reddig33 ,

One of SNW’s strongest episodes. My only critique would be that there’s no way Starfleet would let it slide that a crew member killed a very important ambassador — no matter what the story. There’d better be a future episode where Starfleet leadership tries to throw Mbenga under the bus or something.

Also, please spend a little more money on the Klingon headpiece so it doesn’t look like it came from Party City.

StillPaisleyCat , (edited )
@StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website avatar

That Klingon headpiece and wig combination was evoking bad clown makeup.

The shininess of the prosthesis and lack of significant colour grading of the ridges made it appear all the more fake. I am not getting why so many fans think this is an improvement.

Hogger85b ,

isnt it meant to be a halfway house between TOS to TNG

VindictiveJudge ,

Seems more like a midpoint between TNG and DSC designs to me. He has that nondescript head ridge from DSC’s Klingons, for instance.

xenoc ,

He may well be one of the “humanized” Klingons from the Augment virus, who is using prostheses to look like uninfected Klingons. Or who had less-than-successful plastic surgery for the same reason. But didn’t yet modify the human style teeth.

At this point in the timeline there’s probably a mix of original ridged Klingons, TOS-type humanized Klingons, surgically and prostheses-restored Klingons, and overreacted-gene-therapy blue/grey double-nostrilled Discovery-style Klingons running around. Probably on separate ships so they don’t have to look at or be looked at by other style Klingons who consider each other dishonored.

StillPaisleyCat ,
@StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website avatar

A mix of Klingon types is a very compelling situation and I’d really welcome seeing it in a live action show.

I understand why the EPs wanted, practically to pull back from the full face printed prostheses that have been the norm on Discovery for all aliens. They very much impede expression. It takes a lot for the actors to project their performance through.

However the Klingons in SNW aren’t quite working. Somehow, depending on lighting, they have a very plastic quality that does not give a natural skin effect in UHD.

The ones we saw in the season premiere varied in this to some degree, but under the brightness of the lighting on Enterprise it was extremely evident in some scenes. The kind of airbrushing that was done for Worf on the latex prostheses back in the 90s likely wouldn’t work in UHD, but what they’ve got just isn’t working on our OLED.

On the other hand, I found the Andorian special forces officer to be the best Andorian of the current era.

ieightpi ,

Up until the final scene, I was loving the episode. I’m still not sure I feel about that ending. But you are probably on to seomthign that there will be a follow up episode next season.

Prouvaire ,

This episode was like someone said "Let's do our version of The Undiscovered Country" and then gave it to a bunch of DS9 writers to execute. It starts with very Roddenberrian premise - the promise of a former enemy becoming an ally. But then it brings in the gritty realism of what war is really like, ala "The Siege of AR-558", and the moral cost that war extracts - that maybe the monster you see is not just in the face of the enemy, but the face you see in the mirror, ala "Duet", "In the Pale Moonlight" and the other morally grey episodes that often marked the best of DS9's run.

Corgana ,
@Corgana@startrek.website avatar

I watched this immediately after watching a heavier episode of MAS*H and well, damn.

Glimpythegoblin ,

This made me want a mash type start trek series about a medical base during the war.

Hogger85b ,

It made me think of mash too, luckily hadn't just come off watching one but did have some of the feeling of darker episdoes

scarecrw ,

Loved the Clint Howard cameo! Pretty amazing to still have actors all the way from TOS appearing!

stuck ,

I hope you relish it as I do!

MikeyMongol ,
@MikeyMongol@lemmynsfw.com avatar

I screamed when he appeared on screen. It scared my dog.

snowyday ,

Erica, the doctor, and Christine, throughout the entire episode: “Don’t believe him. Don’t trust him. Let him die.”

InverseParallax ,

Damn, that one hit harder than expected.

Iam ,

Loved it. For me, M’Benga is the heart and soul of this show. I think he’s great.

chronicledmonocle ,

Dang, man…what a whiplash from last week’s episode. From slapstick funny to Siege of AR-558 in 10 seconds flat. LOL.

Excellent episode, though. I’ve got to say that M’Benga being basically a butcher was not something I expected.

poundsignbuttstuff ,

I heard some people complaining about this on a podcast but my view is that they’re doing a good job alternating between the heavier episodes and the more lighthearted episodes. If we had 5 light hearted followed by 5 heavy episodes, it would be more jarring than alternating as they have been.

This is the episodic show for which the fans have been begging for years. Now that we have it and get the fun episodes mixed with the harder hitting episodes, some people have complaints.

We also have to consider that they are getting 10 episodes instead of 26 or 22. You’re not getting 8 good episodes, 8 meh episodes, and 6 bad episodes anymore (thos is a reference to how screenwriters viewed episodes at the time). Now we have 10 episodes that need to be on point with maybe a couple meh episodes.

In my opinion, the best way to do that is to alternate as they have. Not everyone wants a serious episode every week (like all those complaining that Star Trek has become too dark) and not everyone likes the silly episodes (as referenced by those who didn’t like the crossover). By alternating, you get that old school Trek, episodic story telling that make Trek so great to begin with.

I know you weren’t saying all those things I’m alluding to but I was talking to my radio in the car as they were saying these things today and your comment brought those thoughts back out.

I mean, I keep thinking back to all the silly episodes of TNG, DS9, and VOY. Personally they are some of my favorites and don’t detract from the more serious episodes at all.

felixxx999 ,

Could someone explain the food replicator? I thought they weren’t invented yet? Or were they showing an early beta version that can’t get anything right?

PTSD. Like many of us I struggle with it. I was taken how so many on the Enterprise have not gotten any sort of treatment. It also showed Pike as a bit weak of a leader. He should have known to keep certain people away from the Klingon. I did like that he didn’t reprimand Ortega because he understood her feelings. BUT what was he doing inviting her to dinner that night without at least a long talk with her. Pike is wonderful and I’m struggling to understand his sometimes avoiding conflict… even a conflict he could have prevented.

The hand to hand combat was quite good.

Thank you P+ for adding an extra episode this week. I totally expected not to have this one this week.

williams_482 ,
@williams_482@startrek.website avatar

Could someone explain the food replicator? I thought they weren’t invented yet? Or were they showing an early beta version that can’t get anything right?

That was a “food synthesizer”, a precursor to the TNG era replicator which is more limited in capabilities.

echodot ,

They had something like this in Enterprise. It could only do liquids and it couldn’t replicate the cup, so they had to get the cup out of a little cupboard next to the replicator. Basically a modern day drinks vending machine capable of producing any drink.

teclo ,
@teclo@feddit.uk avatar

I think it even used the same 60’s style sound effect when it worked too.

const_void ,
@const_void@lemmy.world avatar

Honestly Una should have clued Pike in, not to mention starfleet being all “eat a bag of dicks” knowing full well who was on the enterprise…so who in command has it out for Pike?

reddig33 ,

I keep hoping for an episode later in the series that explains why enterprise gets a remodel with:

  • food dispenser rations / shitty colored marshmallow food to save energy
  • smaller crew quarters
  • a less fancy bar/cafeteria

Maybe there’s a war or something that changes everything?

angstrom ,

A bit of whiplash from the switch in tone from the last episode but this was a masterpiece. Strange New Worlds seems to be successfully synthesizing all the Trek shows that have gone before it to create something that is classic Trek, but also something new.

I wonder if the first episode of the season would have worked better if this had been before it in the running order?

JohnOnABuffalo ,

I just have to say…

Holy fucking shit.

ThrowawayInTheYear23 ,

Damn that was a heavy episode, i think i’m ready for the musical now. Wish we could have seen more of the Kelcie Mae.

shirro , (edited )

It is great to see characters who were undeveloped in TOS get fleshed out. The characters feel real and motivated by their history. It beats interpersonal drama designed purely to create conflict within the crew.

I know Orville was widely disliked by critics for uneven tone because they wanted to shove it in a pigeon hole but variety is where episodal tv really shines. I don’t think Orville did this as effortlessly as SNW is currently doing but it had its moments. Given the substantial departure from Discovery and Picard I wonder if Lower Decks or SNW could have existed in Kurtzman’s Star Trek without MacFarlane showing there was still demand.

I hope they use the release of inhibitions in the musical episode to delve into the inner thoughts and feelings of some of the characters as they did in Buffy’s Once More With Feeling. The characters revealed a hell of a lot in that episode. It would be a waste to back off after this episode and not use what on the surface looks like a lightweight episode to dig deeper.

Hogger85b ,

yeah, they used the Lower decks crossover to great affect to hint spock future and crush Chapel's dreams

const_void ,
@const_void@lemmy.world avatar

Holy moly. This ep could be a turning point for more than a few characters.

I liked that CMO Benga could not move past his hate, while the Klingon did.

The Klingon had let go of his history and chose life: the doctor, chartered with saving lives, clung to his past and chose to take a life. And on a starfleet vessel, and a diplomat at that! Very interesting.

War does change people, however those changed people can change (for the better) again.

We did not get that line of hope here. Here, we got that death breeds pain which fosters more death.

What we witnessed were two warriors colliding on their redemption arc, with one (Klingon) further along than the other (benga). A dark passenger rides with the CMO…and that’s not great (for him, great for us in the audience).

The episode could be a turning point for CMO Benga and Capt Pike. Ultimately, he is responsible for the death of a Klingon ambassador on his ship.

MMM MMM, SAVORY STUFF!!! MORE!

tdriley ,
@tdriley@mas.to avatar

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    transwarp ,

    TOS had a proposed spin off for him, which would have ended up about his brother (played by the same actor) as first officer of a medical ship.

    It would be astoundingly different after SNW.

    valen ,
    @valen@beehaw.org avatar

    This episode exists because of the stupid Starfleet rule of having traumatized veterans of the war have to interact positively with the supposedly bad-to-good turned war crime enemy. That’s a classic example of people acting stupid for “plot” (e.g. we couldn’t have this episode without the stupid bit).

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