Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

[Captain Dunsel]

Trilithium is a 24th century development, trilithium resin is a byproduct of their ships. Memory alpha wiki kind of makes it seem like its just a 24th century byproduct (it doesn't say that, but they only mention 24th century ships), but doing a quick scan through the TNG script "Starship Mine" where "trilithium resin" was first introduced in (and the DS9 "For the Uniform" script where it's mentioned again) it's just stated to be a highly toxic and highly volatile waste product produced by their engines.
There's nothing about it being a new development, or a byproduct specific to new tech on the Enterprise-D, so I don't think its unreasonable to believe that it's always been a waste product produced by star fleet engines. Actually, I think that's what was originally implied by "Starship Mine."

Not quite— In a confusing stroke of terminology, the substance being developed by the Romulans is called "trilithium," but it is not the same substance as "trilithium resin" (maybe it was developed from studying the warp byproduct?) as Worf says it's an experimental compound the Romulans have been working on, and Riker hadn't heard of it before— so I doubt it was supposed to be the same substance mentioned in TNG and DS9 before it.

Interesting. In any case, I am embarrassed that I recalled that bit of trivia. I need to make better use of my memory.

No wonder I forget where I set my keys down, all the time.

 

[Bloop]

I watched the 1st episode, I enjoyed it for the most part. I'm trying not to dissect it too much, though I had a couple qualms.
I realized that every iteration of Trek, from TOS to now, can be overanalyzed and nit-picked, so I'm trying not to let some of those things detract from my viewing. I tried giving ST: Picard more leeway as it went on, though I think it had more problems than just nit-picks (but I'll leave that for the Picard thread). But I'll mention a few thoughts I had.

Someone mentioned they thought it was unrealistic to have reverse engineered warp tech by "looking through telescopes" or something to that effect. While I'm no astrophysicist, I do know our space telescopes, and presumably the telescopes Pike referred to, are radio telescopes. They're not just magnifying telescopes. Radio telescopes pick up all sorts of information about cosmic bodies, so it's not impossible for me to think that a lot of information about how warp bubbles are created could be found from radio telescopic data.

I know this might be considered a nitpick, but I feel it's more than that: I didn't understand why Nurse Chapel was chasing the guy they were trying to sedate through the ship. Security should've been contacted, and actually should've been either in sick bay or guarding the doors. This is the kind of stuff that I feel is "lazy writing," where writers ignore what should happen in a situation just so they can have something happen in the story.

I also don't care for Nurse Chapel's character so far. Seems too different from the character we saw on TOS, and also seems a bit too contrary and flippant for a Starfleet medical officer. I thought the other characters seemed fine so far. The trailer made me worry about too much present-day lingo and attitudes being forced into the show. I'm fine with the show being a reflection of our times, but I don't want it to feel forced, or feel like the characters are just exaggerated caricatures. It's still too early to tell which way they'll go, though.

I had to look up Sam Kirk, since I wasn't sure who the character was supposed to be. I was ready to be upset over another "Easter egg" without substance being forced in, and it still borders on that, but at least his appearance doesn't seem to violate Trek canon, even if it feels a bit forced.
I'll leave you with this screenshot of Sam Kirk's only onscreen appearance, dead, played by William Shatner in a fake mustache:

 

[MattMunson]

I found the second episode to be equally enjoyable as the first. Good, high concept trek backbone, with some enjoyable character development thrown in to spice it up. As with the pilot, some minor nits, but I just let them slide and focused on the main points of the ep. I think my main, yet minor nit is that the crew is far too comfortable with each other when on duty. Even in late TNG episodes, there was still a sense of formality when on the bridge. It think the captains quarters scenes would play a lot more naturally if they were juxtaposed against a military-like formality presented by the characters when on the bridge.

Visuals are off the charts amazing. I find the production design to be some of the best ever in trek, even though you need to accept that they're completely ignoring TOS and TNG era. I can accept that. It's not what I want, but I'm ok with it.

And though nobody at Paramount will listen, I stand by my claim that prequels are a waste of everyones time. If they just switched characters names, made a couple TINY plot clean ups, and set this show post DS9, I think it would have been received A LOT better.

I'm still kind of waiting for the show to go sideways, but for now it's pretty good.

 

[Gregatron]

I watched the 1st episode, I enjoyed it for the most part. I'm trying not to dissect it too much, though I had a couple qualms.
I realized that every iteration of Trek, from TOS to now, can be overanalyzed and nit-picked, so I'm trying not to let some of those things detract from my viewing.

 

[CessnaDriver]

Hard to avoid ads, overheard “This is YOUR Captain speaking”, rather than “This IS the Captain”. And I thought written by people who don’t get it. Just from that little bit, they write it like it’s an airline pilot talking to passengers and not the commanding officer addressing his crew. Nitpick? I don’t think so, it’s a small tell.

 

[Cephus]

Hard to avoid ads, overheard “This is YOUR Captain speaking”, rather than “This IS the Captain”. And I thought written by people who don’t get it. Just from that little bit, they write it like it’s an airline pilot talking to passengers and not the commanding officer addressing his crew. Nitpick? I don’t think so, it’s a small tell.

We've been pointing out for a long time that nobody writing for Trek actually understands the military, the military mindset, the way that it operates or anything else. They treat it like a bunch of buddies out for a joy ride on a space ship which is really stupid.

 

[NakedMoleRat]

I thought this was a solid episode, all things considered. I like the way characters are developing, and it’s nice to have gotten some backstory from Uhura.

I think the enterprise redesign is nice. I don’t have to have resin push buttons in order for it to be authentic. This series takes place 56 years after the first episode of TOS, so we don’t need to have archaic technology to remain in canon.

I hope that they continue on this path. I’ve enjoyed both episodes tremendously, and it’s nice to be excited about Star Trek again.

 

[firesprite]

View attachment 1574769

In Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Sky's the Limit - The Eclipse of Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Umbra" from of the TNG Season 7 Blu-ray release, writer and producer Naren Shankar describes that a friend of him once sent him what he called "a Star Trek technobabble generator," which was like Mad Libs. It generated a perfectly usable line of dialogue for the show. The tool became institutionalized on the show, originally created as a "ridiculous typed-up document" but put back together with the Star Trek font. Two years after Shankar left the series, he returned to the office to visit and discovered the document there being used by the writers to write dialogue.

 

[Lightning]

I also don't care for Nurse Chapel's character so far. Seems too different from the character we saw on TOS, and also seems a bit too contrary and flippant for a Starfleet medical officer

She currently isn't in Starfleet, she's a civilian on loan from Stanford. That might be why her uniform is white, but they haven't said that. She has Commander rank stripes, but everyone below Una on the crew seems to have screwed up stripes.

 

[firesprite]

She currently isn't in Starfleet, she's a civilian on loan from Stanford. That might be why her uniform is white, but they haven't said that. She has Commander rank stripes, but everyone below Una on the crew seems to have screwed up stripes.

Went back to the first episode:

Also, I know you were saying this, Lightning, but yours was the most convenient post to quote!

 

[Picard102]

It think the captains quarters scenes would play a lot more naturally if they were juxtaposed against a military-like formality presented by the characters when on the bridge.

I've been doing a re-watch of Voyager, and they are quite comfortable with each other there as well, more than the TNG crew.
Harry invites the Captain to Paris' holo brothel early on, and the other day they were insinuating what Janeway got up to when she snuck out as a teenager.

SNW is just a hair further for me than what I'm seeing in VOY, but I don't mind it.

 

[Picard102]

Yep.

Nope. Trilithium, not trilithium resin. Wait, didn't you say you were done with this thread?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I watched the second episode.

My hat is off to the production designers and makers (sets, costumes, props) the show “looks” excellent.

Elements of the Enterprise sets remind me of the way that “Phase II” was intended to look like.

 

[kalkamel]

Did Number One tell Pike at the end of the episode something along the lines of "there is no fate but what we make for ourselves"? I didn't notice if she also etched it on the captain's desk, though.

Oh and now I know why I feel like yelling "Oye beltalowda!" everytime I see La'an being her pissy self.

 

[Picard102]

Ya, she gives off BDE.

Spoiler

Big Drummer Energy.

 

[Paul Andrew]

Caught first episode last night. No real complaints. Feels like TNG storytelling at first, with some modern flourishes.

The transporter eye salve thing felt like an unnecessary contrivance, and a bit silly, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

 

[NakedMoleRat]

The obvious thing of how the transporter changed their clothing when they beamed down, while TNG would change into appropriate clothing before they beamed down…but its a minor nit pick.

 

[Gregatron]

Godsakes, every single clip from these shows makes me cringe. The present-day language/slang, the total lack of scientific authenticity/military behavior, the feeling that it’s a group of friends out on a space-joyride. To say nothing of the complete and utter lack of respect and for—understanding of—actual STAR TREK. How anyone can say this is in any way “good” STAR TREK is beyond me. If the complete trainwreck regarding the treatment of Spock and Vulcan culture in the pilot wasn’t enough of a flashing neon sign that they have no idea what they’re talking about, then nothing else will be.

Much in the same way that Tommy Wiseau’s masterpiece, THE ROOM, feels like a film made by aliens trying to emulate a human movie after their limited observation of life on Earth, so too is KurtzmanTREK like someone soaking in what they STAR TREK appears to be to outsiders in general popular culture and then trying to remake it. And also continually trying to turn into into something else entirely.

If Tommy made a TREK movie or show, it might actually be a step up.

 

[Ron]

Godsakes, every single clip from these shows makes me cringe. The present-day language/slang, the total lack of scientific authenticity/military behavior, the feeling that it’s a group of friends out on a space-joyride. To say nothing of the complete and utter lack of respect and for—understanding of—actual STAR TREK. How anyone can say this is in any way “good” STAR TREK is beyond me. If the complete trainwreck regarding the treatment of Spock and Vulcan culture in the pilot wasn’t enough of a flashing neon sign that they have no idea what they’re talking about, then nothing else will be.

I noticed the first episode was available on youtube. Figured I'd see if it is indeed more like traditional Star Trek like everyone is saying. My thoughts were exactly like yours here. The characterization was wrong, the dialogue felt like a CW show, the lack of scientific authenticity/military behavior. It really is like a group of friends on a space-joyride. There was a point in the episode where the landing pary knocks out a couple of locals (at the whim of the newly appointed Number One and not the Captain mind you) whom they have to impersonate to get into a secure facility. To avoid suspicion, they have their unconscious bodies beamed up to sick bay aboard the Enterprise where they are kept under sedation. Well, wouldn't you know, one of them wakes up, panics, and starts running around the ship. I guess restraining them was too inconvenient. Rather than initiate a ship wide alert, Nurse Chapel decides to chase after him which incidentally, she found amusing. Did I mention she's under a time constraint because Spock is about to undergo a retina scan to enter the facility and she needs to quickly get a DNA sample from that escapee to beam down to him? Very professional crew member that one. Anyway, our local runs into the turbolift where he finds Uhura and she starts casually chatting it up with him about their planetary sport. They reach the bridge where Chapel has already beamed herself to via the emergency medical transporter. She finally sedates him and gets the sample. She then exchanges introductions with Uhura. This leads one of the helmswomen to playfully state, "Welcome to Enterprise". Just another day on the ship I guess. Apparently such hi jinks are common onboard.

I had some more thoughts on the episode that maybe I'll get into later but yeah, it's definitely more of the same but with better lighting...somewhat.

 

[Gregatron]

There was a point in the episode where the away team knocks out a couple of locals

Landing party.

Another another detail they can’t get right.