Star Trek Discovery - Not liking what I am hearing so far

[JayC]

Will still check out the first episode of Star Trek Discovery that is set to air on regular TV, but after hearing more about the show, I have pretty much lost all interest in it. Seems like they are taking the characteristics of the two most poorly received Star Trek series with Enterprise and Voyager and throwing them in this one. My biggest complaint is the fact they've chosen to go back in the past again setting the show 10 yrs before TOS. This is such a bad move because it limits what writers can do since they will be constrained with all the establish Trek lore. You think they would have learned their lesson with Enterprise. Already this ship looks way more futuristic than anything that should have been used by the Federation in that time period and it looks nothing like the ship designs of the time that were previously established. The Captain will be female again which I don't have a problem with, just hope it turns out better than Voyager. Had they set it in the TNG time period or a little ahead, the writers would have had a lot more freedom to establish new things, they could have created more futuristic technologies using today's special effects, gotten people who were interested in seeing what's happened in the Prime Universe since DS9/Nemesis quickly invested in the show and could have brought in guest-stars from the older shows if they choose more easily. Oh well, I give this thing a season at best.

[yojoebro82]

I would also prefer they go forward. By keeping Trek stuck in the past, they're playing it safe and can fall back on pre-established things instead of going ahead with all new situations and characters. I also want to see what the Prime universe is up to these days after Nemesis/DS9.

 

All I've seen of this so far is the new ship leaving space dock to some grandiose music. Yawn.

 

I wonder how close they will stick to Rodenberry's original vision vs. making everything fast and sexy with big 'splosions. Not holding out much hope in this regard because:

 

One of the reasons I enjoyed Star Trek Beyond more than the other two reboot films was the Kurtzman and Orci had nothing to do with it. Guess who's working on this new Trek show....

 

I heard that this will have a rotating cast from season to season. If so, that could be promising if they take us to new places and new events from year to year.

[GuitarDevil]

Hows about an Star Trek show from an different factions point of view?....maybe show the good & bad of the federation?....some stories from the point of view of 1st contacts that went well & the ones that didn't....I'm with you guys though....I would rather seem something from the future eras as opposed to the good old days.....

[mako]

I don't really mind the set in the past element. After all, I thought Enterprise did an awesome job with it. What's gonna keep me away is the ham-fisted PC-service. Granted, Star Trek has never shied away from a trip to the Far Left, but it sounds like this show is dialing it up about 500%.

 

 

[JoeRhyno]

As soon as I saw the ship, I knew it was going to be set in the past, didn't know they'd go before TOS though. I want to see a post-TNG show, so we can get some old TNG cast members returning here and there. They want a success, then give the people what they love and kept that baby going for 10+ years(counting the movies). It's not rocket science, lol.

[Wheeljack35]

A decade before what? Kirk and spock OR Chris Pike? Remember by the time that kirk took over the Enterprise was 13 years old

[GuitarDevil]

I heard they're going w/an different crew on this Enterprise....Just a few years back from Kirk's Time.....

[JayC]

I heard they're going w/an different crew on this Enterprise....Just a few years back from Kirk's Time.....

LOL

[NMX]

I'm still in. I like the new movies as popcorn flicks but they're not what I want-- what I want, only a television series can give me.

Star Trek grabbed me late-- it was DS9, actually.

At that time, storylines that span across multiple seasons or even an entire series was very new to me-- I'd never really regularly watched anything on television that wasn't highly one-off episodic. before.

As a result, I'd never really been so very invested in watching anything on television like I was with DS9.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling-- they've said this new series will be "novel-like" and I take that to mean they're looking to do those season and series-spanning storylines again and I remain excited for that.

There's also been some hinting that maybe this new series will have a Section 31 element to it. I hope it does. More than that, I've been hoping for an entire series focused on Section 31 pretty much since their introduction (so much so that I attempted to write a spec pilot for one at one point), so I would be excited if that becomes the case here.

 

They said the female lead is not the Captain-- maybe the show will run from the perspective on a Section 31 operative undercover on a starship?

[yojoebro82]

Of course the obligatory William Shatner cameo rumors are now swirling. It's going to happen for every new movie until he dies and now it's happening for the new series. UGH, please just get over it, fanboys. I love Shatner and Kirk, but given how old he is now (much older than Kirk ever lived to be) I see no way for this to happen without maximum shoehorning. All for what? So we can say, "ohhhhhh, look, we get to see Capt. Kirk one more time. Isn't that neat-o?" I just don't need it.

 

(Sorry my feelings are strong on this.)

[lazrod]

So is anybody actually watching this show?

I saw the first episode and wasn't impressed but thought I'd give it a chance.

 

The show is now into episode 5 which aired last night and I must admit its not that bad. Is it TNG or even DS9; not at all but it seems better than Enterprise to me.

 

This despite the fact that they have chosen a remarkably unlikable character as the main protagonist. Another "interesting" move that has become all too typical in series television these days was to reveal that two of the complementary characters are gay and live together. It didn't do much for the story but they shoe-horned it into the story anyway.

 

I'm guessing it will last a season, if that, but the general concepts and even some of the technology might have worked if they had set this show post TNG. Oh well....

[yojoebro82]

I'm sorry, I'm still very weary of this show. I have not watched it, am not going to pay for a new streaming service just to watch one show, so go ahead and say I'm judging something before I've seen it. There are just a couple of things that are raising red flags for me.

First, before the show first aired, I read an interview with the producer who said in no uncertain terms that the Klingons are the Trump voters of the future. Ugh. Before anyone points out that Star Trek has always had commentary on political matters of the day, let me tell you I get that and I love that about Trek. However, in the past it was done with much more subtlety. They told their story and let the viewer discover for themselves what the message is. In this case, they hung a sign around the Klingons' necks before the show even aired, either because they were worried the viewer was too dumb to figure it out themselves or maybe for the attention bashing this President always brings....maybe both. Either way, they get to lump millions of Americans into one antagonist race of aliens. Big turn off. (And no, I did not vote for him).

Then today I hear they dropped the first f-bomb ever in Star Trek. Another good modern day attention getter. Of course, other versions of Trek were able to tell good stories and be funny without all that....I know Data once dropped the s-bomb (which also irked me) and I'm sure there is other saltier language that I am forgetting, but still. I heard the audio of this on the radio after which the host said, "They call that 'pandering"". Yep.

Like I say, I have not watched it, but I'm weary.

[GuitarDevil]

Okay lets start by saying, I'm more of an Star Wars fan than Trek, majority of my friends & GF are Trekkies.....I didn't want to buy the CBS App but my GF talked me into it lol we tend to miss other CBS shows & we "cut the cable cord" a few years back so paying for this to begin w/was debateable but since we don't own a DVR, I caved....I watched the first 2 episodes on TV & decided I wanted to watch the rest.....when I heard they were going back before Kirk I was skeptical.....I get that people aren't digging the "Tech" but I feel that most people would prefer an "updated look" for the show in general.....as far as the "Warp Technology" mixed w/Biofuel is an awesome idea.....I like the slight "Section 31" feel of the show.....one of my friends is really digging the Klingon War era....I loved the 2 & 3rd episodes......I'm an avid reader anyway so the Subtitles don't bother me, the more "raw" look of the Klingons doesn't bother me either, I can ignore the political overtones but they do drive the message home that Klingons are not to be trusted even by other "honorable" Klingons lol....I like the fact that the Federation doesn't have all the answers & their refusal to see the Klingons as a very serious threat is what makes them ineffective at first & inspires some serious Space Battle Scenes that I haven't seen since the Borg took on the Federation.....I like that fact that "Michael" is not a Captain yet & she will have to earn or be forced to earn that title....Her current Captain is something of an Ahab chasing his whale while she is also smart & lethal she still has the Vulcan Logic she was raised around.....I don't agree w/the adoption/raising as Spocks Step Sister but I don't think anyone mentioned Sybok from the Final Frontier in any of the old TV shows before he showed up in that movie....I work w/veterans & some of them are deep Trek Fans....they like seeing the "struggle" between the Military & Science side of it cause it is relevant in that sort of environment.....

[Wheeljack35]

I'm not a fan of these Klingons and they should of never done the reimagined thing here

[mako]

Funny the producer should bring up Trump voters. I was a Trump voter. Sure, the man's a tremendous corn-hole, but he was a d--m-site better than the alternative.

 

I'm also an Orville fan.... (You see where I'm heading with this, right?)

[lazrod]

Like I said before, I was curious about the show and will give it a chance, but they're not making it easy.

One of the strengths of the Trek shows over the years has been; IMO, the great characters they present that the audience cares about and wants to see more of. This new show seems to be going out of its way to present unlikable characters.

 

I agree with the objections about the Klingons, don't like that new look at all. What I wasn't aware of was that they were supposed to be a shot at Trump. I think they're insulting the Klingons there...

 

@Mako - I've only seen one episode of Orville but I liked what I saw, thought it was very enjoyable. Also I find myself liking most, if not all the characters on Orville, something that I can't say about Discovery.

 

@yojoebro82 - I'm not paying for the streaming either, have a friend that records it for me.

 

Too bad really, the effects and technology are quite impressive...oh well....maybe next show....if there is one.

[mako]

Well looks like Discovery has been renewed for a second season. Wish I could say I'm surprised.

 

No matter how big a steaming hunk o' toilet water decoration the show is, the fact remains, CBS built there entire new streaming service around this turd (seriously, do they even show anything else besides this, and reruns of MacGyver and Magnum P.I.?). There is no way in H--L they were EVER gonna cancel this thing. . . at least not until All-Access gets it's legs under it. Watch how fast it drops then.

 

 

[mako]

Dropped by my brother's last night for our weekly Trek watching, and we decided this weeks episodes would be the "In a Mirror Darkly" 2-parter from Enterprise.

 

Watching the segments taking place on the Defiant, and considering this episode was made almost 14 years ago, it really hits home how easily they could've made a REAL Star Trek series today.