No spoilers here, but some interesting observations.
This episode is all about character development - and uses a couple of interesting plot devices to achieve that. In all there are SEVEN different plot threads running through this episode, so it's a little busy but to their credit it's a longer episode at 52 minutes.
I am loving how they're working in TOS Alexander Courage theme music. In prior episodes this was a bar or two now and then, but in this one they take it whole cloth and it's delicious. The doors make the whoosh-squeak sort-of. It's there, but it's not as dominating as it was in TOS. Many of the sound effects of machine chirping and whirring is there, but only as a whisper. Pike wears the leisure wrap-around green tunic, but unlike Kirk's which had only a single command insignia on the "belt", Pike has that and the comm badge, so it looks a little strange. But, so glad that the show runners are pulling in so much of TOS in little ways, to give SNW the TOS flavor without going full-on fan boy.
The bad is that the writers really need to write their dialog for timeless rather than for trendy now. Stop with the contemporary euphemisms and chirps. No Star Fleet captain would ever say "totally!" or "pissed off" or "get a room." This dialog sounds dated now. So much of the TOS dialog stands up to time because it was written to stand up to time. Imagine Kirk quipping "Far out!" or "Cool!" or "Don't be such a drag, Spock." It dates the writing. It's lazy. Avoid it.
Another bad is that Pike is trying too hard to be likable and non-confrontational rather than be *in command*. Take off the training wheels, its time to give the crew - and us - someone to believe in.
Otherwise, this was a very enjoyable episode devoid of action but that wasn't the point of it. We now know more about the characters, and that's a good thing.
Keep it up.
