Your Name
2019-01-17 19:34:08 UTC
According to this reviewer, season 2 (after seeing ONE episode!) of
Star Trek: Discovery is better than season 1.
From NYTimes.com ...
'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 2 Premiere: Ruffling Feathers
-----------------------------------------------------------
Season 2, Episode 1, 'Brother'
"Wherever our mission takes us, we'll try to have a little
fun along the way too, huh? Make a little noise? Ruffle a
few feathers?"
That line of dialogue, spoken by Christopher Pike (Anson
Mount) to Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) near the
end of a delightful Season 2 premiere of "Star Trek:
Discovery," is as much a message for viewers as it is to
Burnham: The "Discovery" creative team is making a course
correction after a choppy maiden voyage defined by shoddy
character development, gaping plot holes and a grim story
that often made for laborious viewing.
I was even more skeptical about the show's prospects when
the showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg were
fired midway through production of the new season. That's
never a great sign. But Alex Kurtzman, who took over the
show, is fronting several "Trek" projects for CBS and is
well-versed in what makes it work.
That's not to say "Discovery" didn't have promise in
Season 1. It arguably had the best first season of any
"Star Trek" series, which says more about how long it has
taken traditional "Trek" shows to find their footing. But
if the tightly-structured first episode, directed by
Kurtzman and titled "Brother," is any indication,
"Discovery" has found its own quicker than its
predecessors.
The plot of the season premiere is simple: The Discovery
links up with a disabled Enterprise - and what a joy to
see the classic ship depicted with 21st century graphics
- and must investigate several "red signals" that are
emerging across the universe. Pike takes control of the
Discovery, with Mount evincing the same rugged charisma
Bruce Greenwood brought as Pike to the J.J. Abrams "Star
Trek" films. I should also note: Mount also serves as an
indirect replacement for last season's rugged captain,
Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).
"Brother" has everything that the best episodes of "Trek"
have historically had: a mystery, excellent ensemble work
with a genuine sense of camaraderie, action scenes that
don't overwhelm the plot and most importantly, genuine
fun. Several episodes in the first season of "Discovery"
didn't work because it didn't feel like the crew enjoyed
being around each other - recall for example how much
antipathy members of the bridge had toward Burnham for
much of the season.
Now, that seems to have melted away. In addition, Tig
Notaro - TIG NOTARO! - is a welcome addition of the cast
as Jett Reno, an officer who has found a way to keep her
crash-landed crew alive even though she's not a doctor.
It's great fun to watch one of the world's best stand-up
comics navigate the "Star Trek" universe - and Notaro
really seems to embrace her role with gusto.
Another aspect from last season which thankfully we
don't see in the premiere: Klingons. The depiction of
the Federation's most hated foe was very poorly received
by fans, for good reason. The dialogue was difficult to
follow and the choices made by the characters were
baffling. Now, it appears that Klingons and the
Federation are at peace - and we don't have to see them
for a little while.
But there is an elephant on the bridge. Spock, who will
be played by Ethan Peck, was not seen in the season
opener. This is the one element that has left fans on
edge since even before the series premiere. It's always
been a sore point that Burnham is supposed to be Spock's
foster brother, whom apparently we never hear about in
the history of all of "Star Trek." In "Brother," we get
hints about this. Burnham suggests that Spock didn't
accept her as a sibling - which seems, frankly, out of
character for Spock, but it's too early to determine
that until we see how this story unfolds.
But seeing flashbacks with a young Spock was enjoyable,
and not just for nostalgic reasons. The scenes featuring
Burnham's flashbacks tell us a lot more about Burnham
than many entire episodes did last season. Seeing the
Enterprise, Pike and a child Spock all felt like organic
parts of the story, rather than pandering fan service.
But recasting a character that was so thoroughly
inhabited by Leonard Nimoy carries huge risk.
Zachary Quinto did O.K. though, so maybe Peck will be
fine. I didn't say this very often last season, but I
can do so now: I'm excited to find out.
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/arts/television/star-trek-discovery-season-2-premiere-recap.html>
Star Trek: Discovery is better than season 1.
From NYTimes.com ...
'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 2 Premiere: Ruffling Feathers
-----------------------------------------------------------
Season 2, Episode 1, 'Brother'
"Wherever our mission takes us, we'll try to have a little
fun along the way too, huh? Make a little noise? Ruffle a
few feathers?"
That line of dialogue, spoken by Christopher Pike (Anson
Mount) to Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) near the
end of a delightful Season 2 premiere of "Star Trek:
Discovery," is as much a message for viewers as it is to
Burnham: The "Discovery" creative team is making a course
correction after a choppy maiden voyage defined by shoddy
character development, gaping plot holes and a grim story
that often made for laborious viewing.
I was even more skeptical about the show's prospects when
the showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg were
fired midway through production of the new season. That's
never a great sign. But Alex Kurtzman, who took over the
show, is fronting several "Trek" projects for CBS and is
well-versed in what makes it work.
That's not to say "Discovery" didn't have promise in
Season 1. It arguably had the best first season of any
"Star Trek" series, which says more about how long it has
taken traditional "Trek" shows to find their footing. But
if the tightly-structured first episode, directed by
Kurtzman and titled "Brother," is any indication,
"Discovery" has found its own quicker than its
predecessors.
The plot of the season premiere is simple: The Discovery
links up with a disabled Enterprise - and what a joy to
see the classic ship depicted with 21st century graphics
- and must investigate several "red signals" that are
emerging across the universe. Pike takes control of the
Discovery, with Mount evincing the same rugged charisma
Bruce Greenwood brought as Pike to the J.J. Abrams "Star
Trek" films. I should also note: Mount also serves as an
indirect replacement for last season's rugged captain,
Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).
"Brother" has everything that the best episodes of "Trek"
have historically had: a mystery, excellent ensemble work
with a genuine sense of camaraderie, action scenes that
don't overwhelm the plot and most importantly, genuine
fun. Several episodes in the first season of "Discovery"
didn't work because it didn't feel like the crew enjoyed
being around each other - recall for example how much
antipathy members of the bridge had toward Burnham for
much of the season.
Now, that seems to have melted away. In addition, Tig
Notaro - TIG NOTARO! - is a welcome addition of the cast
as Jett Reno, an officer who has found a way to keep her
crash-landed crew alive even though she's not a doctor.
It's great fun to watch one of the world's best stand-up
comics navigate the "Star Trek" universe - and Notaro
really seems to embrace her role with gusto.
Another aspect from last season which thankfully we
don't see in the premiere: Klingons. The depiction of
the Federation's most hated foe was very poorly received
by fans, for good reason. The dialogue was difficult to
follow and the choices made by the characters were
baffling. Now, it appears that Klingons and the
Federation are at peace - and we don't have to see them
for a little while.
But there is an elephant on the bridge. Spock, who will
be played by Ethan Peck, was not seen in the season
opener. This is the one element that has left fans on
edge since even before the series premiere. It's always
been a sore point that Burnham is supposed to be Spock's
foster brother, whom apparently we never hear about in
the history of all of "Star Trek." In "Brother," we get
hints about this. Burnham suggests that Spock didn't
accept her as a sibling - which seems, frankly, out of
character for Spock, but it's too early to determine
that until we see how this story unfolds.
But seeing flashbacks with a young Spock was enjoyable,
and not just for nostalgic reasons. The scenes featuring
Burnham's flashbacks tell us a lot more about Burnham
than many entire episodes did last season. Seeing the
Enterprise, Pike and a child Spock all felt like organic
parts of the story, rather than pandering fan service.
But recasting a character that was so thoroughly
inhabited by Leonard Nimoy carries huge risk.
Zachary Quinto did O.K. though, so maybe Peck will be
fine. I didn't say this very often last season, but I
can do so now: I'm excited to find out.
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/arts/television/star-trek-discovery-season-2-premiere-recap.html>