Burnham, baby, Burnham!
Jan. 19th, 2019 06:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizbeeI really didn't use enough disco references last season.
Just getting some thoughts in order ahead of podcast recording tomorrow and my blog post some time this week.
Aside from a handful of clunky moments that were very clearly aimed at reassuring people who disliked season 1's tone that we're moving on, this was a strong, confident premiere.
The clunky moments, as I saw them:
Things I noticed:
I liked Pike a lot in "The Cage", sixties sexism notwithstanding, and I think Anson Mount is physically really good for the part, but I'm not quite sure he's Pike as I understood the character -- I always thought he was Roddenberry's first pass at an intellectual type who could handle himself, the sort that would culminate in Picard.
The Pike of "The Cage" was admittedly introduced at a bad time -- burned out, grieving, wondering if this whole boldly going business was for him after all -- but he was also a bit of a hardass to his crew in a way this Pike doesn't seem to be.
On the other hand, this takes place a few years after "The Cage", and I guess the Talosian substitute for therapy has given him a new self-confidence. So I'm ... open to this Pike, put it that way.
He's no Lorca, but I understand most people would consider that a good thing.
BUT MEANWHILE, JETT RENO.
KEEPING PEOPLE ALIVE THROUGH THE POWER OF ENGINEERING AND BODY HORROR
I LOVE HER
I also loved that, although breast cancer and double masectomies are presumably a thing of the past in the 23rd century, there was no attempt to pad Tig Notaro's chest. She's just a woman without breasts.
Is Jett Trek's first out and out lesbian character? I don't see Notaro signing on to play a heterosexual, but I could also see that there might be no room to allude to her personal life -- this is a busy season, and she's just a supporting character.
On the other hand, she's a middle-aged female supporting character with a strong line in sarcasm, which means (a) I love her; (b) I am quite open to shipping her with Kat, who is regrettably rarely sarcastic.
Where's Kat Cornwell?
Offscreen, hopefully seeing a therapist and getting lots of sleep. And working with Sarek to coordinate the response to the Red Thingos, they make a good team when they're not organising a bit of a genocide.
Right! That's my preliminary thoughts recorded, now I'm off to have breakfast -- I have a big day ahead.
Which is going to be ... unfun for me, because sometime during the night, the excruciating bunion pain that dominated my teenage years made a triumphant return. Seriously, it's a bad sign when you're dreaming about trying to rate your pain out of ten and being turned away as a drug seeker.
(After two paracetamol, it's down to a steady four when I'm not moving, but at some point during the night, it was too painful to have a blanket or anything else touching it. Which was nice.)
Just getting some thoughts in order ahead of podcast recording tomorrow and my blog post some time this week.
Aside from a handful of clunky moments that were very clearly aimed at reassuring people who disliked season 1's tone that we're moving on, this was a strong, confident premiere.
The clunky moments, as I saw them:
- Pike's whole *sits on desk* *loosens tie* "I know I'm your professor, but you should call me Chris" moment as he takes command, emphasises that he's not Lorca, and gets the bridge crew to introduce themselves.
- And, later, his "We'll have a little fun along the way" bit with Michael, which felt extremely jarring and a bit out of character, given that he's already lost a crewman -- the late, unlamented Connelly, Mansplain McBlue-Shirt -- and Pike was introduced way back in "The Cage" as a man deeply affected by the loss of people who serve under him. Though maybe he thought Connelly was a douchebag, too. The
Things I noticed:
- Amanda Grayson will just wear a tiara around the house on a regular day. I don't think she gets enough credit for being the most extra.
- Arista Arhin is absolutely amazing as the young Michael, with a subtlety you don't often see in a child actress, but I think she's on the verge of aging out of the role -- at least for that stage in Michael's life. Her face has more definition now than it did in the "Vulcan Hello" flashbacks -- although, come to think of it, Vulcan bowl cuts probably make faces look rounder. Anyway, I hope she goes on to have a great career.
- I just read The Way to the Stars by Una McCormack, the new tie-in novel about Tilly's later teenage years, and Tilly's "fresh new ensign, drunk on power, moving logic sciences to a broom closet" routine made me brace myself for some kind of TERRIBLE OUTCOME. But she's so far doing really well! GO TILLY, I LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU!
- (Incidentally, that was the very first Disco tie-in that was actually enjoyable to read, and my main criticisms are along the lines that it needed tighter editing and maybe less omniscient narrator.)
- I appreciate the irony of Mansplain McBlue-Shirt being the one to die, while the quiet, competent woman in the red shirt survived. I hope Nhan comes back, I liked her.
- I know Sarek didn't JUST adopt Michael because Spock needed to learn about empathy and orphans are easier to come by than puppies in the Star Trek universe, but the thought crossed my mind. He is, as always, THE WORST. Even when he's trying.
- Pike finds a stray fortune cookie slip in Lorca's old ready room, and while he discards it, the camera zooms in to let us know there's foreshadowing afoot. "Not all prisons are a cage, not all losses are eternal", was that it? The latter part could refer to Culber, but the former suggests Lorca -- the tie-in novel Drastic Measures has an epilogue in which prime!Lorca is alive and well...ish and imprisoned in an unknown hellscape -- and Culber never had much to do with fortune cookies.
- There's a new actress playing Airiam, and the original actress is now playing a human background ensign. I wonder if she had a reaction to the make-up? I did notice that Airiam's face was different, but didn't think much of it.
- Between Airiam's geth noises and the landing pods sounding like Steve Cortez's shuttle, we continue to blatantly steal sound effects from the Mass Effect universe, and I am here for it.
I liked Pike a lot in "The Cage", sixties sexism notwithstanding, and I think Anson Mount is physically really good for the part, but I'm not quite sure he's Pike as I understood the character -- I always thought he was Roddenberry's first pass at an intellectual type who could handle himself, the sort that would culminate in Picard.
The Pike of "The Cage" was admittedly introduced at a bad time -- burned out, grieving, wondering if this whole boldly going business was for him after all -- but he was also a bit of a hardass to his crew in a way this Pike doesn't seem to be.
On the other hand, this takes place a few years after "The Cage", and I guess the Talosian substitute for therapy has given him a new self-confidence. So I'm ... open to this Pike, put it that way.
He's no Lorca, but I understand most people would consider that a good thing.
BUT MEANWHILE, JETT RENO.
KEEPING PEOPLE ALIVE THROUGH THE POWER OF ENGINEERING AND BODY HORROR
I LOVE HER
I also loved that, although breast cancer and double masectomies are presumably a thing of the past in the 23rd century, there was no attempt to pad Tig Notaro's chest. She's just a woman without breasts.
Is Jett Trek's first out and out lesbian character? I don't see Notaro signing on to play a heterosexual, but I could also see that there might be no room to allude to her personal life -- this is a busy season, and she's just a supporting character.
On the other hand, she's a middle-aged female supporting character with a strong line in sarcasm, which means (a) I love her; (b) I am quite open to shipping her with Kat, who is regrettably rarely sarcastic.
Where's Kat Cornwell?
Offscreen, hopefully seeing a therapist and getting lots of sleep. And working with Sarek to coordinate the response to the Red Thingos, they make a good team when they're not organising a bit of a genocide.
Right! That's my preliminary thoughts recorded, now I'm off to have breakfast -- I have a big day ahead.
Which is going to be ... unfun for me, because sometime during the night, the excruciating bunion pain that dominated my teenage years made a triumphant return. Seriously, it's a bad sign when you're dreaming about trying to rate your pain out of ten and being turned away as a drug seeker.
(After two paracetamol, it's down to a steady four when I'm not moving, but at some point during the night, it was too painful to have a blanket or anything else touching it. Which was nice.)
no subject
Date: 2019-01-19 10:19 am (UTC)(It had been driving me crazy since the 'power of math!' teaser trailer came out, and there was the shot of Airiam standing across from an actress who looked *exactly like* Sarah Mitich ... so learning that they'd swapped Airiams was almost a relief. I presume it's for the kind of reasons you suggest, rather than nefarious plot reasons, but after last season who knows...)
Sorry to hear you're still in pain. Hoping your Big Day can include some time to rest up too.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-19 09:05 pm (UTC)It did! And I was able to get my sneakers on -- they're incredibly supportive, and my foot was much happier for being in them.
And it's no worse today than it was when I went to bed last night -- considerably better than yesterday morning -- so I feel quite okay in choosing not to spend my morning at the emergency department, begging for X-rays in case I broke a toe in my sleep. Or have gout.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-20 04:04 am (UTC)So many Tilly feels! I liked the interaction with Stamets best.
Jett Reno is a great addition to the crew.
Eep, pain and dreams about pain sound nasty. Hope you're doing better today.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-22 02:51 pm (UTC)(Also, the only good thing about the timing of my layoff is that I was freed of work's firewall, which kept me from accessing gmail, at the very same time that S2 of Disco was starting and I was going to need to start sending lots of capslock-filled emails to you.)
Hi
Date: 2019-01-23 07:58 pm (UTC)Katrina was noticeably absent and I do find myself wondering at that. I hope she is returning.
Really enjoyed Jett Reno's introduction straight forward no nonsense and overall an amazing and intriguing person. Instead of being overwhelmed by the situation she found herself in she did some research and figured out a way to keep her fellow crew members alive and then stayed with them with no clue as to whether or not they would be rescued.
Am truly hoping the fortune cookie points to Lorca and Culber's return.
For one reason or another, they are leaving us and Michael with the uncomfortable impression that Sarek's primary motivation in his adoption of Michael was to benefit Spock.