The Vulcan Hello

Ill be honest, I'm not someone you'd class as a huge Star Trek follower, the only show I did watch without fail, was Deep Space None, though I am trying to watch more, this came up as a suggestion, I thought I'd give it a try. My review is an outsider looking in.

Those desert visuals look incredible, I was blown away by just how incredible it looks, question though, was it all style over substance?

In some ways no, in some yes. Overall, I didn't mind it, I find the conflict and setup interesting, I am intrigued to learn more. On the downside, I don't feel I got to know any of the main characters, in this early episode, they could have spent some time introducing them.

Let's see if we get a bit of substance from the cast pretty soon.

Did The Klingons look this this? I don't remember this being an accurate look, I may be wrong. Shows, Dr Who included always think that as time passes, it calls for aliens to change in appearance.

It's not bad, I want to see more, I understand why so many reviews are so passionate, it's a franchise people care for.

Decent, 6/10.

It will be a while before I see the second episode. I'm already overloaded with extra charges for features. Anyway, this first offering has a strong female character who rants and raves and pays no attention to orders. I know she is strong willed and is going to take over soon, but she is downright insubordinate. First, she talks her Captain into letting her go on a reckless flyby. When there, she ignores the realities of her situation and the possibility of no return. When she gets back (through the intense work of the crew) she jumps out of the device that is saving her. She starts making demands. Meanwhile the Klingons are intent on waging war because she killed one of them. I just flat out grew tired of her. When this becomes available on DVD I guess I'll check it out. First episodes and pilots are always stiff and sometimes badly acted. I just found this whole thing boring. Beyond the great special effects, the story seems really tired.

Never watched Star Trek before, so I can't comment on whether this is or isn't Star Trek. However, I found it pretty weak. It's lavishly produced, with convincing effects, but for a pilot episode it starts in a weird place, thrusting the characters into the thick of the action before we've even got to know them. The only characters we get to know at all are Michael, Saru and the Captain. None of the other characters get any screentime at all, not even a chance for us to find out who they are. It's like there are only three characters. If the episode had just taken care to set the scene, develop the characters and gently set up the plot it would have been much better. Instead, we're thrust into a dramatic plot with no reason to care. As someone who's never watched Star Trek, I know very little of its universe. A little bit of an introduction would provide some context to all of this. As it is, I don't even know what exactly is at stake, which robs it of suspense.

Additionally, the Klingon internal politics is weak. Their arguments against each other boil down to very simple sentences that came straight out of a Hollywood textbook. The Klingon design looks pretty bad too, like they're made of plastic, as does their ship. None of it is convincing, which is weird because apart from that the visuals of Discovery are stunning.

Not that there isn't anything to enjoy here. The way the plot thickens and the arguments between Michael and the Captain about how to tackle the Klingon threat add complexity, as well as Michael's perceptive comments about race not being the same as culture (something EU politicians need reminding of regarding the migrant crisis)...

But overall, it feels like they were trying to cram a season's worth of story into one episode. There's a reason why there wasn't a battle in episode one of Game of Thrones, maybe the creators of Star Trek Discovery should learn from that.

What an intergalactic mess, Please make it not so.

I am a devotee to Star Trek. I love it, I've watched every episode from each production many times over.

During those decades of watching, you build an affinity to the theme and vision of the overall story, the structure, the characters, the forward movement—to boldly go where you haven't gone before. So why in the heck, has Star Trek put on the brakes of going forward and has started going backward with the wonderful universe they have created.

The TV show Enterprise, the three new movies and now Star Trek Discovery, all have gone backward in time. And all lack the freshness, the adventure, the unknown of the other shows.

Can you imagine if lived was like that?

My family had the old black wall wired phone when I was going up. We graduated to a modular phone with color, then wireless phones, cells and now smart phones. Would anybody like to back to those old obsolete phones?

So, why is a sci-f- show created to give us a positive glimpse of the future, constantly going backward?

OK that's bad enough, but the new ST Discovery doesn't even feel like a trek show. While Spock was brilliant and courageous, their science officer is a coward. Kirk and Spock, Picard and Ryker, Sisko and Kira, Janeway and Chakotay were tight. In just the first episode of Discovery you have the first officer committing mutiny. The Klingons look like a cross between turtles and large pieces of liver. They can barely move with all the make-up and bulky costumes. Overall if you take away the trek badges and emblems and I wouldn't have any idea what the show was about.

The sets and effects are terrific, as they should be with 2017 technology. However, they are used in a vehicle that bears no resemblance to the Star Trek I have loved for a half century. Why work so hard to build a great story structure, then ignore it.

And of course, the final insult, showing one episode on regular TV then hiding the rest of them on the Internet. Some say the show has a "cinematic look." Yeah, a cinematic look that's doomed to laptops. It's quite clear that CBS is not interested in making true Star Trek, it's interested in making millions of dollars and it's using trek to establish that money base.

Overall, I think Gene Roddenberry would be turning in his grave over this money-making contraption they call Star Trek Discovery.

I absolutely love Star Trek Discovery, yes things may have changed, ideas updated, modernised, but it is all so exciting and uplifting especially in this present time so I keep going back to re watch. I am a serious trekkie, have been all my life, this new take is refreshing and awe inspiring, it feels like family right from the start and I am totally addicted and cannot wait for the new season.