Reviews

Huge fan of the show, but this is by far the laziest episode I've watched from ACI by a mile.

First the editing and effects are bad and hastily put together with almost no skill. Shape of things to come on this episode.

Then they interview multiple pilots of the 727 who said what the pilots did (or claim to have done essentially) was not only fairly routine but common and 'unspoken'. Which to me sounds like something that airlines either knew about or recommended pilots to attempt in order to save fuel. Which actually goes against testimony by pilots during the time of the accident, where the investigation found very few pilots even knew about it (despite the show and Boeing saying the contrary).

Third, the motivation of the crew based on the allegation isn't explored. Am I meant to believe that an extraordinarily experienced crew on one of the world's most prestigious and cushiest airlines at the time would risk their careers just to get to their destination a few minutes faster???? That sounds unlikely unless management told them to do this in order to save fuel. A more likely scenario that the report never explored. Instead, they just blamed everything on the captain. And tbh I doubt either is true.

Forth, I REALLY question that the pilot would not let the engineer know of this maneuver if it was attempted (again, no proof fully it was). Pilots on this episode admitted this was a fairly routine procedure. So why be hushed about something that was done fairly regularly (even if this was against SOP)? And to not let the engineer know...? They need proof of this before saying such. In fact according to testimony form other pilots it was SOP

Finally, given that the recording was either never saved or erased (we actually still don't know and will never know what happened), the depiction of the captain towards the end of the episode is utterly slanderous and completely ignores their testimonies (just like the NTSB did). This crash was controversial enough that TWA and the pilots union collectively hired their own independent investigation and found that Boeing was actually at fault. Yet, the episode doesn't even acknowledge this.

The CVR was not recorded, and the episode erroneously claims that the crew deliberately erased it...even though the testimony of the pilots were in actuality abandoned by the NTSB when the captain was asked under oath if he 'ever erased the recordings'. He did NOT admit he did erase it at that specific circumstance and at the time WAS fairly common procedure for pilots due to privacy concerns. That was the NTSB jumping to conclusions based on that one omission. Why? Idk....save Boeings behind? Who knows, it's history now.

The CVR being not recorded is FAR from uncommon. In fact, many previous ACI episodes showcased this! And the CVR could have EASILY been damaged from the g forces of the plane.

This crash is so controversial it has several books covering it, including "Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey From Heroes to Villains to Redemption", which goes far more in depth on how and why the NTSB potentially quietly covered this up, and it frankly sounds a heck of a lot more plausible than a highly experienced captain (and copilot by accessory) deciding to toy around with an airplane they are highly familiar with to get to their destination slightly faster when there's no time impetuous to do so.

It's so wrong to talk about people who are dead this way. If you're going to do it...show both sides. It also would have been a far more interesting episode, and possibly more relevant to current issues today in aviation.

If you're like me, never heard of this crash, and this 'documentary' really doubt the narrative, then I recommend you read this Medium article "Liars in the Cockpit? The near crash of TWA flight 841" that goes a lot more into depth on the potential causes.

I hope the show runners consider the pitch in this article to consider a part 2 that takes the pilots and TWA side of the story...

I actually like musicals more than I should. So this was an interesting surprise. From the setup I thought this would have been more of a fun lighthearted episode, kind of like The Naked Time: a very TOS level setup that makes no sense but just go with it lol

Instead it kind of turns into a soap opera musical. Which is fine....but there's not a lot visually happening between singing. The songs are well written and played out, but are often too long and don't add value. Also the explanation of why this is happening is absurd lol

This would have been a lot better if they had just kept it a light hearted affair throughout.

My biggest critique though is continuity, and I'm not really huge on continuity and picking holes at it.

BUT...the writes DO know that Kirk isn't supposed to know about David.....right? It's a pretty glaring thing to totally forget to solve the bit of melodrama they added randomly.

Like that's one of the primary twists in WoK! And also one of Kirk's biggest character development moments in all of Trek.

I don't even know why Kirk is even in this episode anyway, but this is a fairly big oversight that doesn't really add any value.

Fun episode, even if it's a bit light on plot. Seeing the characters from Lower Decks was a fun idea. This episode had A LOT of strong attention to detail that feels like this series (and a lot of new Trek) has been missing from an aesthetics perspective. You can tell Frakes directed this episode based on that and how much fun the cast is obviously having while making this. Redoing the intro with cell shading to look cartoon-like was a nice touch.

The problem is...the tonality differences between both series is just completely jarring. Like Lower Decks is self referential and a comedy.

When you take the same characters and make them act as buffoon like as in a comedy cartoon series but now in the context of a more serious live action show....it comes off as really annoying and irritating. It's wholly unbelievable that 2 characters this incompetent can make it in Starfleet. Which was the joke in a humorous cartoon series...but REALLY doesn't work as well live action.

What they SHOULD have done is tone down the absurd incompetence of the characters when adapting them into the story. The hero worship? Yeah that makes sense, and it's far from the first time Trek has dabbled with that subject. But I cringed instead of laughed so many times watching the two characters completely act like buffoons that make stereotypical Ferrengis in TNG seem highly competent.

As it was...fun episode, but I couldn't really get into it or feel immersed because of how jarring it was.

This episode had such an awesome ethical dilemma that's classic Trek: a weird diplomatic colony filled with Dilithium decides to go rogue and mine the dilithium for themselves, with humans and Klingons banding together to intentionally start a war so they can strip the planet bare of natural resources and profit extremely....all while enslaving the population.

Classic Trek.....and that's it. Yep, with such a meaty concept they literally go nowhere with it. Instead they use magical Rambo juice to become super human and the entire situation gets resolved in a neat bow over drinks (literally.... I'm not joshing...).

Everything gets resolved without seeing anything about these people and exploring the ethical dilemmas on all sides.

Jeez Louise...what a missed opportunity to make parallels with our world and the military industrial complex...

I loathe new Trek.

This is one of the most Trek episodes I have seen since these new Trek series became a thing. I thought the writing for the most part was very good, even though the conclusion was a bit predictable.

The problem? Execution. The opposite of the problems in most modern Trek.

Old Trek relied on very good Shakespearean acting to really hammer home these kinds of episodes....and everyone besides Uhura felt...flat. Like a soda without any fizz. You can taste the sweetness but there's no texture or spice.

There's also an odd lack of sound in this episode. Both from the difficulty in hearing the protagonist (this is a mixing problem more than an accent issue) and from the lack of any music or score through long sections of dialog.

It's a shame since this episode is written very close to the spirit of TOS. It makes you truly appreciate how good the actors in Trek have been to carry plots that are very dialog heavy.

Huge fan of Jon Stewart. Many of my initial political discovery and mistrust of the media is entirely due to his show pointing out the hypocrisy of it all. The first episode I thought was a very good dive into a real problem that I don't think a lot of Americans really knew much about.

This episode...? It was fairly banal and I don't think it deconstructs the argument away from the obvious bias and polarization (I also think the entire debate is a slippery slope but that's another issue).

'Misinformation' has become a propagandized term, and essentially asking for more controls without looking into how it's abused is almost criminal.

Do people throw insane theories online and people fall for them? Sure, that's not new. Flat earthers have been a thing for many years.

However, what is been deemed as 'misinformation' today has become truth in several months due to suppression of experts and even scientific data. Which is especially true when it comes to masking (eg: unsafe o2 levels for extended periods of time masking, especially under any strenuous activity) and vaccines (safety data is still undergoing, challenging data for children).

Tl;dr: this is a very complex topic with nuance...with none of the nuance from one side brought to the table.

Which violates the very essence of the debate: 'freedom requires collective action'. How do you know if the collective action is good for the individual? Many horrible atrocities were done for the collective. The premise of the argument (and yes especially as one Jew to another) is not only banal but ignores historical precedents.

Discovery has been one of the most frustrating shows I've watched in a while. It has good actors playing annoyingly obnoxious characters in cliche'd story arcs.

Finally Discovery delves into a very Trek-like scenario, specifically with a Prime Directive issue. Although I find the survivors new religion highly unlikely to develop and cliche'd concept (something someone with a Coexist bumper sticker would have thought of...but not survivors of a post apocalypse whom are primarily Christian), it was a interesting and entertaining scenario, especially since Discovery has had like maybe 3 real Trek episodes.

My problem with this episode is that the scenario on the planet plays 3rd fiddle with everything else in the show: Discovery/Tilly's adventure with spores, and the season arc. 2nd time in a row Tilly saves the day with an idea that should have been thought of by the rest of the crew, and the planet's purpose was more to enhance the season arc than the scenario itself. Too much time was spent on both that less then a 1/3 was dedicated to the planet expedition.

Even Burnham plays more of a role than deserving so. Instead of learning from Pike about humility and compassion, she seems as a character more interested in proving him wrong and teaching him lessons. Would have preferred if their conversation on the ship never took place and Pike went back on the planet on his own accord. That would make him a much more nuanced character instead of being lectured by Burnham of all people....

It's saying something though that the 2 best episodes of Discovery were helmed by TNG's Frakes. The frantic pace of the past episode is thankfully gone and the episode is stronger for it.

In sum, although I enjoyed parts of New Eden, truthfully Discovery gets in its own way too often to make the episode excel.

This episode was an offense to all my senses. What the hell was going on?

Enterprise is DOA for...reasons. Then Pike is Captain of Discovery for...reasons. Then they follow signals for...reasons. Then they go to a ship with a distress call. OK! Finally something that makes sense....oh look now they're on space motorbikes. WHAT?!?

What is this? Like what am I watching? Nothing in this show makes sense. Worst part is the insanely fast-paced cuts make it impossible to figure out what is happening and why.

When you do think about it the plot makes even less sense! Oh, here's a random engineer who we really don't care about (and likely never see again) that invents some random contraptions to keep people alive. No, not a medical scientist. Just an engineer. K LOL. Oh look, Tilly comes up with a random theory out of her arse that somehow works. Oh, they decide to capture an asteroid when other Trek shows made a point of showing that even course correcting an asteroid is difficult. Forget capturing it!

But, Tilly is right. That's the power of math, people. Don't question the plot. Your mind is too simple to comprehend the writing being done on this show.

Condescending doesn't even begin to describe this show.

I'll say this though: I really did enjoy Pike a lot and the visuals on this show are really good.

This movie is painful to watch for so many reasons. Some have been done to death (row row row your boat? Ffs) but what really annoys me is the direction. Everything in this film feels....cheap. The sets, locations, choreography, etc. it's all low rent feeling. The camera angles are odd and sometimes throw me off any little immersion the film has. Sybok is an awful character on so many levels, and creates a completely unnecessary plot hole in the entire series that shouldn't really exist.

Oh and Shatner turned Scotty into a buffoon. Joy...

There's 2 redeeming qualities of this film:

• The Trio: even with all the hokey scenes and dialog that makes you want to cringe, they have excellent chemistry, and a lot of the film centers around Kirk/Spock/McCoy, which is always fun despite itself.

• The concept: Its honestly a pretty cool idea....maybe better written in script or book than what was executed, but the idea of tackling god in Trek has always been really appealing (something TNG and DS9 would both do a lot with). It also has the ultimate Athiest quote in the world. It's so simple but amazing. Perhaps this is why Shatner is far better at writing books than screenwriting/directing. It's cool concept but ultimately really bad choices for film that require a really skilled hand to not look ultimately ridiculous.

*sigh* In the end, I want to like this movie, but it's a very poor film and a chore to watch.

I think the problem with The Search For Spock was that it followed such a spectacular movie. Wrath of Khan is one of the best sci fi movies ever made. Even if you aren't a Trek fan, it's intensity and pacing is unrivaled.

TSFS never tries to even touch what TWOK did. Even though it's right after the events of that film, it has a much light hearted and optimistic tone.

And if you go watch them as separate films and come in with no expectations, you'll see a very fun and tightly wounded story with impeccable acting and great dialog.

Story wise, it's a really simple tale. Spock was left on Genesis but his mind is still in McCoy. They need to go back and get Spock in whatever condition he is to mend his soul. Except Klingons.

The plot isn't what drives the film, but the characters really do flesh out the story. Seeing McCoy acting all crazy is hilarious, and several really memorable scenes really make this film a joy to rewatch. Christopher Lloyd is awesome if a bit hokey as a Klingon baddie. Some truly memorable quotes here too.

In the end, it's a very enjoyable film with great acting and pacing. It's a top notch film done on a shoe string budget. Even more impressive that it's Nimoys first directing film, and you would never know it watching this.

Seems like all the reviews are harping on some kind of anti war message (really, how is that a bad thing? I'm still in draftable age. F wars lol). What's really great about this movie is that all this grandiosity with the aliens is just window dressing to the real plot, which becomes the plot twist at the end... and is both challenging and gut wrenching.

We always question ourselves as a species. How many dreams started off on the quest for time travel? To seek answers or to change the past?

Truth is, if you knew what was going to happen, you'd be living a curse. You relive the beautiful moments only to know the inevitable demise of it all.

The aliens in this film aren't doing anything out of the goodness of their hearts, but because of how they perceive time. And because of that, they are slaves to it. They can never enjoy because they need to solve what is to come.

Our freedom is based entirely on our limited understanding of events. Ignorance is the most bliss you'll ever get. If you knew what's going to happen, you can never really enjoy life.

And that's the tragedy of Louise...and what she now endures.

This is what sci fi is all about. Not grandiose messages and whiz bang action, but layering a very human story under the guise of something bigger. It's the only way to be honest with ourselves.

To be frank, I felt the first episode/pilot was rushed and rather pedestrian. Dialog quips were annoying more than charming. Burmann's flip at the end really bothered me to no end (especially given that Vulcans are far more technologically sophisticated than either humans or Klingons, so to use the same strategy is suicide).

Ignore the pilot. This episode brings some really interesting drama to the table. Sarek's relationship with Burmann is interesting (the psychic link via mind melds hasn't been established to this extent, but it is interesting nonetheless). Establishes the characters far more eloquently with little dialog. The cliché dialog from the first episode is gone for much tighter, moving pieces. The pacing is more traditional Trek while still being moving and fast-paced, and is a much better setup for what's to come than the pilot.

I do find it annoying that they've made Klingons to be so spiritual (to waste time on the dead and making yourself tactically vulnerable is the antithesis of what Klingons represent). This isn't simply Trek fans groaning on canon, but completely flipping a race of people that's been so centric to the whole series.

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Now as for the reviewer above me (Greg Adrian), I disagree that this Trek is a revolution and Star Trek has 'never been so great' (or that Voyager received backlash from Janeway being a female character). While this episode is very good at establishing the direction the series is going and telling its story, there really isn't much exploration to the story. From a technical perspective, it's far ahead of Trek, but the storytelling is for now relying on combat, which doesn't take too much writing expertise to do well (thank CGI wizards and great set designs). We'll see if we'll ever get timeless episodes of great Trek that explored dimensions of the human condition that makes sci-fi so unique (see 'All Good Things...;, 'Tapestry', 'Living Witness', 'Year of Hell', 'Measure of a man', 'Far Beyond The Stars', 'City on the Edge of Forever', and much more). Hopefully we will, but it's early to assume that critics don't have a point after the premier (the focus on combat so early in the series might not of been the best direction).

As to Voyager, most backlash comes from disappointment from the setting being ripe with material for interesting stories, and 1/2 of all episodes revolve the holodeck, Borg, and set pieces we've seen dozens of times in Trek, and never delving into the issues of being stranded so far away with no chance of returning home in your lifetime. Janeway was written in a bipolar way, sometimes upholding Starfleet principles to the point of religion, while others abandoning them on a whim. People criticized the inconsistencies of her character, not her being female or the actress (Kate did a fantastic job).

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Hopefully, this series becomes something special, but the hyperbole on both sides needs to stop. As of right now, Discovery is a well-made, big-budget sci-fi war series. Will it rise to the best Trek has to offer? Is the badly written dialog from Episode 1 simply padding that won't be revisiting, or is this the kind of banter we should be expecting from this series? We'll see...

So many shows have gone down this road before...one of the main characters becomes irredeemable and has to be killed off...and they almost always cop out. Sometimes they forget the act ever happened (or go through some elaborate time warp or misc excuse). Other times a cockamamie resolution is in place to make everything squared off (the most common scenario). And sometimes they have the character killed off predictably without redemption.

Not this time...holy $#!t! Even after everything, they STILL manage to salvage his character, and yet STILL make you want the character to die. Not because you hate the character, but because you want the character to have peace. But when it happens, you feel happy.

I can't say anymore, but its just so well executed because its so predictable. After all the twists and turns, you feel just as relieved (and sad) as everyone else that the deed was done. It immerses you.

This is real drama. Real skilled writing. No plot holes, no coverups, no convenient twists. Just straight-up emotion. Its refreshing to finally see a show that actually has the b@lls to do this sort of thing right.