Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Discovery | 5x01 "Red Directive" and 5x02 "Under the Twin Moons"

"Red Directive"

LoglineCaptain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery are sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact hidden inside a 800-year-old Romulan vessel – but find that they’re not the only ones on the hunt. Meanwhile, Saru is offered the position of a lifetime.

Written by: Michelle Paradise

Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi

"Under the Twin Moons"

LoglineOn Saru’s last mission as Captain Burnham’s Number One, the team ventures to a seemingly abandoned planet to hunt for what might be the greatest treasure in the galaxy.

Written by: Alan McElroy

Directed by: Doug Aarniokoski

porthos,

Loved the first episode, I think the way they brought Book back made sense and I think the season set up connecting to an underutilized TNG episode is absolutely awesome, I could not be more down for this kind of season of Discovery. On to the second episode!

UESPA_Sputnik,
@UESPA_Sputnik@lemmy.world avatar

I wasn’t too impressed by the first two episodes. There were some good parts in it – most notably the actor who played Fred – and I liked the more upbeat tone compared to previous seasons. But ultimately it felt like watching Star Wars. I was bored by the prolonged action sequences in both episodes. They are just a showcase for the talent of the VFX people but the scenes feel empty and meaningless.

I’ll keep watching but only because I know it’s the final season. There are just too many of the same old Disco tropes for me to really enjoy this show. A prime example was the scene aboard the Romulan ship: Burnham beams over with Rhys and Owo…only for them to be incapacitated so that the main character can continue on her own. I know, I know, Disco is not meant to be an ensemble show and that’s okay. But it just doesn’t work for me.

HobbesHK,

Did anyone else notice that the alien statues in 5x02 looked remarkably similar to the Batarians from Mass Effect?

USSBurritoTruck,
@USSBurritoTruck@startrek.website avatar

image

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

You are my hero.

swallowyourmind,

Hard to watch, honestly. Bad writing.

Have made a lot of excuses for this show, and generally have enjoyed it.

But, can anyone explain to me why Burnham needed to get off of the thieves’ ship, whose engine she was (according to herself) moments away from disabling with her phaser, other than the need to set up a season of find-a-map-hint-per-episode trope by letting them get away?

Mind boggling dumb starting plot point that ruins the whole season setup.

sigh

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

The computer was telling her the the warp failure was imminent, the collapse of the field risked tearing the entire ship apart, and she had to get clear of it in order for Discovery to rescue her.

So…yes, I guess I can?

swallowyourmind,

Warp failure being imminent was due to the tractor beam, which was removed prior to her exiting the vehicle.

So… guess you can’t?

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

By your own admission, she was working on taking out the ship’s engines…when she got the warning that it was down to 70%, she said, “come on, come on.” That was her project, not the tractor beam. She told Rayner to let go so the Antares could get clear and not risk destruction.

swallowyourmind,

Sure, bud.

Somehow you think I think “her project was the tractor beam”, whatever that means.

She was disabling ship engines via phaser. Antares was tractor beaming to delay, causing warp field deterioration; endangering Burnham, the warp field, and the potential integrity of all three ships. Warp field deteriorates so low due to tractor beam that Antares captain quits his game of chicken.

Cause of warp field deterioration is now over, she could now continue to disable the engine via phaser.

Or she could stay attached to the ship and disable nothing. Starfleet is currently tracking and communicating with her, and thus the vehicle she is attached to, preventing escape, which made the “how will we track” dialogue silly. Just stay on!

Instead, the warp field is fine after the tractor beam is removed, thieves come out of warp to drop distraction warp flares to shake their tail, and reenter warp.

It was sloppy and nonsensical.

Next you’ll tell me there’s a Federation directive not allowing offers of buying stolen artifacts from thieves, so they must be fought and chased around for a season.

Loved earlier seasons, too bad this season is off to such a bad and predictable start.

It’s obvious from the selective distortion of the Romulan scientist’s Schrodinger’s mayday message, that the threat is NOT having this technology in everyone’s hands. They will spend the season trying to stop anyone from getting it, when everyone in fact needs it.

Based on Stamets’ desire for a legacy, the Progenitors likely created the mycelium network, and that is what the key will unlock. Not some weapon or danger.

Good day. Enjoy the bad writing.

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

Somehow you think I think “her project was the tractor beam”, whatever that means.

No, but this helps me understand how you found this scene so confusing.

CindyLouWho2,
@CindyLouWho2@startrek.website avatar

T’rina suggesting she could just force a mind meld on Saru to find out what he was thinking was hilarious. They are too cute.

(I will riot if one of them dies this season. Please do not take the best couple in Star Trek away!)

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

I can’t believe I forgot to mention today’s biggest revelation: a Type 3 phaser is just a Type 2 phaser stretched out!

I wonder if the whole thing can be squished into a convenient, easy-to-conceal Type 1…

Corgana,
@Corgana@startrek.website avatar

How far do they have to stretch it before they get Worf’s purple space bazooka from Insurrection?

USSBurritoTruck,
@USSBurritoTruck@startrek.website avatar

Worf’s Purple Space Bazooka is my new band name.

IonAddis,
@IonAddis@lemmy.world avatar

Fred’s absolutely a setup to have Brent Spiner appear as SOMEONE in some episode.

And given Season 3 of Picard, it might even be Data, with his new hybrid with-bits-of-Lore personality.

But it could be a human Soong too, or another Soong-type android (I absolutely hate they call them “synths”, all I hear is Fallout references.)

Edit: It just really stood out to me there was a line referencing that Fred might have “a family”.

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

I think at this point I’d rather see one of the Isa Briones characters, were they to go that route.

Fred’s Data cosplay walked right up to the line of silliness for me, but honestly he probably represents a legitimate stage of…Soongvolution.

skfsh,

Burnham is the one that said “family,” but I’m wondering if she even knows what Soong-type androids are, since they would have appeared after her time. She probably made an assumption that Fred was biological, given how quickly she had to sweep the room and leave.

I’m more curious why they didn’t just hook up Fred’s head and turn him back on. They were able to do that with Data. Maybe they figured Fred wouldn’t be cooperative, or that Stamets just didn’t have the technology or know-how to able to do that and went straight for “download the data”.

Corgana,
@Corgana@startrek.website avatar

I’m wondering if she even knows what Soong-type androids are, since they would have appeared after her time.

That didn’t even cross my mind while watching. Most of the crew would have no idea who Picard was either which is kinda funny.

I’m more curious why they didn’t just hook up Fred’s head and turn him back on.

Same but holding out hope they still do this at some point!

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

Most of the crew would have no idea who Picard was either which is kinda funny.

Culber had a bit of a moment like that when explaining the Soong mind transfer he was going to perform on Gray last season.

“Soong first used it on a a Starfleet admiral - Picard was his name - but the success rate was so low that eventually people just stopped trying.”

Overall, though, the Discovery crew seems remarkably well-educated about the time they skipped over.

Corgana,
@Corgana@startrek.website avatar

Ah nice, I think I missed that line when I watched it the first time.

Corgana,
@Corgana@startrek.website avatar

And given Season 3 of Picard, it might even be Data, with his new hybrid with-bits-of-Lore personality.

Goddammit man, I had finally convinced myself I hated the fan service in PIC S3 why are you doing this to me??

Stormygeddon,

For once I’d like for the ominous sounding color label to not be red or black. Let other colors like Mauve or Taupe have its time in the spotlight. I’m sure plenty of people would be afraid of a Mauve Death or a Flaxen alert or an Amaranth level protocol, or an Aegean mission code

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

A Taupe Directive is just nap time.

zaphod,

Code Taupe is for when you have to uncover a mole in your organisation.

khaosworks,

Annotations for 5x02 up at: startrek.website/post/8839649

bigfoot,
@bigfoot@lemm.ee avatar

These two episodes were really enjoyable. Discovery is not my favorite Trek series but I have been looking forward to this final season.

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

As predicted, it’s Captain Rayner’s galaxy, and we’re all just living in it.

I can see what the various interviews were saying - things are already set up to have a sense of finality, with a strong theme of “moving on” woven throughout just about every character’s arc so far.

The “respectful Indiana Jones” vibe is a lot of fun, I hope they can sustain this energy for the rest of the season.

veeesix,
@veeesix@lemmy.ca avatar

The

Tap for spoilerself-sealing stembolt

callback was fun.

ValueSubtracted,
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website avatar

Over 800 years, and they still don’t know what they’re for…

Stormygeddon,

From the Dragon Prince to Discovery references to self sealing stem bolts will always amuse me.

End0fLine,

I probable noticed it at the time, but finding the reference in Dragon Prince seems like a good reason for a rewatch.

khaosworks,

Annotations for 5x01 up at: startrek.website/post/8825833

bodertz,

With Stamets talking about legacy and Saru and Tilly leaving or talking about leaving, it really does feel like a final season. If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d think they knew it going in. I hope it can maintain that to the end.

Jaccident,

What the actors knew and what the writers knew are not necessarily the same thing though. The writers could well have had a much better idea this would be the end of the road, and left them selves avenues accordingly.

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