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Have you ever considered that the Prime Directive is not only not ethical, but also illogical, and perhaps morally indefensible?

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Oh wow, that’s probably my favorite VOY episode, it’s really great without being gimmicky - good pick!

Another good VOY episode might be “The Void” - a nice little diplomatic episode with a dash of action.

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I think a little serialization can be a good thing, especially in a series like SNW, where it’s baked into the premise.

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I’m not sure when I’m actually going to be able to watch them, but I’m looking forward to the full Ncuti Gatwa experience!

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My least favourite type of RTD episode is the Goofy RTD Episode, and this was definitely that. I doubt it will end up ranking too highly on my list by the end of the season.

That said, I always appreciate social commentary that’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer, and the episode delivered on that. And Ncuti Gatwa’s physical presence is something special - I don’t think we’ve seen that kind of physicality since Matt Smith.

Also, uh, did the Doctor just suggest that the world of Star Trek is real in his universe?

This is obviously a sign that setting up this discussion thread was the right decision.

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“The Devil’s Chord”

All right, it’s hard to make the case that this one was less silly than “Space Babies,” but I enjoyed this one more, largely on the strength of Jinkx Monsson’s delightfully unhinged performance as Maestro, and the fact that I love The Beatles (not that they get a lot to do).

This is one of those high-concept episodes built around an interesting premise (“the world would end if there was no music”) that DW often does really well. I think in this case, they could have done a little more to show the lives of the people in this music-free world, but it worked well enough.

Having Lennon/McCartney finish the Maestro off with the lost chord was blindingly obvious, and extremely perfect.

I’ve got to say, Chris Mason did an amazing job capturing John Lennon’s mannerisms while singing. I happened to watch “Let It Be” the other day, and the guy did his homework. Pour one out for George and Ringo, though - they really didn’t get anything to do.

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Everybody - and I mean everybody - loves Riker’s donkey sauce.

Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Discovery | 5x07 "Erigah"

LoglineWith Moll and L’ak finally in custody, the Federation is pulled into a diplomatic and ethical firestorm when the Breen arrive and demand they be handed over. Meanwhile, a frustrated Book looks for ways to help as Tilly, Adira, and Reno work to decipher the latest clue....

ValueSubtracted OP , (edited )
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Okay, I was certain for a quite a while that L’ak’s death was a fakeout…up to a certain point. L’ak said Moll wasn’t going to like his plan, which made me think that dying, or appearing to die, was part of it.

But…that was before a Breen medic showed up to help - they should be a lot harder to fool than Culber, who has only a rudimentary understanding of Breen physiology. And the episode certainly framed it as real. And they’ve dangled a possible motivation for Moll, in a desire to use the Progenitor technology to revive him.

And yet something still screams “bluff” to me. Thoughts?

Edit: also…SEVEN OF LIMES

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They have gone out of their way to portray L’ak as a doofus (and writer Carlos Cisco even gave an interview where he suggested that Breen are dumber in their fleshy form), so you may be right.

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Yeah…Culber had a pretty tough go of it when he went through it. I could see his feelings on it being…complicated.

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Let’s be honest: at this point, they could make the greatest Star Trek film of all time, and it would only be 1/47 as entertaining as watching the executives at Paramount Pictures stepping on infinite rakes in infinite combinations as they try to make the damn thing.

Canon Connections: DIS 5x06 - Whistlespeak

• Doctor Kovich gives Burnham a list of the five scientists who had the task of researching the Progenitor technology, three of whom we’ve already learned about. The remaining two are a Denobulan, Hitoroshi Kreel, and a Betazoid named Marina DeRex. The first Betazoid we were introduced to in Trek was TNG’s Deanna Troi,...

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The punishment for violating the prime directive is apparently a significant amount of paperwork. In “Bread and Circuses” it is stated that Starfleet officers swear to die before violating the prime directive.

Distinction without difference.

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New uniform variant just dropped.

Michael Burnham standing with Hugh Culber. Culber is wearing a long, white vest over his regular Starfleet uniform.

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Orrrrr…maybe Wilson Cruz is pregnant and they need to cover it up?

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Starfleet Academy (if that’s still a thing?)

Definitely still a thing, reportedly say to start filming later this summer.

As for S31, I don’t know if you keep up with the news, but…

spoilerone of the characters is reportedly a young Rachel Garrett, which is fairly suggestive of the movie’s setting.

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I’m just curious…is there any interest in discussing DW episodes in a startrek.website community?

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Oh boy, I cannot get behind that Capaldi slander.

The Chibnall/Whittaker era…I don’t think they’re are many people who would say it’s their favourite, but there were at least a few pretty good installments in there.

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At the same time, “Demons of the Punjab” is probably a top 10 episode for me, I really love it.

“It Takes You Away” is delightfully weird, the New Years specials are generally pretty solid, “Fugitive of the Judoon” is pretty good even though the greater arc-stuff is not, and I have good memories of “The Haunting of Villa Diodati” and “Can You Hear Me?” even though I haven’t revisited them since the first run.

Were the [REDACTED] also a result of the Progenitors? DIS s5 spoilers

So, the plot in season five of Disco is hunting down clues left behind by scientists who uncovered the technology left behind by a precursor race of alien beings who panspermiad their genetics all over the galaxy, resulting in all your favourite humanoids, like humans, Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians, as seen in the TNG...

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Writer Carlos Cisco has indicated that they conceptualized the Breen’s solid form as an adaptation that they developed over time, which would track with your idea.

And “The Chase” certainly left some wiggle room for there to be species that were untouched by the Progenitors:

Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds, where life was in its infancy. The seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours. This body you see before you, which is, of course, shaped as yours is shaped, for you are the end result.

Love, strange love a star woman teaches

I’ve known for years that Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics for Theme from Star Trek so that he could receive 50% of the royalties, but it never occurred to me that I should try and find out what those lyrics were. However, the lyrics did come up recently in a nerdy trivia show I watch, “Uhm, Actually”, and now that I know...

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art

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Going from ensign to lieutenant. How totally amazing.

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https://startrek.website/pictrs/image/b4a3ead1-9468-408c-8206-5ced9558c244.png

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I’m a big believer in “stardates are nonsense, and should remain nonsense,” but there were efforts made to standardize them in the '90s. They weren’t particularly consistent efforts, though. The full history can be found here.

In early TNG, this was the explanation:

A stardate is a five-digit number followed by a decimal point and one more digit. Example: “41254.7.” The first two digits of the stardate are always “41.” The 4 stands for 24th century, the 1 indicates first season. The additional three leading digits will progress unevenly during the course of the season from 000 to 999. The digit following the decimal point is generally regarded as a day counter.

By TNG season 6, they were going with:

A Stardate is a five-digit number followed by a decimal point and one more digit. Example: “46254.7”. The first two digits of the Stardate are “46.” The 4 stands for the 24th Century, the 6 indicates sixth season. The following three digits will progress consecutively during the course of the season from 000 to 999. The digit following the decimal point counts tenths of a day. Stardate 45254.4, therefore, represents the noon hour on the 254th “day” of the fifth season. Because Stardates in the 24th Century are based on a complex mathematical formula, a precise correlation to Earth-based dating systems is not possible.

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One day, I’d really like to get an oral history of the making of this show, particularly those tumultuous first two seasons…

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I was referring to Discovery specifically, but I have heard good things about that doc.

Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Discovery | 5x06 "Whistlespeak"

LoglineWhile undercover in a pre-warp society, Captain Burnham is forced to consider breaking the Prime Directive when a local tradition threatens Tilly’s life. Meanwhile, Culber tries to connect with Stamets, and Adira steps up when Rayner assigns them a position on the bridge....

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My expectations for this one were low based on the preview, but I enjoyed this one more than I thought I might. A very “traditional” Star Trek plot in many ways.

Watching the Culber/Stamets interactions, I wonder if they’re going to address the “awakening” that Stamets had following his genetic modification. That’s something that’s been mentioned a bunch of times (as recently as two episodes ago), but I don’t remember them ever digging really deep into it. It seems like there are some parallels there that could be explored.

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I’ve been really enjoying Culber’s journey this season. I don’t know if it will dovetail with the main plot, but I’m optimistic they’ll wrap it up.

I’m not sure I’m completely on board with the role Stamets is playing in it, though. He went through a spiritual experience of sorts in season one, so I’m surprised Culber doesn’t feel like he can turn to him. Maybe Stamets is just too chill to provide the kind of support that Culber needs.

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Hmm, my take has been that Stamets is offering advice that he thinks is helpful, but is more glib than what Culber seems to need right now. It’s interesting.

Canon Connections: DIS 5x05 - Mirrors

• The episode title references the mirror universe, a dark reflection of the familiar reality of Star Trek where humans, or Terrans as they’re more commonly called there, evolved to be more sensitive to light, resulting in everyone tending more towards malevolence, and barbarism, and queer coded villainy. Other episodes...

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The episode was dedicated to Allan “Red” Marceta, a set dresser who passed away in 2022.

I wonder if the bar is named after him, too.

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I don’t know specifics, but I think STA took that from some of the novels - they’re pretty good about drawing from existing material.

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I think they use that name for the AR wall facility - they stuck a sign on the door and everything.

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They got my many, many letters!

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I call this one “Gene’s Vision”.

A Star Trek branded tank from “World of Tanks” featuring warp nacelles and the registry NCC-12810.

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Well…

The “Argo” ground vehicle, as seen in Star Trek Nemesis

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