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Star Trek: Short Treks: The Trouble with Edward (2019)
Enjoyable, but overdone
Short Treks is not a mainstream ST product. If you watch this episode, you'll believe it even more.
Star Trek overall has a serious undertone. The characters and stories do their best to pretend as if they are all real. Therefore, we don't see Star Trek telling too blatant jokes. But in this episode the "unthinkable" has happened: It satirizes itself and broke the fourth wall!
This episode is really funny. I mean really funny, albeit silly funny that completely feels out of place in Star Trek, in a even more blatant fashion than "The Escape Artist". The protagonist(I am not gonna spoil it) is totally a fool. He is the guy you see on TV who is extremely smart in his domain but otherwise, is...
Oh hell! How can I describe him? He's not Sheldon Lee. He is almost "sub-human" in his human capacities! Every word and every deed of him unwittingly becomes comedic relief. This kind of unrealistic characterization is definitely unseen in previous trek. I mean, he is fun. But this shouldn't be Star Trek, he'd be so much more fit in any comedy sci-fi cartoon.
The real blast comes post-credits. Still, i don't want to spoil what it is. I just want to say I laughed like a maniac and yelled"WHAT IS THIS???" so I had to get outdoors.
You may want to argue, if this ep was so interesting, why did I give this a 5/10? The episode had such interesting ideas and good production, but they were too much for Star Trek, which according to precedent should incorporate restrained humor. The moron prodigy character and silly-funny storyline would make a fantastic idea in Lower Decks. But now, they only made the ep felt like a fan movie that leaves us anxious about its potential harm to our trek legacy.
Star Trek: Short Treks: Q&A (2019)
The Sorrows of Young Spock
We know the concept of Discovery-Spock is the beta version of Nimoy-Spock. Through Season Two we've seen it done decently, but now we get to see it without concerning the ego crisis caused by the much-derided red angel.
In The Cage, Spock smiled, which contradicts his Vulcan upbringing. In this episode, he also did. The pre-TOS Spock has not yet matured. As Sheldon Cooper is a freak of humans, this only semi-logical version of Spock is a freak to Vulcans.
In a dysfunctional turbolift, the freaks of two worlds meet each other. The two is a natural match, but in this case their relationship develops even faster. In a first-time conversation that cannot feel more Asperger-esque they explore the depth of each other, finding out how much they have in common.
Una and Spock are young, aspired people, but their aspirations drove them to hide their distinctiveness, namely their sentimentality(and diverse interest), their supreme intelligence that perhaps separated them from most people, and quite paradoxically a certain insensitivity to social cues. They are good, benign people, but are noticeably aloof--which I bet is not their choice. That's why the two are so connected and so complimentary.
Is that a spark of romance I see? The Nimoy-Spock was never the womanizer type, but in here the proto-Spock lets a woman delve into the soft spot of him. And lovely pair they are! Still, I would vastly prefer to see them develop into a platonic friendship, like Bashir-Jadzia.
(Btw I will STRONGLY dismiss the Spock-Uhura affair, no offense to Quinto)
This incarnation of Spock hooks me not a little for the display of his human weakness. We see only a glimpse through his logical restraints, but it felt so genuine and moving. This young Spock has yet to become the strong, extremely refined Nimoy-Spock we knew, he is still unsure about the world around him. In his lovely conversations, we get to follow him as his curious mind puts everything in existence to test.
Now we can see the CBS lot can get pretty trek-y if they wish. I plead they'll keep it that way. This balanced expression of emotion and its blend with sci-fi & philosophical issues is so much better taste than the non-stop technobabble and temper tantrums of Discovery...
At last...I notice Spock gets some human cues and loves human art! Did Michael Burnham gave him those tastes? Well, I found that assumption... fascinating(lacks elegance?)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Visitor (1995)
This story deserves a Hollywood Blockbuster.
As much as I support any Star Trek, I feel the latest DIS suffering from melodramatic scenes plaguing the show. I think genuine emotions should carry a lot of weight, but to capture its gravity one must see its connection to real life, not one specific, GREEEEAAAAT event. It must be seen through the mundane and the subtle, not lengthy speech. DIS failed, because it brought all emotions outside the skull, showing us too much loud love confessions and tears, so what should be moving, becomes smothering.
Star Trek deserves better. Yeah, sure, this episode is proof that it has provided better. A man's whole life in three quarter hours? How is that possible?--Yeah, it is, when his whole life was just about one agenda, and all the heavy decisions he's made were about it.
What would you feel if you have lost a loved one? Surely you would grieve, but in time you would get over it. That is the normal case. But what if you know who's gone is never really gone, and there is a possible way to save him, albeit it would take a lifetime? Your hope will hinge on this unlikely solution, which forbade you the ability to forget and move on.
You are here, living, your love is gone, but somehow he still lives, and you know there exists a constant tether between you that transcends time and space. I say this is bad, far worse than death, because the fear of loss is so much crueler than loss itself. If you are ever to miss the chance to reclaim what's yours, you will live a life's regret. The prospect of that possibility constantly terrorizes you.
This episode is no space drama, change the basic settings and it would have worked in any franchise, because human sentiments are universal. We earned a chance to see a developing character at his fullest, whose capacity to love allowed him to look beyond life and death.
I did not cry, because I don't cry when watching TV. But I feel so shaken in my heart. The masterful direction and acting has "appalled" me. If only DS9 had the visual technology of DIS.
Well-timed silence and concise words carry feelings infinitely better than love speech.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Past Tense, Part II (1995)
Not too realistic. Here's giving some advice to the writers
I just watched this episode and felt obliged to write sth. I must say this episode has a very good premise and good set (though the 2020s tech looked too primitive lol) but what troubled me is the characterization of BC, a scoundrel who does not hesitate in killing in the first part but gives in too easily to Sisko in the second. He seems to have too much "reason" in him. The riots and him all seem a bit too civilized. (budget limitations I presume) Perhaps a more violent riot would not fit in the Star Trek persona of the show. And I think the result that no history except Bell's face was changed is really unconvincing. Won't some minor events be altered and trigger bigger changes? I would like the reset button of history finally be pressed, but the characters uncovered some new truths to history that nobody has known so they deepen their comprehension on history, and the time trip would still be worthwhile without tampering with temporal paradoxes. If you don't understand what I am suggesting, you can refer to how Discovery dealt with the tragic fate of Capt. Pike.
Star Trek: Discovery: Perpetual Infinity (2019)
Puny Q, heed the power of HUMAN technology. This is Star Trek: Skynet
Well, I was born during the 6th season run of Voyager, so I am far too young to become a trekkie, but I try to give the old series and DIS equal respect, and even the Abrams films.
Sometimes DIS as a prequel looks too advanced to be a 23rd century series. I excused that, because we are in 2019 not 2001(Enterprise) or 1966(TOS).
Sometimes DIS features something contradictory to canon. I excused that, because you cannot do a prequel completely without problems.
I believe that the DIS team still respect canon as a whole, and I generally get expected results. But this episode is completely a letdown.
Oh c'mon, so now we're having Super Leland? Is he T-3000 or what? He is not only super fast but also immune to all kinds of damage. Even the BORG can't do that! In ST:First Contact just a holographic machine gun phased a borg guy to hell! And that was late 24th century!
Yeah I know Control has its tricks, but not as good as THIS. First the Time Crystal, not we got the Terminator guy? Nanotechnology that turns flesh and bones straight to metal jelly? This is ridiculous! If 23rd century tech can be this good, why are 24th century people still worried about injuries? Just your Skynet Medi-gel will do!(No offense to you, Commander Shepard)
I forgot where, but I read an interview with Jonathan Frakes, our beloved number one. He said he wanted to make the scenes as flashy as possible, now that we have the money and tech. Yeah that's good, but can you please avoid showcasing CGI a bit too much to let them become canon-disrupting mess? I don't want to see Star Trek becoming a feast of CGI frontiers while a dummy at keeping respect toward its own franchise!
Yeah finally, to this episode. Good storyline, nice interaction between characters. As for the common "draggy" complaints, I want to say in defense of this show that if you want a good show, you should expect character development other than progressing the central plot. The emotions and thoughts of the characters should be paid attention to as well!
I am liking Mirror Georgiou more and more, for her inhibited humanity is coming to the surface, and Yeoh plays it quite well. Sonequa's performance is feeling more natural, less forced.
As for the Super Leland mess...Well, Kurtzman, I know your team is good at throwing mysteries and explaining them in later episodes, so YOU BETTER EXPLAIN IT!
Yeah, and please, tell me the time suit is built with future technology.
Star Trek: Discovery: Light and Shadows (2019)
Huuuuuuge revelations this week!
We see Spock in a hysterical state and asks why. The Red Angel is no spiritual entity after all, thanks to Saru's super eyes. Then Emperor Michelle Yeah gives us critical information that shocks all viewers. Everything is coming together. I think some audience should learn to hold their tongue when they criticize DIS subplots "fillers" because they may be not. They could be active elements of a grander mythology of DIS. Never give conclusions so easily. Watch this episode yourself.
Star Trek: Discovery: An Obol for Charon (2019)
Interesting chapter with many flaws
This episode has continued the old-school Star Trek style that old school trekkies love so much. The storylines are exploration-based, requiring a lot of active thinking on the audience's part. The general direction is commendable.
That said, I didn't like this episode particularly much. First of all, there are so many subplots on move at once, so it may confuse the viewers a bit. The show tried to be faithful to old trek, but the old trek does not present everything in a rush. Can be improved.
Most importantly, I am getting tired of Sonequa's acting style. Recently, I feel like whenever she is trying to show strong emotions, she speaks in a slow,over-stressed tone that sounds not unlike giving a public speech to strangers or a students. She tries so hard to be moving and it feels extremely unnatural. In the last episode, when she addresses Tilly's problem, it really freaked me out: Why would you talk that way with your close friend? I don't know why didn't I notice this problem last season, probably because it didn't happen. Oh Martin-Green, please stop giving us more of your artificial emotions.
Despite all this, this episode is very interesting and solves some continuity issues. My vote is seven.
Enterprise: Impulse (2003)
Here we got captain Archer S.Kennedy
Just watched this one. I cannot help but to admit that the episode was quite impressive, almost intimidating. However, at first sight I felt like I was watching a live-action version of Resident Evil 4 lol. Does anybody share this sentiment?
The Vulcan zombies are mad but seem still not QUITE there. I mean, they still have at least some of their consciousness and intelligence. This feature cannot be more in line with RE's Majinis and Ganados. And their appearance, that scrambled-yet-still-recognizable look also resembles a typical RE enemy unit of the 2000s.
I always enjoyed the scenes where T'Pol's logical side and emotional side come to clash. T'Pol has already gained a lot of role development in that respect, but this is the very first time where she completely loses that facade and reveals the "paranoia, homicidal rage" facet of pre-Sarek Vulcans. This is not easily played, because shows involving strong emotions often make the worst awkward scenes, but Jolene Blalock played it well. The mental deterioration of T'Pol are seen to have clear steps, and when she blasts off, her craze looked genuine. The whole bridge crew(excluding poor Linda Park who hardly even get a technobabble line this time) performed quite well. In addition, Captain Archer shows his fully human side for the first time since the break of the Xindi crisis.
However this episode has notable potholes. The medical and technological capacities of Seleya should be beyond the level of a single, obscure distress call when disaster impends. The fact that all Vulcan zombies uses primitive arms instead of guns(actually nothing but bent pipes) is visually impressive but unconvincing. Most importantly, while the ship apparently still retains most of its basic functions, it blew up without reason right after our hero crew escapes, it seems too good a coincidence: "too good to be real".
My vote is seven.