Interesting, TOS had such good yet simple moral quandaries. Don’t watch it often, but that’s what I enjoy the most.

Highlights why the Federation is so successful. Kirk doesn’t just spare a single entity, he creates reputation. This happens frequently in the shows, we do the right thing in the end. Even at personal cost. Flee in terror from our weaponized-boyscouts! Maybe another race that’s on the fence about joining hears the story and that tips the balance. Mind you, that reputation gets a life of its own. Like in VOY with the imposter-Janeway+Tuvok.

Babylon 5’s Delenn has a quote that’s springs to mind.
…Humans share one unique quality: They build communities. If the Narns or Centauri or any other race built a station like this, it would be used only by their own people. But everywhere humans go, they create communities out of diverse and sometimes hostile populations. It is a great gift, and a terrible responsibility—one that cannot be abandoned.

I like the Gorn as a recurring adversary in SNW S1. They made a great storytelling antagonist, bit of a slow boil with big payoffs.

For the most part I like them borrowing from horror elements but I think they needed to ease up on the Aliens vs Predators themes a bit. A lithe wall-walking enemy that gestates their young in hosts is enough, the predator vision and the clicks take me out of the narrative a bit.

That said, I love their slow introduction into the series. Then the ambush, when Pike realizes he’s still attached to the other ship and can’t put shields up, was awesome. (A good captain like Lorca would’ve raised shields anyways, just saiyan.)

If we’re throwing fellow Canadians at the screen to see who sticks, I think Thom Allison and Terry Chen would do marvelous things too.

Side-note, I liked Shaun Doyle as Tarka, did a great job with an odd role.

I like the Kelvin ones too. The ridged helmets, light blue eyes contrasting darker skin, ornaments drawing attention to the forehead ridges, their guttural calls during the fight, and that one main actors mannerisms all worked well. Still not my fav, that probably belongs to DS9, but still. I liked em.

Best I can do is Captain of the SSV Normandy in the Mass Effect series.

Lee Pace and Oscar Isaac. I’m picturing them in movies rather than series.

Keith David

Claudia Black

Jerry O’Connell needs to jump out of a portal, run past the screen and jump into another one. A confused moment later Michael Shanks and Ben Browder jump out the first portal and chase after O’Connell. Shortly after that Admiral Archer does the same thing only he gives them all the Vulcan salute before following the chase.

Nothing is said after, it just happens.

He was in Lower Decks. Played an evil computer, Agimus.

Only a matter of time before he gets to Prodigy/SNW.

As I understand it; a contemporary actor would sign a contract with an expected number of episodes. It’d look like “7/10”, so seven episodes of a ten episode season.

Dunno how they did it then but I’d assume that yes, you’re right. I notice the same thing in the older long-run seasons. Actors popping in who seemed to have had a sick-day or something but need to be seen onscreen for a “contractually obliged” amount.

It was very inconsistent. There was some garbage and but a few consistent good ones too. Crewvix comes to mind.

Fun place to be each week for Pic S3 when it was airing. What happens if a Pah-wraith controls a Borg Queen who assimilates a Bluegill Queen who then controls a Telepath who then mind-controls a changeling who appears as a badmiral? (or some iteration thereof…)

I miss shittydaystrom. Had a few laughs there. Made a few too.

That was a purdy opening sequence with the shuttle/drones zooming past the starbase. Good open.

I’m loving the scale they’re using with the ships/bases. Some ships look tiny, and other times you get a sense of how massive some of these structures are. It’s an artistic choice that’s well executed.

I can’t quite tell you why but I like April so far too. Just seems well acted I guess. Not a lot to go on yet ofc.

I’m liking the recurring villain of “the Gorn” popping up; weaving between the episodic stories. I hope, and suspect, that they’re going to continue that trend well. I don’t want them to lean one way or the other too far. So far I like the balance. I like the mystique and menace they’ve orchestrated too.

“…and we’re going to find a way to win, because it’s what’s right.” Anson Mount sells ‘boyscout’ so well. Man deserves his own show or something…

Pike, “did you manage to even talk to her?”
#1, “she won’t respond.”
Pike, “she won’t take my calls either.”

I get the feeling the lawyer Pike is going to get isn’t “refusing to return their calls” so much as is probably “in trouble waiting to be rescued.” My guess is next ep Pike rescues her. Maybe that ep or the ep after she’ll help Una?

I loved the Vulcan lute accompanying Spock’s frustrations throughout the episode.

door chime
Spock misses a note

Pelia’s entertaining, nice addition. Adds a fun PoV and the actress is giving the role a lot. (RiP Hemmer.)

“You do know I teach a course on warp core breaches at the Academy, yes?”

You know who she reminds me of? Grand Nagus Zekky. (Not Zek, Zekky, specifically when he’s all lovey-dovey around Moogie.)

Ortegas had a couple good moments. Her questioning Pelia, and I loved the look on her face after she evades a bunch of incoming fire. I’m sure I’ve had that exact look when I get away with crap I shouldn’t in a game. Particularly PvP games.

Her confidence when hiding from the Klingons too. ("Over"confidence?)

Welp, this isn’t the worst look Klingons have had.

That blood wine actually looks like blood. I am impressed, whoever is responsible for that did a great job.

La’an channeling some Princess-Leia-conning-Jabba energy with that Antimatter Detonation Switch ruse on the Klingon buyer.

Chapel/M’Benga, that was quite the ride.

Will say I’m curious what/if any side-effects or drawbacks are with that serum. I’m wondering if maybe there’s an ingredient that’s impossible to synthesize and difficult to procure. (Ie. from an endangered animal/plant.) Ergo why it’s not equipped by everyone in Starfleet security.

M’Benga has some interesting demons in his past.

Finally, noticed something overarching this episode.

There’s some measure of failure in almost all the major plot-lines.

1. Pike/Una can’t contact this Lawyer they apparently need.

2. Spock can’t con Pelia, particularly due to his inability to lie.

3. Chapel/M’Benga wander off to go do something noble but to the viewer, obviously ill-conceived. The girl shouts their names, and shortly after they’re, unsurprisingly, dragged off at gunpoint.

4. They could’ve wrapped up the whole episode with the Klingon ship never finding out. They didn’t end it that way. The false-flag ship makes it out, the Klingons see.

5. Bit of a stretch so it’s last and not a hill I’m dying on, but the admiralty seem to have had a failure to predict or even understand the Gorn. Not really a failure in the way the others were, but still a failure of-sorts.

Overall I loved it, couple missteps and a joke or two that didn’t land, but no dealbreakers and just lots of great entertainment.

Looking forward to more.