A Quality of Mercy

I did not think Kurtzman and Goldman and all of the clowns responsible for singlehandedly ruining Star Trek were actually capable of producing an episode of this caliber. Where was this writing for the last six years? Finally, we get a genuinely good episode, not just by Kurtzman Trek standards, but by general Star Trek standards. I much enjoyed the Romulan redesign, which blended elements of the TNG and TOS Romulans seamlessly. They should have done something similar with, I don't know, THE KLINGONS????!!! I mean, how were these people capable of making these Romulans when they made those godawful Klingons.

The writing, too, was pretty good; there were actual stakes, believe it or not, and you genuinely cared about what would happen next. The story gripped you, and you genuinely wanted to know what happened next.

Although it isn't necessarily as good as 90s-00s trek, I'm no cynic, and I'm fine with this. It is Trek, and I cannot say that for what we have been getting so far. I hope to god that future NuTrek will maintain if not transcend this level of quality. Then, I will be a truly happy person.

Just hearing Scotty on the comms was good enough for me! Don't particularly like the "new" Kirk...lacks the boyish charm...but overall this episode was Star Fleet quality good! Stand off with the Romulans, Klingon time crystal and Kirk stepping into the controlled chaos role! Fantastic!

Well done. Last week was such a mash up of story building the characters, cramming so much into one episode. This episode was well written, well paced and any authentic Trekkie knows the tragic cost in the end.

Watching Star Trek from the beginning of TOS this is one of the best episodes I ever watched! Totally fits into the original timeline. Desperately waiting for season 2..

For those that were still in doubt, yes this is actual Star Trek. And this is coming from someone who's watched literally every ST series and film along with a slew of other great sci-fi material.

Unlike Discovery and Picard, this looks and feels like a genuine Star Trek story with genuine Star Trek characters. Not only that, but the production values are the best they've ever been in the franchise. And this very episode is the culmination of what has been an extremely strong first season in a franchise that is not known for its particularly good first seasons. Without sacrificing its much missed episodic format which allows for greater storytelling opportunities, this episode has a sort of gravitas and urgency to it that has characterized some of the greatest episodes in ST, and indeed, TV history (think The City on the Edge of Forever, The Best of Both Worlds, and In the Pale Moonlight). If this is only a taste of what's to come then we're certainly in for something great.

I'm writing all this since I feel it's important. If you're a senior Trekkie don't let the (fortunately) few negative reviews rambling on about wokeness (as if Star Trek wasn't politically conscious from the beginning) and bad acting (possibly one of the best cast essembles we've seen in a while) dissuade you from what has, against all odds, been a miracle of a show so far. And if you're a newcomer to the franchise then let me be the first to welcome you aboard as this is as good a place to start as any and likely the most accessible (although I'd recommend watching a few eps from the original 60s series first for a deeper understanding. Namely: The Cage, The Menagerie Pt. 1 & 2, and Balance of Terror).

My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts: "GO AND WATCH THIS SHOW NOW!"