Star Trek - Discovery - 1.02: The Battle of the Binary Stars

[REBerg]

I could accept that, but for the fact that "battlestations" has been around since before WWI (probably a lot longer). Why would any ship's Captain not have his/her crew in their positions when facing a known hostile?

(Battlestations is a call for all personnel to report to their combat positions - which means her men were not in position.)

Indeed. "General Quarters" was among the first commands I was taught in Navy boot camp.
It's a state of readiness for battle of which the possible enemy may not be aware. Raising shields and locking weapons systems would be more provocative actions to take.
The admiral's desire for peaceful discussion made his fleet sitting ducks. Good grief, man. These are Klingons!

 

[farntfar]

Reberg.
You have several centuries more experience of Klingons than he had.

 

[Cathbad]

Reberg.
You have several centuries more experience of Klingons than he had.

So did the Admiral not believe the Vulcan's synopsis on the Klingons?

 

[Dave]

They do have 100+ years experience themselves. Klingons have been away for 100 years (and why is it always 100 years??)* but there would be good records about previous encounters.

*How is it even possible to break off contact for 100 years? They aren't that far away and Humans have been expanding their 'Known Space' all that time. The Romulans went away too, twice in fact. The first time we didn't even know that they looked like Vulcans. How can that be right?

 

[ctg]

How is it even possible to break off contact for 100 years?

There is no tourism into the Klingon space, and if you think about the real distances, the chances are that whoever ventured into their territory might have got eaten. Some of that might have happened before they got captured, but I'm fine with them cannibalising victims, because it would make sense. Maybe Klingon's wouldn't nibble their own, but other races should definitely be in the menu.

 

[Dave]

Maybe Klingon's wouldn't nibble their own, but other races should definitely be in the menu.

It couldn't be worse than Gagh!

 

[farntfar]

As the principal cook in our house, I assure you the are plenty of things worse than Gagh.

 

[Cathbad]

~Note to Self: Have excuses ready, in case of invite to dinner at @farntfar 's~

 

[williamjm]

I'm still not certain what Michael brings to the table of these conversations about how evil Klingons are except for whatever happened to her by them. It looks like they are trying to channel Kirk's hatred towards Klingons, but it would help if we knew why Michael hates them. I'm assuming they will reveal bits and pieces of it throughout the series.

Michael hates them because they massacred her family in the Klingon raid she refuses to answer questions about in the Vulcan school.

To be honest, and in the defence of the Captain, from the moment Commander Burnham started uttering about the Klingon's she should have treated lightly, and keeping always in mind that Klingon's are a hostile race. To me, they are like Russian and they respect show of power. You see that happening all the time in nature, so if we are ever to go out there, maybe the peaceful way isn't the best possible way to open communications.

That sort of thinking is how we got the Earth-Minbari War (I may be mixing franchises here...).

 

[Cli-Fi]

So did the Admiral not believe the Vulcan's synopsis on the Klingons?

He was too idealistic and wanted to start negotiations right away not fully understanding that the Klingons were in the midst of a religious awakening partially because Burnham did a piss-poor job of explaining it.

 

[Cathbad]

He was too idealistic and wanted to start negotiations right away not fully understanding that the Klingons were in the midst of a religious awakening partially because Burnham did a piss-poor job of explaining it.

Good analysis.

 

[ctg]

Earth-Minbari War

Minbari Black Star approached Earth vessels with gun ports open. We didn't know about that protocol as their show of force. Poor gunnery sergeant later acknowledge the fact that he fired first.

 

[Cli-Fi]

Good analysis.

I still don't understand how Burnham "knew" this after fighting with one Klingon and seeing the ship of the dead, as I like to call it. I think the writers gave her character too much omnipotence.

Shouldn't starfleet have analysts for these type of situations?

 

[Cathbad]

I still don't understand how Burnham "knew" this after fighting with one Klingon and seeing the ship of the dead, as I like to call it. I think the writers gave her character too much omnipotence.

Didn't Sarek tell her what was up?

 

[farntfar]

The first time we didn't even know that they looked like Vulcans. How can that be right?

In 10 years time Kirk is going to meet some Klingons who all look like caricature 60s used car salemen, or the dodgy CID bloke in Ashes to Ashes with their little droopy 'taches and goaty beards, and no-one's going to say a thing.
Later in TNG and DS9, when they return to form, everyone will go WTF.

but I'm fine with them cannibalising victims,

It ain't cannibalising if it's not your own race.

 

[Cli-Fi]

Didn't Sarek tell her what was up?

HTF did I miss this too? Maybe I need to rewatch the first part again and actually listen. I was probably too wrapped up in the fact that I was watching star trek again to take in the whole thing...

Are these things one-off dialogues? Like just one sentence explaining things, because then I missed two really important sentences.

 

[Cathbad]

Are these things one-off dialogues? Like just one sentence explaining things, because then I missed two really important sentences

When Sarek was about to explain how to deal with them, they cut away - but what he said surely influenced her subsequent actions.

 

[Caledfwlch]

So did the Admiral not believe the Vulcan's synopsis on the Klingons?

It ties in nicely with JJ Abrahms movie Reboots, I reckon.
It's one of the reasons Pike wants to recruit Kirk, as he believes Star Fleet has lost its Military Edge, began forgetting its a Miliitary Navy, not just there to explore new horizons and do science stuff, forgotten that a "Peacekeeping Armada" can only sometimes keep the peace by doing the opposite of peace.

 

[Dave]

Star Fleet has lost its Military Edge, began forgetting its a Miliitary Navy, not just there to explore new horizons and do science stuff, forgotten that a "Peacekeeping Armada" can only sometimes keep the peace by doing the opposite of peace.

Let's for a moment say this is true. In Larry Niven's Known Space stories, Earth eradicates violence and enjoys a golden period of peace. Which then leaves them totally unprepared for First Contact with the Kzin. In Star Trek, that just isn't the case. We see that Humans are still very violent and they already know that a Klingon Empire is out there. Just because they disappeared for 100 years, that doesn't mean they have gone away. So, that Threat is known to exist.

Shouldn't Starfleet have analysts for these type of situations?

Certainly, they would have teams assessing all kinds of Threats from irregular asteroid paths, to the Klingons and the Romulans, to old re-engineered probes turning up unexpectedly!

 

[Cli-Fi]

Certainly, they would have teams assessing all kinds of Threats from irregular asteroid paths, to the Klingons and the Romulans, to old re-engineered probes turning up unexpectedly!

Well it seems to happen quite frequently, at least it did in the 24th century