Hey, Joe. Hi.
I'm acutely conscious that we kind of slightly cheated at the end
of last week's episode.
Kind of slightly cheated.
Well, well, we selected a series and we pressed the random
button.
So we have not.
We've only one episode available, though.
I think we it was a rather predictable conclusion to that
selection.
Yes, it was still random though.
But nevertheless, I'm really pleased that we get an opportunity
early on to take a look at Strange New Worlds, which there will be
a few more episodes out by the time this comes out, maybe 4 or 5
even.
Unfortunately, the episode 2 has not long dropped because if it
hadn't, then we would, this would be the newest episode of Star
Trek we had ever done.
We couldn't get any more newer than this.
This is probably the most recent Star Trek episode that we've ever
done.
I think we've done a prodigy a few weeks into its run, but this is
very up to date.
And I think that, you know, having the opportunity to take a look
at how an entirely new show is being set up is worth doing.
And I think Strangely Worlds is going to be really, really
important going forward for Kurtzman track.
Yeah, in fact, I was quite surprised for a show set where it is
that it had quite a few references.
I spotted some discovery references in this, where Spot was
talking about his sister, going into the future.
And, you know, the whole, whatever that weird anomaly thing was in
series 2, actually being a massively important plot point for
this.
So if you hadn't watched Discovery.
Actually, it might be like, oh, okay, I'm going to go and check
that out now after this.
But on the whole, this was absolutely standalone and completely
and utterly Star Trek in a way that I don't think Picard and
Discovery is attempting to do.
It was so authentically distilled Star Trek.
And I think for the wrong person, I, those people that want it to
push out and do bold new things, this would fall a bit flat.
But if you are looking for like a nostalgia hit beautifully
presented.
I think this is the way to go.
This is the show for you.
So we talked a little bit about how Discovery kind of aspires
originally to be a show set in the Star Trek universe and not a
Star Trek show, and that in fact, the story of series 2 of
Discovery is it kind of pivoting and turning into a Star Trek show
and then doing the weird thing at the end of the season where it
kind of goes, oh, no, you know, we're going into the far future
and we're going to do something completely different.
And I think the presence of strange new worlds actually takes the
pressure off discovery to be anything other than a show set in the
Star Trek universe.
Picard is obviously a show set in the Star Trek universe. doesn't
have a crew on a federation ship in it really at all.
And so this is, I think, probably going forward going to be the
flagship, uh, discoveries run longer, um, and has had lots of
resources and has been incredibly interesting, but it also had a
troubled production and is a little bit odd.
I think, you know, I've said before, that Discovery's been getting
really, really great.
But there was something about this, that I just found incredibly
enjoyable.
I think I think this is a Star Trek show 1st and foremost. like
this isn't a show with the Star Trek label on it.
This is Star Trek.
Look at the previous Star Trek series in the 90s, right?
You have what, 4 of them and 3 of them are Star Trek shows and one
of them is a show set in the Star Trek universe.
And it does quite different things.
It's not boldly going or seeking out new life and new
civilisations or any of that.
It is sort of staying in one place.
This is absolutely that.
And in a way that Discovery has never been.
So Discovery always has an agenda.
Discovery doesn't do the sort of exploring that we associate with
Star Trek.
But all those things we've talked about in the past as well.
This does assemble its crew in the 1st episode.
You know, we know at the end of this episode who these people are
and then he has a speech where he says, we're going to boldly go
off and seek new life and new civilisations, and it could be TOS
and it could be TNG just with a massive, beautiful budget.
And I also think it's going to be more interesting than TNG going
forward because TNG has such a constrained sense of what it is to
be Star Trek.
And I don't think this is always going to be a massive nostalgia
Russ.
I think they will do some unexpected things along the way.
At least I hope so.
I don't think any show should just be like confection that makes
you think of the past.
No, I think that this has its own identity.
I think it's got a really strong lead in Anson Mount.
You know, having characters that we've known for over 50 years is
just kind of shorthand.
And I've seen episode 2 and it goes out of its way to introduce
Cadet Ahura as if we hadn't had, you know, 55 years with her.
It's still doing the thing that a show needs to do, which is to
introduce its characters.
And Ahura is a slightly different person from when we 1st met her
in the original series.
You know, so I don't think it is just a hankering for the past.
I think it is a straightforward Star Trek show in a way that
Discovery never has been.
And I think that they're going to do a really good job of it.
Well, I think as well, this got one thing right, which I don't
think Picard did initially, and I certainly, for me, Discovery
didn't do it for quite some time, and that is, this is an
extremely likeable cast of characters as well.
And I want to go off an adventure.
I don't care if we're doing anomalies and time travel episodes or
whatever because they were all really nice characters.
We've possibly one exception, but we'll get there.
Okay.
Well, what do you think?
Should we launch into it?
Yeah, I can't wait.
Can't wait.
All right.
I am going to count us in.
Five, four, three, two, one, and we're off.
I mean, do you know what I was thinking throughout the whole of
this, yeah. was how incredibly lucky we are to be getting Star
Trek of this quality made this well with such huge love for its
source material.
Like 20 years ago.
This just wouldn't have been feasible at all, you know, maybe 15.
But even Star Trek, the Next Generation is slightly embarrassed
about it source material, I think.
And this really leans into it.
So we are on the planet Kylie 3 digit number.
This was a terrific.
I was like, the way this subverted expectation.
Yeah, so you was so good.
Well, I think that we know that this is an alien civilisation
experiencing 1st contact.
Even...
Yeah, maybe you need to wait for this lady to turn around.
But when she turns around.
Yeah, of course.
She's got bumps all over her face.
That's right.
Yes, look at that. proper next gen aliens there.
Well, I think they're better, though, than next gen aliens.
They aren't next gen aliens, but I think the aliens generally look
better.
And this is as human as we can get them to look, I think
probably.
You know what their eyes reminded me of?
Those aliens we watch in that short treks.
That little girl.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And this is the USS Archer on the screen.
God's sakes.
They're all doing it, I know.
Bloody alcher.
So, yeah, now, so this, yeah, this scene here.
And now, don't get me wrong.
They've gone off on some incredibly exotic location and it's
filmed beautifully.
And I don't mind seeing a bit of Pike's domestic life.
But I said to you before we started recording.
This just felt a little...
I don't know, languid, and I was expecting it to go in like full
for all.
Do you know, I quite like it.
It is obviously borrowing a great deal from generations because I
think, don't we have Kirk?
Why would you do that?
Yeah, no.
But the thing is, I think too, that the fact that this isn't very
spacy.
Like, she's wearing her uniform.
She's just wearing her Star Trek uniform.
He's wearing a really ill-advised looking beard there.
You know, they refer to the communicator as his phone.
They're just eating sort of very analogue breakfast that hasn't
been replicated for them.
And the location is beautiful.
It's so, yeah, it's stunning.
Yeah, I see what you're saying.
It's trying to make you think that maybe this is going to be a
little more normalised than your average trek.
But actually, then it goes in completely the out direction.
Sure, but it grounds it, I think.
Look, this is a telephone.
There's a bakerlite telephone.
I hadn't noticed on the table behind the communicator that's going
off.
I've got to say, Nathan.
Oh, no, I do this quite a lot these days, but Anson.
What a hot man he is.
I think he has really considerable charm too.
It's not just that he's a good looking man, but he's really great
I think.
He is the I think he is the best actor leading a Star Trek show in
Kurtzman Trek.
I think Sunique was pretty damn good, but, um, no, I think she's a
good actress, but like, just make her do too much terrible
things.
Too much crying.
No, you need to watch series 4.
And I think too, I remember you watching this and texting me and
saying, I wonder if they're going to mention the thing in from
Borath, is that the name of the planet?
It's an episode called, I think, Valley of the Shadow, where Pike
finds out that he's going to die and turn into horrible...
Oh, I thought that was really nicely done in this as well.
It's thread through the episode quite delicately and it isn't what
the episode's about.
But he reaches a conclusion at the end of the episode that
actually sod the future and whatever may come.
That's in 10 years time, let's go on an adventure.
Because it kind of has to deal with that because they really lean
into that discovery, didn't they?
In fact, they showed a horrific transformation.
It was an amazing effect sequence.
So this, I am a big fan of this wind farm thing here too, because
it dwarfs him.
Like it gives it a real sense of scale.
And it's also part of Discovery's discovery of modern Star Trek's
interesting and concern about fuel sources, which is sort of super
weird.
And so we have... we touched on Picard, didn't we?
a couple weeks ago.
Yeah, absolutely.
There's a lot about climate change in there.
But also as well, like when they go off to the planet later, um
it's kind of uh, recognisable locations and things like that and
it's quite contained.
Whereas I think this is the probably the most sort of cinematic
visuals that we get in this episode, you know.
Yeah, and they, I think they're positioning it to be a bit like a
film.
So we're about to see Robert April, who is the original captain of
the Enterprise, and I think he's established in an animated series
episode where, of course, he's some tedious looking white guy
voiced by Jimmy Dewan, I think.
They all are on they?
Basically, he does all the voices.
But this is a good looking man as well.
And I hope that we get to see him again, maybe ordering Pike
around from...
He looks a bit like you, you know that.
Well, he's got the hair.
It's a strong look, but...
Do you know what?
I think my only issue here was just the pace.
I just, I just, it's a long sort of 5 minutes.
Yeah.
Yeah, but I think you know, we have to take him from here
obviously, to where he ends up accepting being the captain.
It's, you know, an obvious arc for them to do.
And it still adds some mount and he's very enjoyable to walk.
So any complaints that I have, they are very gentle ones.
And the question does answer Mount Fuck is answered pretty soon.
Have you seen him?
What a waste if he didn't.
Well, we know the answer.
He does.
No, no, come on, this is TOS land.
Everyone was at it back then, honestly.
Remember Kirk walking down the corridor with a shirt.
Shut off. so long.
Far, far too long.
Looking up to the sky.
Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
This is this leading into the titles now because let me tell you
something.
I have been singing.
You know what?
I keep singing. you know, when this bit comes in, it's like, dun
dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. love it.
I love it.
Oh, and all these lights coming on the Enterprise.
It's just beautiful.
Like you never would have dreamed of having visuals like this.
No, back in the day.
Yeah.
And so the original Star Trek title sequence back in the 60s
obviously showcases the ship and the ship keeps flying past the
thing, but they can't go close on the model and the model is
nowhere near...
Do you remember?
It sort of went in a straight line. turns turns a corner once, but
it was very expensive to animate, like this.
But I think this is beautiful and it is just the sort of title
sequence that lower decks is making fun of.
Go through the nepula who's doing the album.
Do it now, Voyager title sequences again.
Finally.
Finally, Kurtzman's getting it right.
Honestly.
But it's because this is the show that is about this and look how
weird the environments are.
It's called Strange New Worlds and the things are barely
recognisable. these strange planets and things with domes and like
whatever the fuck that thing is on screen now.
Oh, there's a little moment from... about the music being so much
more sophisticated these days. you know, and having so much more
sort of nuance to it.
This is where that really highlighted me because this is
essentially the original series theme tune. being done by what
feels like a 150 piece orchestra, you know, and it's just got so
it's beautiful.
It's a stunning piece of music.
Yeah, well, it isn't exactly the original theme and it has its own
identity, but it does mean that the hero music that you get in an
episode just sounds like the original Star Trek theme, which is
just fantastic.
You know what it reminded me of.
It reminded me of when Doctor Who came back and it was essentially
the Delia Derbyshire theme tune with, yeah, with some pumping
music going underneath it, you know, to give it a bit of kick.
So, okay, right.
So I'm about to complain again.
I promise you, I really like this.
Yeah.
But we've got some very stock Star Trek dialogue in this scene
okay, in this romantic scene between Spock and his wife to be.
Yeah, so this is to Pring, who will occur later, I guess, in a
muck time?
Is it to bring in a muck time, I think it is.
I think it is, yeah.
This is the sort of detail I get right.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, for sure.
And in fact, when we discover she's called to printing, it's
actually a moment.
I mean, if you didn't know or care, it wouldn't have mattered, but
him using her name is a moment.
I actually think that what they're trying to do here and failing
to do is banter, but, you know, kind of Vulcan mode.
And I don't think they...
I would like to have a dialogue with you. request granted.
Right?
Yeah, I think it's not very sexy, is it?
We're talking about Sexy Kersman trait recently. and I think is
trying to be a little bit erotic and this is essentially hotspot
because, I mean, look at it.
It's beautiful.
Is that Ethan Peck?
that his name?
Yeah, yeah.
Great, great picks. absolutely stunning.
And great performance as well.
Yeah.
But I'm very unaccustomed to spot getting his pecks out, you
know?
When I said this earlier, I was watching this earlier for this.
And I said to my, oh, my God, Spock's got his gear on me.
He couldn't have run across the room quick enough.
I'm telling you, travel look at the screen.
Pike, like Pike's line is, are you naked?
And he says no, sir.
And then to bring pipes up in the background and know he was about
to be.
And I actually think that scene, like when they get, because this
is quite funny, this bit here, they start kissing.
Clearly Vulcans have some no public displays of affection, cultural
norm, which means they get asked to leave the restaurant.
And so they do. you know, would you mind taking that somewhere
else and Dupreme goes, well, yeah, actually let's do that.
And so they...
It's not like the original series was averse to, there's that
episode, isn't it?
Where Spock, human side comes out and he has that entire sort of
romantic episode.
So it's not like this is doing anything extraordinary.
I was just thinking, I just think making him sexy is unusual. think
it's a good thing.
Look at them.
And look at the back.
I just want to be sexy, you. honestly.
Yeah, look at the background.
Oh, it's beautiful.
And now the phone rings.
I know, but look how chaste this sex is, honestly.
Well, the phone rang, right?
Just as he was about to get into it, it's a whole thing.
So this must be setting something up, I think, and I can't
remember the exact background about Spocket.
Oh, here we go.
There's his packs.
Look at him.
No, but do you remember in the Discovery episode we were watching
there over there with Harry Mudd when he went off at the end?
Yeah, it was.
Yeah, with Stella.
I think maybe it might just be setting up. where we were later on
because Spock was married, wasn't he?
Yeah, yeah, to this woman.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
But look how beautiful that looks.
Gosh, it's good.
Oh, so you're talking about Ethan Peck?
Well, no, the background, really.
I should be looking at Ethan Peck, really.
I know.
His back is what I was looking at.
Back muscles.
Very sexy, you know.
Yeah, without overdoing it.
Me?
Yeah.
Here we go.
Like, like, you could almost imagine hardcore trek fans being like
oh, what's this, you know?
spot being sexy.
Well, yeah, I object.
One of the things that I actually feared when Strange New Worlds
was announced was that it would be the sort of Star Trek for angry
white guys who post on forums about...
They won't make that anymore.
And they're not doing it here.
And like you said to me, this is a pretty diverse car.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, you know, you get those scenes on discovery where basically
everyone on the bridge is a woman and it's all just women talking
to women on the bridge and stuff.
You know, you've got and Owo and you've got, um, uh, Nilsen and
and the captain and they're all women and they're all, but there's
heaps of women on the bridge here too.
What's marvellous here is is unlike TOS, and you haven't got
you're not going to have like the triumvirate of 3 men.
You've actually got, by the end of this episode, you've got number
one.
You've got what's the woman's name, the security chief.
Is it?
Oh, I can't remember.
Where did I put my phone?
Well, I'm going to call her a layer because you're asking for that
bird.
And you've got Nurse Chapel as well, all in prominent roles.
And this, you know, remember TOS when they said, you know, you
can't have female captains and they were pushing all the, you know
O'Hara was, you know, on the communicator and that's basically all
she did.
They are, they're not going to do that, are they?
not going to go there.
You did just talk over the 1st appearance of our pretty young
transporter chief.
Oh, I didn't see him at all. so sorry.
He will come back and he's in the 2nd action.
I should tell you what is pretty is these sets, okay?
For them to have taken, and I think it's such an authentic take on
the aesthetic of the original surprise that we saw.
The detail of the thing on the back of the turbo lift?
With the thing going down.
Yeah.
Oh my god.
I tell you what, my heart was racing.
But even the bridge, right?
Which obviously looks like far more sophisticated technology than
we had, but it's got the shape.
And it's kind of got the colours.
It's enough that if you're looking at it at a glance, you know
you're in that original enterprise.
It's very good.
It is great.
And they've they've had to do a refit.
So this isn't exactly how it looked in Discovery Series 2. but we
start on SpaceDock with the Enterprise having had a big refit. and
it's been a few years.
I think they've done a bad job here.
Yeah, I agree.
But, you know, that was a kind of full one episode rather than the
whole series.
The primary colour uniforms.
I just love them.
I love the simplicity of it.
Remember those bloody plumbers from Enterprise.
I mean, why would you?
When you could look as gorgeous.
Look at this lady at the front.
Tegus, Ortega. and she's great. she's really good.
She's the pilot and look at Ahura.
Gosh, she's beautiful.
Oh, I mean, everyone's...
I mean, everyone in Star Trek is pretty now, aren't they?
She's so great.
So she's the focus character of the 2nd episode and she's
wonderful in it.
And we're going to get to see more of the pilot a little bit and
she's really great.
I like the comm officers slightly androgynous haircut as well.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm just assuming she's that she's queer and we do see a scene of
her in civies in the next episode and she looks pretty fantastic
and absolutely leaves very little down about how queer she is from
how she's dressed.
Well, look, she's about to have lots of moments.
So can we please talk about, I know her name's not a layer.
What's her name?
Or no?
Oh, that's it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Who is currently, what, number one?
She's currently the 1st officer.
She'll settle as the security officer.
She's a Nunian sing. like so many people in Star Trek these days.
You said to me that, obviously, this is Lorna Bucket from the
Doctor Who episode, a good man goes to war, where her accent is
completely different to how it is in this episode.
Well, she's got a very crisp, very kind of posh English accent
which...
Well, you know why that is like a lot.
Well, one, it absolutely differentiates except for everybody
else.
Look at that.
But also, look at that.
That's incredible.
Holy crap.
Sorry.
Oh, I thought that, well, no, we'll get to this.
I thought the most impressive kind of expensive take on an old
effect was when they... 60s plastic furnishings in the break room
or whatever.
Look at the warp effect outside.
Even that's not going too far.
But the bit where they transport later on and the camera swings
around.
I thought that was really, really impressive.
Sorry, back to her accent very quickly.
Yeah, it's not only to differentiate her, but, oh my god, I've
lost my train of thought again.
What is wrong with me, Ty?
But it makes her seem brittle as well.
You know, there's something about her.
That's it.
No, no, but it's because she's got a bug up her butt as well. you
know?
And we'll find out her backstory and then he's obviously ludicrous
but we'll get there.
And so, what was this?
was really confused.
So this...
Is this where he gets scald?
Yeah.
So in...
Oh, Valley of the Shadows?
Wait a sec. did write it down.
Through the Valley of Shadows is the episode.
It's a late season 2 discovery episode where Pike has the choice.
He has to take a crystal of time in order to, I guess, get them
into the future.
Not those time crystals again, aren't they?
And they are in the original series, I think.
And he sees the moment of his death and we so we flash forward to
it.
And so they're using that as a flashback now.
This scene, I think it's beautiful.
Oh, I just love the effect out the windows.
It's so simple.
It just looks like traffic going past really fast.
And that's the stars of racing cars.
Well, it's that warp field thing.
You know, the warp thing because they're in warp.
But the, the, also the fact that...
Fire is an interesting effect as well, isn't it?
Well, they have one.
They have one in the in the in the room in Discovery as well in
their bar.
But, you know, you've got the windows that look like the windows
on the model.
So, you know, this is the top of the source section, presumably.
Um, and just, it's the size of these spaces.
These regular sets are fucking massive.
Much bigger than the corresponding sets, I think, in discovery.
And obviously this is a bigger ship. than discovery, but I mean, no
one's got bigger sets of prodigy, but that's animated.
So, you know, that's cheated.
The proto star does have huge spaces, but this has huge fantastic
spaces.
And I think it's beautifully designed. in my head.
This is how big that original TOS enterprise was. you know, they
couldn't realise it.
No, yeah.
I have an imagination.
I think that Anson Mount is absolutely killing this.
Like, he's really, really good, but this scene is so boring.
And imagine, like, and clearly it's like, this is the bit where we
stop to explain the thing, but it's actually super tedious.
And all I could think of was Shatner and Nimoy doing a scene like
this and how much more fun I would be having if it was them.
That's probably making me one of those old guys who kind of go...
Well, no, because I think even women on the show now.
We'll be playing this with humour with EBR, his eyebrow and
playing it with a bit of sarcasm, you know?
Yeah, I mean, I think Mount is bringing something to it.
But, you know, I think he's great in there.
I think later on, when he gets that to do that speech, like, that's
not an easy thing to deliver without sounding fucking preachy, and
he's smooth throughout that whole scene, and he has to come to
that bit where he tells them, make a choice.
And I'm like, you arrogant sod, but he doesn't come across that
way.
So you miss the horrible scarred, horrible pike. obviously missing
a lot.
Talking to you right now, aren't I?
So, oh, my God, I can't believe this planet.
It's called Kylie.
Do you think this is where Kaz from the animated series is from?
Kylie.
It's the gayest planet of them all.
That woman, the corresponding planet, Jason.
See?
Jesus.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a thing.
But, you know, are we going down there now?
Because I want to talk about the award and how this, oh, God.
We're not going down quite yet.
We've got to do some sort of talking for a bit.
Well, there's a very strange scene in a minute, right?
Where they go through, you know, in DS9 and that, where they want
to go down to the planet and you just cut to a scene and suddenly
they're all in fucking latex. you know, Klingon latex or
whatever.
Well, I actually see the process this time. which is rather nice.
I don't understand.
What's her objection?
Why doesn't she want to change?
No, that's not her objection.
So she doesn't want to take the...
The painkiller.
Yeah.
It actually comes up.
It's a character beat in the next episode as well.
And it is her, she wants to feel the pain.
She doesn't want to numb herself.
And that's because we've we find out her backstory.
She'll explain it to you that she was the one survivor and so she
survived, everyone else died.
What?
So I just watched it. guilt?
No, I think it, so she has this thing in that speech at least, I
think, you know, we're going to read it as survivor's guilt, but
the way she characterises it is she doesn't want to be surprised.
The reason that she survived is that she expected to die.
And so she behaved like she expected to die.
And so there's that link between her and and Pike, who also knows
that he's going to, you know, go in less than 10 years time.
Probably.
It's interesting, isn't it?
Because I found her the least likeable of the cast, although I
really love the scene at the Emory Officer, the commission.
Well, that was a great scene.
I think she's magnificent down on the planet.
She's the most interesting of all the original characters in this
episode.
She's got the most interesting backstory, I think.
Because we know all the other characters, don't we?
Yeah.
Oh, well, no, I'm not going to jump ahead for that bit where she
knocks the man out. hilarious.
Yeah, yeah, we're good.
Take a fucking hint, all right?
So the premise here, I think, is really, really interesting.
I don't think we've heard of a warp bomb before.
And so the idea is that they have developed warp technology, but
not to explore the stars, but to destroy one another.
And in kind of Star Trek mythology, it's the development of warp
technology, the evidence that you're curious enough to look beyond
the horizons of your own planet and embrace space, that's the
point at which you become eligible for entrance into the
federation.
It's the whole premise of 1st contact, the film.
Um, Well, I thought this episode says something very profound
about not looking outward, and looking inward destructively, which
was a wonderful comment on our site now. which is what Star Trek
should do, really, isn't it?
You know, and say actually be better than this.
There's a little bit of Star Trek law, too, that they clean up in
a way that's probably not really consistent, but I don't give a
shit, where they refer to general order one here, and that's the
non-interference thing, which means that they can't affect the
society because they haven't, you know, they're pre-warp in a
way.
So the prime directive they're talking about.
They rename it the prime directive at the end and Rebecca remains
character who's yet to appear, actually.
Uh, Captain uh, Commander Ransom's uh, wife, Rebecca Romain, uh
Una.
She says, oh, that'll never stick.
So this is kind of the birth of the prime directive because they
do violate it.
So here's Nurse Chapel.
Oh my word.
I thought she was brilliant.
And she doesn't get much to do in this one.
Oh, she, and she, I think she does because she gets to chase the
escape.
You get to run around the ship.
You know what?
When we were running around space corridors.
I was like, oh, yeah, Star Trek.
Star Trek.
So, and then we're down on a planet having fun with these
crazy...
I'm like, oh my god.
So good.
So friend of the podcast, Brendan said that he thinks that she's
nothing like Nurse Chapel.
And...
Well, I don't think it does either because I think Nurse Chapel is
a little bit subservient and a little bit kind of, you know, she
just does what the doctor says because she's a nurse.
Whereas this Christine Chappel has her own expertise.
She's a doctor and she's really fun and funny.
It's almost like she's a little bit more like Major Barrett than
Nurse Chappell.
Well, it's so funny, isn't it?
Because Barrett played both number one and Nurse Chappell.
So, how both is one story?
Takes 2 actors to replace her, I think.
And Dr. Mabenga is in a couple of episodes of original Trek as
well.
So he's still on board the ship in the in the kirk era.
So, and he's our chief medical officer.
And they have some banter.
I actually quite like them.
Like he's...
It's a nice mix of old and new, isn't it?
our established characters from TOS and new original characters as
well.
And reinvented characters like this.
I still can't believe they pulled off that gag with Kirk at the
end, honestly.
I was like, no, no, and I was falling for it all the whole time
until what's his name from Galaxy Quest walked in with a moustache
talking about characters who are faded to be dead at some point.
Yeah, so here she is explaining.
He's Arn, who has a hyphen in, not a hyphen.
She's got an apostrophe.
Well, of course she does.
Yeah, because it's a space name.
Base name.
She's the 2nd person with an apostrophe. so far in the speaking
cast because we've had to bring earlier on.
That sounds so rude.
I know, doesn't it?
Did you see the wonderful car shots they did on the alien planet
with the Enterprise in the background, like for each of them.
They were really, really good.
I remember looking at it going, man, man, this already looks like
a great castle and I've not even seen them yet.
See, we close on that shot of her just experiencing the pain.
Here is...
Oh, here's my, okay.
Let's talk about it because there's a drone going around this
transporter very fast in a minute.
And for once, I don't object.
You know, but look, look, look, there's Kyle.
Okay.
Transported. word.
He's beautiful.
Yeah, I think he is an established character as well.
I think there is a transporter chief, Kyle, somewhere.
I know, it's incredible, isn't it?
But that's the kind of visual.
They would have loved to have done back in the day.
Obviously, we have static cameras, you know, barely being able to
lock off the shot as they beam onto the planet.
And here it is fulfilling its remit of presenting us with a
strange new world.
And it is a world that is meant to be like, is that strange?
No, but I just meant the opening shot where you had lots of
planets in the sky.
And, you know, certainly the parallel to our planet. is
absolutely.
Oh, nice knees, isn't it?
Because it looks like our planet. absolutely. and it's meant to.
Look at LaAnn's fabulous 60s hair.
Can I just say, it's really great and I'm, you know, there's going
to be a 60 sensibility to the design that we've already seen in
the furnishing of the enterprise.
Absolutely here for it.
You know, I can't remember the name of the Orville episode where
they go down onto the planet with the 2 war in factions, but the
aesthetic.
This looks so like that episode.
And do you know what?
There's a lot about this that reminded me of the Orville.
That sort of adventure in space.
This is a little bit preachier and a little bit more serious than
the Orville, but certainly how it looked.
Yeah, 0 yeah.
Well, I think that what happens is the Orville comes along before
Kurtzman Trek and is trying to do 90s Trek, but with a budget and
with, you know, to, you know, I don't know, early 210s production
values.
Their last series was like 2018 or something.
They've been completely.
Look her go now. she's...
She's so fantastic.
She's doing that.
I've twisted my ankle. to the floor.
Oh, I need medication.
Oh, hit his neck.
Get his neck.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And she does it as well.
And then she has a peg.
Look, that gorgeous with that hideous makeup on.
Yeah, yeah.
He's such a good looking man.
But she looks terrific.
Arn looks amazing.
And just the fact that there was no warning.
She just went straight into that, you know?
Yeah.
Well, she does that permission to act quickly, sir.
It's really good.
And he's kind of going, okay.
Oh, they're doing a bit, don't they, where they beam up the
character.
Yeah, onto the ship, and then you just know you're in a world of
trouble.
Then it's like, who watches the watchers, you know, the 2nd they
wake up, they're going to be out and about, causing mischief.
In this massive set, like the massive set, which has got levels.
You know, look at it with blurred eyes.
It isn't too dissimilar.
So the original series...
I know it's bigger.
The colours are the same.
Yeah.
Well, I think they've decided to de-emphasize the kind of light
blue that characterises so much of the set, although some of the
light here is sort of blue light on this white background.
And they've got rid of those.
Do you remember those weird beds where you were like hanging from
the wall?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The original series.
Oh, the ones where you, that was all about. have the boxes that
you push with your feet.
Oh, so these guys are...
The guy running around the corridors now.
Cheers.
I'm so into it.
She's a lot of charm, a lot of energy.
I want to see more of that.
Oh, me too.
Me too.
Oh, God.
This feels so next gen, isn't it wonderful?
lay around the corridors.
I think it's more fun than next year.
I mean, look at the corridors.
They're bigger and there's so many more extras around.
Look how many extras.
There aren't enough extras to pull off this.
They're doing their best, but let's just keep the camera.
It seems like an entire crowd of 100s of people, okay?
And we're only going to make up a few of you.
So if you could be in the foreground.
That'd be enough.
Yeah, but you notice too that they are, they're dressed in kind of
1960s clothing as well.
Oh, this.
Can you just transport down some eye ointment and put it in his
eye and he just goes, no transporters can't do that.
And do you know why this absolutely feels like TOS to me?
Yeah.
It's like, what do they do so well in TOS?
is they go down on a planet and have an adventure?
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And then there's usually some crazy shit going on in the ship as
well at the same time.
But um, here we are.
They know who their audience are.
Yeah, I think they're doing this really.
Oh, look at Ahura.
So Ahura isn't just the communications officer and she's been
studying the Kylie civilisation.
Yeah, she's so sensitive with him here.
She basically dissolves him.
Yeah, yeah, smile.
Yeah, yeah.
And then... ran into someone.
Sorry.
She is running people over.
It's so good.
She's loving. doing an action sequence.
Did you notice that Kyle's transporter has physical sliders, 3
physical sliders.
Oh, is that what I used to do?
Well, that's why it's always been 3 lights, you know, that you
just sort of move your hand over.
He has 3 sports lines.
They have the capacity to do here with this series, so many of
these little touches that are just going to make you squee when
you see them.
Yeah, so the scanner's not working and then Kyle's going to, uh
look at this scary hot American Kylie and...
Do you know what?
I love the transport chiefs uniform.
It's a bit like a waistcoat, isn't it?
I'm, there are different variations on the uniform, which I really
quite like.
I just love the simplicity of it.
You know, that's what TOS was all about, wasn't it?
I like the profile as well with the, you know, the way that the
boots and the sort of slight bell bottoms and stuff.
I just think it looks so good.
But do you remember how we said when we watched TOS, how pleasing
it was on the eye?
That's what our technicolour look about it.
Now, they haven't got whole, like whole hulk here, because they
want to light it in interesting ways and things like that, like
they do now.
But essentially that is there, I think, in a way that the other
Kersman shows aren't really doing.
Yeah.
Also, this is great when they start metamorphosizing in the lift.
But like, it's, this is so the alien planet is so hilariously
North America.
And, you know, you've got Music in the lift.
Like, literally everything is completely recognisable from kind of
present-day earth.
And, you know, the red lights that revolve, all of that sort of
thing.
I mean, I'm here for it because it's got to sell it.
I love the air holes on her reaction shot as they get it out.
She's totally baffled with her hands in the air, you know?
He's basically a cartoon character staring off the camera.
It's so great.
I love her tricorder as well, that it looks like it's a nice one.
At this point in the episode, Nathan.
I was actually sold.
I was like, it's just having fun.
This is so much fun to watch.
Oh, look, and here's Rebecca Romain.
I think she's great.
She's really good.
She is great.
She was so awesome in discovery.
I mean, just so terrific.
I mean, there's there's some, there's a difference between how
she's characterised and number one from the original series
because I'll tell you what, Major Al Barrett was like a robot in
that.
She was so cold.
Well, she, I think that she's cold.
You know, we've got this contrast between her and Laan, who is
obviously quite cold and so Yuna, whose name is obviously the
Latin word for one.
Una gets to be a little bit warmer and because she's got this sort
of pre-existing relationship with Pike.
But you remember...
But I did like, I did like the dual scenes where Lahan talks to
the doctor and then she talks to number one and it thaws, both
those things, thaw her out a lot because she's got an established
history with them.
You know, I loved a bit where they both picked up the tear under
the chest.
I, you know, Spock says, oh, thank goodness our path is clear and
number one says, don't jinx it. and he goes, it's illogical to
believe in a jinx, which is obviously at the point at which the
elevator doors open.
And then this way he does the giant scream and then goes, oh, that
feels better.
And easy.
Oh, great.
So funny.
And here we go.
Fist form.
TOS action.
Exactly.
We need that kind of exciting drop, da, da, da, da, TOS music.
Well, it's the cheapest kind of action sequence and I'm glad we
got to see one. you know what?
If they do a few bits like that, you know, like cheesy.
Yeah. riffs on TRS action.
I'm not going to object at all.
Look how number one looks in that uniform.
She's poured into that uniform.
It looks great.
You know what they've got to do.
Yeah, it's gorgeous.
They've got to do a triple episode.
Imagine how they rock a triple episode in this.
Do you know what I think they have to do?
I think they have to do the green captain's shirt with the sort of
plunging neckline thing that Kirk has.
Oh, so here we're flashing back to the Discovery series 2 finale.
And so...
Is this needed?
Well, I mean, it's a nice tie.
Yeah, I think it needs... look, it doesn't take very much time, but
I think that the because they've caused this, they've contaminated
this planet by inadvertently providing them with the information
they need to create a warp bomb. and that wouldn't have been
possible.
They might have kind of blown the shit out of each other in other
ways, but...
They seem to suggest there was all these other civilisations that
saw this as well, though, you know, that have had the same hints
about technology.
Are we going off to all those?
I don't think they mentioned that.
And a 100 worlds saw it. something like that.
Yeah, a lot of them had just kind of worms and crabs and shit on
them.
So this is where he goes Screw General Order one, which I think is
pretty great.
That's what you want.
Yeah, see, you would have Picard doing that, would you?
the prime director be agonising over it for 10 minutes of
energising.
But he's done the he's doing the right thing.
I mean, they've given this society the means to destroy itself, and
sure, it would have developed that anyway, because we did before
developing warp.
Yeah, and he gets, he is so good here.
And this is the thing as well.
You know, Star Trek the Next Generation also does a lot of plot
resolutions through impassioned moralistic speech, right?
Oh, but not like this.
And this does it as well.
Do you remember justice when he went down to speak to the Edo
God?
I'd say, well, fuck you.
We're basically taking Wesley.
All right, we're human beings and we're bad new.
Look at that.
Look at that location, the way that they've augmented it with And
this.
I did like all of this.
But do you know what?
I didn't feel like any of these characters were characterised.
No, they were caricatures, weren't they?
know?
They're just essentially playing the role. what they're here to
educate them is what's important, rather than a fully realised.
I mean, we don't want to be know about these people.
Nothing.
No.
And we'll never see them again.
Maybe them.
It's Star Trek.
Maybe the Cerritos might visit them at some point in the future.
But yeah, she's got amazing hair, doesn't she?
Oh, it's incredible.
Yeah.
I did like the bit at the end, though, where the 2 of them faced
off, um, and actually had a conversation, you know, and they said
this is the 1st time these 2 have been in a, you know, they were
trying.
I don't know.
I just, I was just like, you know, this was possibly, you know, in
the top 10 list of ill-defined Star Trek alien races.
Here we go.
They've earned a place.
Well, she's just they're just us, though.
I mean, they're just us and that's the point.
So there's...
Well, yeah, but do you know what that means?
It means they can't really do this again.
No, can they?
No, no, no.
They're here to make a point.
But Star Trek really frequently does that where it's people or
settings.
Well, original Star Trek does. what about Voyager?
Voyager is a whole two-parter, is it a two-parter?
one part?
A one-part episode where it's all about the American health system
and it's on a planet that we'll never see again.
Yeah, that's true.
And the same with the work. the same with, you know, like it's an
absolute...
I'll be able to size Styles, I had the point to make as well.
Discovery doesn't do this really where it sets up an alien planet
to play out a moral, you know, fable on.
But it's mostly because Discovery doesn't do this, you know
seeking out new life and new civilisations thing.
I love this bit so much recently, for sure. the biggest stick
wins.
And then he points out the window and there's the end surprise.
That shot from above the enterprise as it recedes out of the
frame.
So beautiful.
Even there are, I know you're saying it, there are films that
aren't doing Schultz, I was going to say.
Oh, look, there you go.
This lady here who's the reporter.
Look at her outfit.
It's so period. it's wonderful It's like it's the height of the
Cold War and everyone's dressing like that.
Just with the enterprise in the background, in the sky there
potent, isn't it?
So, and I, sorry, go on.
Well, this is the speech, isn't it?
This is the thing that she says, not believing you're going to die
will get you killed.
And that thought is what informs how Pike responds here.
He's told them that there'll be a civil war and that people will
be killed and that's what happened on his planet.
But what he hasn't shown them is that, you know, like, and so he
shows them, and it's the belief that they could wipe themselves
out with this, which becomes real because it's shown to them by
pike, that causes the resolution.
And so it's her.
And look, her backstory is preposterous because her family gets
sort of eaten and sawed up by rubber lizards in cocktail dresses.
Bloody hell, we get to see a flashback to that episode, you know?
Oh, come on.
CGI Gorn would be great.
Yeah, I'd love to see the go on again, but they are kind of as
stupid as a Star Trek boss has ever been.
And the kind of determination to take them completely seriously, I
think, is tremendous. you know her tragic backstory.
The whole episode is making like a very serious and it is trying
to educate ours.
I never felt it was being dictatorial.
Not in the same way.
Like, you remember Orphan 55 on Doctor Who, where she was just...
She looked straight out of the screen and went, all right, sort
your shit out, you know.
I didn't feel that...
It was a little bit like He-Man giving you the moral at the end of
the episode, which was about something else completely different.
This, I think what this is doing. is not educating us because if
we're watching this or if we know about Star Trek, we're on board
it's telling us what this is about.
It's making it clear that this version of Star Trek is the version
that we are this.
Well, he comes in, beams in, and looks shy face, and goes, oh
good.
His performance in this scene was extraordinary.
It's really great.
And he doesn't really raise his voice.
He speaks very gently.
Oh, I was transfixed.
I was watching this.
Charming as well.
He's so charming.
Yeah.
But you know what's incredible as well?
Is that the brevity in this?
Because back in the day, to do a pilot like this, you wouldn't be
able to squeeze in all the introductions, the ship, and a mini
adventure, like for encounter a far point, do it, it had to run to
90 minutes.
Yeah.
Well, and also it, you know, it wanted to do 245 minute slots or
whatever.
Oh my god, look how slightly apologetic.
Yes, it's wonderful, isn't it?
Well, he doesn't come down and do a big imperious Picard thing.
Well, you know what Patrick Stewart wearing.
Look at my wow.
This is my wild. you know, like he would do something sort of huge
and oratorical.
He'd be panty, wouldn't he?
Yeah.
Whereas he's underplaying it. and just bringing so much charm.
And so this is footage from the January 6th insurrection.
So, which is recent history.
And so this traces a line between what we're experiencing in
America at the moment where you have 2 groups of people who
inhabit completely different worlds, one of which is completely
fucking fictional.
Look at that.
Do you see that?
Yeah.
Yeah, but but traces, but traces, the current problems in American
politics calls it a civil war, we had the 2nd Civil War mentioned
earlier, which has never come up before, and then we get the
eugenics wars in World War 3 and they're all collapsed into what's
happening in America now.
Star Trek.
Continuity is really nicely done.
It's doing the Kurtzman thing of identifying this huge post-Trump
doing post-Trump America, right?
And saying that this this is the direction that, you know, leads
to the Confederation or gets the planet destroyed.
I'll tell you now, we need to take another direction.
I don't think we will.
I applaud its attempts to educate us.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I don't, but it's the one thing that I like because there is
that angry right wing Star Trek fan who hates Kurtzman Trek
because it's got black and queer people and women who talk in it.
And they're going to go, oh, you know, this is Star Trek getting
back to its roots.
And here it is, it's doing exactly the same thing that all the
other shows have done.
And it showcases diversity and it just basically says that, yeah
you could just see them not for you. seen in their greasy seeds
getting really angry watching this game.
No, I don't want them ever to experience another moment of
pleasure again. stuff that the sets are made out of cardboard as
well.
Why aren't they pale blue cardboard?
And so then we get this Monte.
Yeah, this was very the way they managed to show you how they turn
it around.
Yeah.
And it, and it's not twee, you know, it...
Oh, no, I don't think so.
I thought it was nicely done.
It's adorable and it's iconic and it's very 60s as well.
This was TNG.
This would be appalling television.
But the thing is right.
That the 60s, see, this is a very different take on trek
politically, um, because 60 Star Trek is that sort of, you know
post-war liberalism, we've got the space race, all of that sort of
thing, you know, it's optimistic and, and, you know, it's trying
to be inclusive as much as it's able to.
Whereas this is a Star Trek that comes out of a, you know, America
that sort of shell shocked and where democracy's on a knife edge
and stuff like that.
You know what?
I mean, I wouldn't say I want, you know, I would want the Trump
era in order to have TV this interesting, but it's a nice
byproduct of that, though, you know?
It's got certainly got more thoughtful things to say because of
it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And, you know, it was always inadvertently political in all sorts
of ways because of what isn't.
But this is much more consciously political and very definitely
sitting on one side of it, I think.
But I don't think it forgets to tell a fun story.
Exactly not.
We have lots of running around and people being knocked out and
you know, gas.
Yeah, yeah. does a terrific job of that.
And I think, do you know what?
I think if they do episodes going ahead, just out.
I think I read today that there's an outright comedy coming up one
that's just utterly ridiculous and absurd.
And I'm all over that shit.
Yeah, you know would be too.
Because I did one of my complaints about Kursman Trek is it can
take itself a little bit too seriously as well. you know?
Yeah, lower decks.
Shut up.
So here we get the tragic gone backstory.
No, no, but this was a scene that completely humanised, don't I?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
I loved the bit where she thinks he's going to chew her out and
then he offers her the commission.
And that was really, really lovely.
And did you notice the ship name, the King Jr., the Martin Luther
King Jr., the USS Martin Luther King Jr.?
Yeah.
Well, I loved as well was that, obviously, she's taken number
one's place.
Now number one's back.
And there was no tension, no rivalry, just this kind of like, oh
welcome. your new security chief.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
She's a knockout.
I mean, did you see that transition a minute ago from the paper
enterprise. which showed you how they were sort of like, you know
venerating them to the ship flying off into space and the sort of
the impact that they had made.
I thought that was lovely Yeah, well they're now aspiring to
that.
I think it's terrific.
You know.
Yeah.
But no, it just kind of really was like, okay, here's the impact
we had.
We're going to go do it again. another adventure.
Yeah, it was really nothing.
Oh, and this is well, where he talked about, um, where the forest
came from and how they built, you know, the domes around them.
And look at that shot of birds.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
What's the line he has?
It's coming up in a minute, where he says, even out in space, Yeah
we're capable of great growth.
No, it is clear.
It's cheesy, but it is...
You have to remember, Nathan.
I have a half.
He's able to deliver a cheesy line like that really well because
he's kind of smiling as well.
Like, he's so charming and so encouraged.
I mean, he's slightly less comedic in his performance than Shatner
as well.
Hello.
But he kind of gets the idea, though, there is a lightness to it.
I really like it.
Oh here we go.
Here's our captain's log.
Yes, that dust and sky is my hearth.
But the enterprise is my home.
We can go forward together knowing that whatever shadows we bring
with us.
They make the light all the bright.
What room is this?
What room do you reckon this is?
I don't know what that room is.
I don't know, but this feels like one of those discovery speeches
to me, you know?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, I think it's a Kiva Goldman or whatever.
But do you know what?
All of it.
All of it, okay, the set, the adventure, the fun, the dialogue, the
characterisation.
It is like the quintessence of Trek, isn't it?
It just really good.
It's like someone's taking a bottle of trek and shoved it down
your throat.
Yeah, and it was...
Here we go.
So he is...
So, don't he look at that villa from Galaxy Quest?
So, and he was always worried about dying as well.
So he is in an original series episode, isn't he?
Samuel Kirk, George Samuel Kirk, who is Kirk's brother, and it's
he's, he's found dead.
I can't even remember.
And they turn the body on...
Yeah, they turn the body over and it's just Shatner with a fake
moustache on.
But Kirk's in this series.
I've seen pictures.
Yeah, they don't think it's that Kirk.
There's our new chief engineer, the INR chief engineer before.
Look at, look at...
Look, we've got our crew assembled.
Fabulous people.
It's crossing his legs, looking super relaxed, absolutely poured
into the uniform.
So good Even that line there, right?
Picard is like, let's see what's out there.
No, pie goes, hit it.
Yeah Do you remember that episode of Discovery where Saru is
trying to work out what his catchphrase is going to be?
No, what did he read?
What did he call that?
I can't remember what he settles on.
I mean, Michael settles on.
Let's fly, which I think is pretty great.
Not bad.
Oh, now this.
So this is the season thing.
So the comet thing is next week and it's incredibly great.
The special effect of it here in the planet.
Yeah, yeah.
But you know what?
All I kind of got from this, yeah, was fun, adventure, energy, you
know, like this is going to be a hell of a fucking ride.
So get on.
And it seems like we haven't heard the last of the, you know
future, you know, Pike's future.
Most of these imagery they're showing off here.
A lot of it is from next week.
Um, yeah.
Is that your version of a pep talk is so good.
It's so good.
Oh, what's that?
Oh, blood is what it is. in the snow.
And Leon's crying.
Maybe there's gone.
Maybe there's Gorn coming.
The goner bean.
Do you know what now?
I'm going to confess I hate you right now. you know you know me.
You know, I don't watch Discovery and Picard as they come out.
I'm going to watch this, you know, as it comes out.
I'm hugely excited by this.
You know why?
Because I just think it's going to cheer me up, you know?
Yeah.
Oh, look, there's another line.
Look at this guy.
Oh my god, he's so open the talk.
I'm hoping we get some crazy theatrical performances like that Oh
my god, look at these special effects.
I think there's going to be lots of regulars and semi-regulars as
well, in a way.
Because you're in the DS9 thing.
Yeah, yeah.
I think so.
I hope so.
Because I wonder, because one of the things about, you know, that
made the films different from TV was the scale, like the scale of
the ship's interiors, the number of people wandering the corridors
all of that kind of thing.
And I want that.
I think, you know, don't just do Star Trek.
Do it better.
And I think that's clearly what they're what they're aiming for.
But you know what you could do there as well, because what DS9 did
obviously, a lot of DS9 is like, you know, set in rooms, all those
things you complain about in 90s trek.
But by having that extraordinarily vast and fascinating guest cast
all on different worlds.
It meant just by visiting those people, it had a scale to it, you
know?
Yeah.
Obviously, they can do they can do that visually here.
But if they can marry that with like a secondary guest cast as
well.
Man, we're in for great time.
So we have another communications officer next week.
We've got the transporter chief.
We've got a much bigger regular cast than the original show
already.
We've got Bob April, you know, the admiral there.
So there is already a kind of suggestion.
Oh, Kyle, did I say, Kyle?
Pretty, Kyle.
I probably said him twice.
He's very pretty.
Um, I just, you know, like, I think that's going to be really fun
going forward, but if this weekend next week or anything to go by
and the viewer may well have seen more episodes, uh, by the time
this comes out.
There might be 2 or 3 more.
Um, I think I'm really on board with this.
You know, you know how, yeah, I have my issues with Carsman Trek.
But let's take a step back from Strange New Worlds for a 2nd and
just see what Kurtzman Trek is delivering at the moment.
It's got 2 shows.
Sorry, one show aimed at a younger audience that's very
sophisticated and I think probably the most visually arresting of
all the shows, intriguingly.
You've got an out and out rick and Morty style comedy that is just
hitting one week after the next.
You've got Picard, which is carving out a kind of dark and a
little bit twisted play on the next generation.
You got Discovery, which is doing new things every single season
in such an interesting way.
And now you've got this, which is absolutely ticking the box of
lots of nostalgia.
And it's just like, it's a vast array of different styles and
different tones.
And I think, like, it doesn't have to all be for everybody.
But I think there probably is something for every type of trek fan
now.
It's incredible I think that the interesting thing about this huge
suite of programs is, if you think about it, the initial
conception was that discovery, this particular discovery that we
have now, this situation would last a season, and then we would
have, you know, various other seasons set in different time
periods, that was going to be an anthology show, like I think I
said before, like American horror story or something like that.
Right.
And now we have this suite of shows and and you can see that when
discovery goes from being a one season thing, they have to try and
make it work as an ongoing concern and as a Star Trek show.
So they take something that isn't going to be a Star Trek show in
the way that, um, you know, Enterprise or Voyager or TNG, you know
are, and they have to try and turn it into a Star Trek show.
And even now, there's still kind of awkward things where, you know
characters like Bryce or Reese, who are just scenery, you know, in
series one.
Now, after 4 years, you know, they barely exist as characters
because that was never the intention that they were part of the
backdrop.
Um, here, they know going in that it's an ongoing, you know, five
year mission and they're desperate to do actual Star Trek.
It's not just set in the Star Trek universe.
It's Star Trek.
And it's Star Trek in a way that maybe nothing has been since the
original.
I think it's, yeah. you know, I agree.
And despite that, you know, it's not just a retrade.
It's not unambitious because it's doing Star Trek with modern TV
sensibilities and just the most incredible visual flair.
But I think as well, the most important thing.
Like, it's not the visuals.
It's not the politics.
It's not any of that For me, it's...
Okay, it's not the most important thing.
For me, it's the character.
I think with all those shows, they've assembled a charismatic
brilliant characters that you just want to go on a journey with.
Although, you know, sorry, I'm going to try and go for the outline
but DSI is still the best.
Yeah.
All right, it's time to choose our next episode.
So we're at Untitled Star Trek project.com slash randomiser.
And because I kind of hijacked, chose selection last week, it's
going to be his turn again this week.
So what are you picking for us?
Well, I'm only selecting one show this week, Nathan, and that is
obviously the best Star Trek show, and that is Star Trek Deep
Space 9.
However, I am on a mission because I, you know, I'm always saying
very pleasant things about DS9.
Well, there's a fair number of bollocks in there as well.
So I'm on the hunt for some bollocks.
Okay. shouldn't be too hard.
Okay, well, I'm going to press the button.
You ready?
Yep.
Okay.
Oh, no, that would be such a fun one to talk about, looking for
Palmok, in all the wrong places.
Well, that's the sex episode.
Yeah, okay.
That's the one where Kieran O'Brien are barely keeping their hands
off each other, where Quark's trying to, it's a sequel to House of
Cork.
Oh, okay. we should do that.
Is it terrible?
I'm sure lot.
Okay, you've already done that.
That's your thing.
No, I don't want to do this one.
Extreme measures.
It's um, it's the section 31 episode in the last 10 episodes.
And it's, yeah, it requires an awful lot of...
Oh, now, this is more like it.
This is truly, truly shit.
It's your random Star Trek D Space 9 episode is dramatis
personae.
Ah yes, okay.
Is that awful one where...
What's that mean?
Cast of characters or something?
Yeah, it means characters of the drama, right?
Yeah.
Oh, okay.
Well, anyway, is these strange purple orbs that go into all the
crew and make them behave out of character.
Holy crap.
It's decent. everyone forgets how to act.
It's Deep Space 9's power play.
It's Deep Space 9 series one.
We don't know who these people are yet, and we're going to make
them all act out.
Yeah, good idea.
Yeah, that always works well.
Do you know what?
It's one of the worst ones.
I couldn't have picked a better one, honestly.
You've been listening to untitled Star Trek Project with Joe Ford
and Nathan Bottomley.
We're online at untitled Star Trek Project.com where you can find
links to our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel.
Our podcast artwork is by Kayla Ciceran, and the theme was
composed by Cameron Lamb.
This episode was recorded on the 15th of May 2022 and released on
the 27th of May.
We'll see you next time for Star Trek Deep Space 9, Dramatis
Persona.
I wanted to talk about how many reflective surfaces they were on
this new enterprise, on this new enterprise.
Lots of reflective surfaces without being metallic, you know, all
the shiny plastic surfaces.
Well, I do, just because 90 Star Trek is so fucking mad.
You know, like, it's, uh, I think you'll find there's plenty of
reflective services in DNI.
I remember seeing that.
No, they're not.
Oh, the whole thing is that whole 90 Star Trek look.
Well, that's it.
I'm gonna send you some pictures.
I'm going to prove you wrong.
There's no reflective service.
And I'm also going to fight you over control of the randomiser.
No, you can just have it because I took over the last time.
Yeah.
It could be good because I literally, I'm determined to do a shit
DS9 episode.
Okay, all right.
Okay.
And I'll bet, scoot in a 2nd is coming up, well, it's 20 to 11.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm going to free up the bedroom.
Oh, go have breakfast.
All right.
Hang on a 2nd.
Unless I get a really amazing one and then, you know, maybe I'll
change mine.
Okay.
All right, it's time to choose our next episode.