That Hope Is You, Part 1

What IS Star Trek? You hear people always complaining that Disco isnt Star Trek. And why? "Its too bleak" Disco is different from TOS/TNG in that...but in many ways TOS/TNG were reflections of their times. TNG was in the 80/90s, a time where the US was overly optimistic and blind to the larger ways of the real world...those times were never sustainable. "Its too PC" ST has always been "too PC". I mean, who would ever believe a black woman comms officer? It is only logical that a vision of the future would be an extrapolation of current trends moving forward...in reality in 1100 years it will be a hell of a lot more PC than we could imagine. "I hate Burnam" OK, the only actual argument against her Ive ever seen is that she's a screw up...but the fact is that noone wants a two dimensional character anymore. I would believe that the larger problem people have with Burnam is that she represents a rejection of the current fever this nation is under-one that we are breaking right now...one that has turned us against each other and resulted in tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths...one that ANY iteration of ST would have rejected. **If you have these arguments, it should be clear by now that Disco is not for you...so why are you still watching? You dont like it, thats fine...dont watch.**

Disco is about hope...in the trying times of 2020, thats really all we have. A hope to rebuild things back into what they once were. Starfleet is emblematic of that which we are trying to get back to...before we were so set against each other that we let a conman make us believe that there was no such thing as an enemy that has killed over 200,000 Americans.

Disco Season 3 was made before the pandemic, but we are currently going through "the burn"...where the fuel of modern life (human interaction) has turned into death. We must stay hopeful that we can rebuild some of the past to have a better future. Will the future (of real life and Disco) be bright? I dont know, I can only put my faith that the goodness of man (the ideals of Starfleet) is still there and will win out in the end.

Was this episode perfect? Was it what I envisioned or wanted? No...but it showed promise and I have the hope that it can be good or even great...that it isnt the 21st century equivalent of Andromeda, that it will realize more of its promise.

I quite enjoy STD as a good piece of Science Fiction storytelling. Yes it struggles with not being pure Star Trek but it is still a good story in its own right. I see the haters and the lovers all rating at the extremes, fighting each other when in reality it's a solid 7.

This season starts strong with this episode. Thrown into the future, with new tech and hopefully a grittier story. The narrow minded hardcore trekkies that can't stand this can stay away, please. Maybe it's not your time anymore and it's time to move aside for a new set of Star Trek fans.

I have high hopes for Star Trek Discovery!

It took me about a season to warm up to Discovery and get used to the new feeling, I grew up with ToS and Next Generation and I have always adored the Star Trek universe. I loved that Star Trek wasn't afraid to pose social commentary, and confront difficult situations without magic answers to everything always. Discovery took things in a little bit of a new direction, each episode being a continuation of the last instead of a mostly contained story each time. Once I warmed up to the new feel I really enjoyed it, and felt eager for more.

I don't know if it's just how I am interpreting it, but the first episode of season three honestly feels like the most "Star Trek" episode to date. I've seen commentary in some of the previous episodes but this one really feels like it's talking to a lot of us that feel like our future is dark and uncertain, even down to commenting on endangered species. This felt like a modern take on that social commentary, without it feeling like something was being forced down your throat as a lecture, and it still has that Star Trek hope for a bright future in it. There are a couple of lines that Burnham delivers that I feel put a little too much emphasis on the sort of "pep talk/pump you up" emotion she displays but that's about the only thing I really have to pick on. We don't always need to see her popping into that pep talk mode, and I liked seeing the moments where she struggles with her emotions very clearly.

I know some original fans are having a tougher time with the newer shows, but as much as I'm attached to my Next Generation, I think this show is doing a good job bringing something new to the table without completely destroying what Star Trek is. If you struggle with change this show might be a little jarring for you, but watch with an open mind (and expect some continuity smudges because not even the og shows got that entirely right) and I feel like it has a lot to offer. Nothing will ever be able to replicate the feel of the Trek shows we grew up with and love, but I feel like this show will easily have a place next to them for me.

Honestly.. Whatever else happened in this episode, seeing Burnham get completely spun out on truth serum and lampshade her character's reflexive need for being a savior while cackling like a madwoman was *chef's kiss* and a series highlight.