

He seems to misunderstand the prop and holds it backwards with the clear acrylic cylinder containing the spinning sensors pointed backwards towards him and the handle pointed at the patient…




View attachment 1577488View attachment 1577490View attachment 1577491View attachment 1577489


In all fairness, De Kelley held both scanner and hypospray props backwards during the movie era.

That being said, there’s really no excuse for the levels of incompetence we’re seeing now, like that infamous shot of Mikey Spock holding a phaser backwards.


People will make false equivalencies regarding old vs. new, but the reality of the situation is that, especially back during TOS, they were literally making it up as they went along, and literally worldbuilding with levels of detail never before seen in science-fiction television. I’m therefore more than happy to overlook continuity gaffes and whatnot (“Vulcan” vs. “Vulcanian”, etc.).

We now live in an era where extensive detail and worldbuilding are not only expected, but demanded. And STAR TREK arguably kicked off that mentality, with the show’s detailed worldbuilding and technology leading to fans hungering for more, more, more. This led to countless official (and unofficial) technical manuals and chronologies, as well as the technobabble which became so ingrained with the later iterations in the franchise.

In today’s world of 4K freeze-framing and extensive wikis on every conceivable topic from a given fictional universe, there’s really no excuse for the sort of crude continuity and production errors which NuTREK consistently provides. Modern shows like this— especially ones with ungodly budgets and resources— should be well-oiled machines which have learned the lessons of the past.


But, no the actors still hold prop scanners and prop rayguns backwards, apparently due to pure sloppiness.
 
Last edited:
Interesting…



Spot-on, as usual.


You’d think that people would get a clue in regards to these hacks literally stealing and/or repurposing ideas for their terrible shows, but no. Why would anyone want to support or reward this sort of underhanded and lazy behavior? These “creators” literally hijacked STAR TREK and continue to fill it with ideas stolen from far more talented people. That in no way should be supported.
 
…he seems to think he’s getting under my skin with this behavior, when, in reality, he just continues to prove my points for me. I’m losing no sleep over this. I hit “ignore” long ago, and so all he has to counter my rational arguments is childish emojis. Like a bug smacking into a window again and again in a vain attempt to get attention from the people inside a house. Let this be an instructive moment for everyone.

This essentially is what the remaining fandom now consists of. And the current NuTREK “creators”, for that matter. Small-minded and spiteful children. Not rational adults who appreciate intelligent science-fiction and well-developed characters. That ship sailed long ago.

2ABDD72D-B176-4E4C-9688-BD767328B21B.jpeg
 

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top