CBS has decided to restrict their new Star Trek to their new
streaming service. This is a horrible idea, which might kill the show. I was
planning to avoid it until it came out somewhere else, but I saw the first half
of the two-part opening on TV Sunday and decided to check it out.
I do not think Star Trek discovery is bad.
A lot of people are saying it’s terrible but I don’t agree.
It had some interesting characters and built up tension throughout the episode.
I didn’t like the retconned Klingons but it’s not like they haven’t taken
liberties with them in the past.
But what bothered me was that Discovery is not trying to
channel TOS or Next Generation. It’s not even following the trail of DS9 or
Voyager. It’s trying to channel Star Trek 2009. You can see this in the odd
camera angles, the lens flair, the Vulcan school straight out of the movie, and
the Star Fleet officers acting like action stars rather than the calm,
considered officers we are used to. This is a mistake.
Star Trek is not about the action, or Sci-Fi adventure, it’s
about humanism and optimism. It’s about the idea that we humans can settle our
own problems with technology and cooperation. Naive perhaps, but that’s what
made Star Trek what it is. In times of political instability, shows like Star
Trek provided hope for an era where we had gotten past societal conflicts and
created a paradise on Earth
This Star Trek seems different. Conflict is a forgone
conclusion. Star fleet is portrayed as naïve and rigid for not firing on the
bad Klingons before they shoot at Star Fleet.
There is an underlining darkness and pessimism which does not feel
right.
Now, my first impressions could be totally off the mark.
What if you judged all of Next Generation by the first half of Encounter at Far
Point? It took them several seasons to find their footing and produce watchable
TV consistently. Discovery’s beginning is arguably more solid than that. So I
will maintain some hope for this one. Here is hoping the ship holds together.
-Gedaemon
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