Star Trek - Discovery - 1.05: Choose Your Pain

[Cathbad]

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First 10/15/17 (Su.) 8:30 PM CBSAA

 

[Cathbad]

The final scene in this episode: OMG. That was a barn-burner!!

Didn't someone here (if not, it was on Facebook) theorize that the series was taking place in the mirror universe? Was this a sign that theory is true?

Whatever, that was the greatest cliff-hanger I've seen on a Star Trek episode!

 

[Cathbad]

As far as the creature: I'm a bit disappointed. We really didn't learn a whole lot more, but it's a good thing (I guess) the creature was let go.

 

[Dave]

Spoilers follow

We learn that Lorca seems to have more authority than even an Admiral. A Klingon Prison ship captures Lorca for torture. Harcourt Fenton Mudd turns up. New guy is rescued, Lt. Ash Tyler.

We learn that Lorca destroyed his own ship rather than allow the crew to be tortured by Klingons. He doesn't turn the phaser on himself to protect the information about the spore drive though, and allows himself to be captured. Luckily, the Klingons take forever to get around to torturing him and we never saw what he told them. Then they broke out relatively easily because Ash had a plan and was just waiting for someone like Lorca to turn up (keeping the female Klingon captain happy in the meantime.) Pretty convenient really!

The Ripper is being damaged by spore drive jumps. Burnham disobeys Saru to help Ripper. They finally let it go free, only briefly passing mention of the slavery aspect that didn’t bother them at all last week.

As far as the creature: I'm a bit disappointed. We really didn't learn a whole lot more, but it's a good thing (I guess) the creature was let go.

Yes, not the comprehensive explanation we were looking for - more like a "it's all the genes but too complicated to explain to you."

Most decorated Starfleet Captains List:
Robert April
Jonathan Archer
Matthew Decker
Philippa Georgiou
Christopher Pike

Dr. Culber and CE Stamets are an item. Stamets injects himself with the Ripper’s DNA and then navigates the spore drive himself. The final scene of him looking in the mirror is meant to suggest this was not a great idea.

The final scene in this episode: OMG. That was a barn-burner!!
Didn't someone here (if not, it was on Facebook) theorize that the series was taking place in the mirror universe? Was this a sign that theory is true?
Whatever, that was the greatest cliff-hanger I've seen on a Star Trek episode!

Is that what it meant do you think???

 

[Alexa]

The Ripper is sentient and the way it disapperead into the universe made me think his kind lives into the outer space.

Lt. Ash Tyler will more likely join the crew and this is great as they need someone with more character. Maybe he'll replace Lt Saru in the near future. I must admit I don't like Saru, so maybe I'm wrong to make this supposition.

Michael has the behaviour of a captain. Not a good idea to keep her around in a subordinate position.

I agree. This was quite a cliff-hanger episode.

 

[Cathbad]

I must admit I don't like Saru, so maybe I'm wrong to make this supposition.

AfterTrek noted that in this episode, they were trying to show Saru more than a fraidy-cat. I think they succeeded - somewhat. He did a good job in the Big Chair.

 

[Alexa]

And he almost killed the Ripper and Stamets. He was lucky Lorca managed to escape by himself.

 

[Vince W]

The final scene in this episode: OMG. That was a barn-burner!!

Didn't someone here (if not, it was on Facebook) theorize that the series was taking place in the mirror universe? Was this a sign that theory is true?

I said something to that effect in the Context is King thread.

It feels like Lorcas has infected Saru with the whole win at all costs idea. However, Lorcas is doing it to destroy the Klingons, and Saru is just trying to avoid making the hard decisions, so wants Lorcas back.

And there was no need to swear so much in this episode. When Tilly and then Stamets dropped F-bombs it was like your four year old using it in front of you to shock you. Look how grown up we are. It failed miserably IMO.

 

[Cathbad]

I agree, there were far too many unnecessary F-bombs.

Contrary to public opinion, soldiers do not talk this way while working!

 

[ctg]

Tilly is the most lovable engineer I've seen in the ST universe. For some reason she can sleep happily, even snore while Michael is screaming her lungs out at the end of result of seeing a hyper dream. Maybe she psychically connected with the Tardigrades, and it was showing our beloved scientist how it's feeling for being kept in captivity at the hold of a starship.

It cannot be a nice place to live, when you're used to churn all days long something else than a force field. Discovery's scientist, Michael including aren't taking in account the fact that the ship is making things sick despite measurements. The other one had gone mad after it got taste to Klingon flesh.

If they hadn't messed up with the business, maybe together they could have figured out this cosmic creature rather losing Ripper to the universe as Alexa said it. Maybe we have to give thanks to the fish and accept the fact that there's life in the endless space. Maybe more so than we'd like to accept at the moment. After all it is infinite and when you approach that number the magic start to happen.

Sporedrive is ultratechnology and it shouldn't be allowed, because it breaks boundaries. Yet, we humans explore the impossible every moment. It is almost as the Captain Kirk said it: "To boldly go, where no man has gone before." With the sporedrive they could have broken the rules and the history of ST universe.

What have got broken are meeting the larger than life characters in the same place. Always in trouble, and always causing mayhem wherever they appear. I hope they really blow life through Harry Mutt's character and show that there is no paradise waiting for us whenever we get over there. It is more likely that the life follows the same cycle as we've witnessed over the eons in the human society.

All we know is that we are a brutal race. Far from ideal for bringing everlasting peace in the galaxy. In fact, Captain Lorka showed a level of violence that's true to these types of conflicts. He didn't even bat an eyelid for burning half of captain's face off with plasma fire. Although I have to say she was very lucky that it wasn't direct hit, because it would have ended badly.

At the end of the day life wins in the ST universe. In my opinion it's not the mirror universe.

 

[Dave]

We know (unless this is the Mirror Universe, as speculated) that the Spore Drive is a technological dead end because within 10 years it is no longer used and never talked about again, ever!

However, they don't know that yet. They didn't seem to have any qualms about using the Tardigrade last week, even though they already discovered that it had intelligence. In any case, aren't there other animals that they have raised to the status of intelligent in these enlightened future times? (They have killed off the Whales at this point in time, so maybe not. Dolphins?) It seems to me, that they developed their scruples about using it quite late into the process. So, why are they not going back to place that the first was found and looking for more of them? Or, if they really, really have developed a conscience, why are they not taking it back to where it was captured, rather than letting it go in some distant strange place? Surely, that's the equivalent of letting loose King Kong in New York.

 

[Cli-Fi]

The final scene in this episode: OMG. That was a barn-burner!!

Didn't someone here (if not, it was on Facebook) theorize that the series was taking place in the mirror universe? Was this a sign that theory is true?

Whatever, that was the greatest cliff-hanger I've seen on a Star Trek episode!

Damn you look away for one minute on this show and you miss something this important??? thank you for pointing this out. I always check Chrons after watching Discovery to see what people are talking about and how they are liking the show. I was about to say, what cliffhanger, all I saw was the Doctor walking away. IDK about Mirror Universe. That would take an awful lot of explaining to do, like why does Stamets have a portal in his quarters. I'm just going with the fact that he is crazy. As was seen by his earlier mannerisms.

Lorca is crazy.
Stamets is crazy
Burnham is crazy.
Saru is crazy.
Tilly is crazy.

Who isn't crazy on this ship??? The Doc? Well there's something definately wrong with him (if) he's with Stamets. Tyler might round out all the craziness by being normalish (I mean he did sleep with a Klingon)

I had a huge problem with Starfleet torturing Ripper. It goes against the Prime Directive. I hope that, legislation becomes a rule of law now thanks to Ripper's sacrifice. So glad that's over, but now that Starfleet can use humans AKA any hominid alien species, what's to stop Discovery from using prisoners of war for Spore Travel?

Not sure why it disappears from history now.

 

[Vladd67]

I have seen some speculation about Ash Tyler, and his actual part in the story, however this could just be down to a line in Wikipedia that has since been removed.

 

[Dave]

I have seen some speculation about Ash Tyler, and his actual part in the story, however this could just be down to a line in Wikipedia that has since been removed.

I think the actor has been in the regular cast list from the very start, whereas Michelle Yeoh was not. I don't think that is a spoiler.

 

[Alexa]

It was quite curious that after all the beating Ash Tyler received in 7 months of captivity, he was so strong fighting back during the escape.

 

[Cathbad]

It was quite curious that after all the beating Ash Tyler received in 7 months of captivity, he was so strong fighting back during the escape.

I think, by sleeping with the boss, his beatings might've been a bit slack.

Plus, a surprise attack often doesn't require overwhelming strength.

 

[Dave]

Was "the boss" also feeding him too? Not much strength on 7 months of dry cracker biscuits.

Hey! I do realise this is family entertainment fluff, but modern TV shows now tend to be much more graphic and gritty. If you must have a story-line that includes torture, harsh imprisonment, malnutrition, random beatings and sexual favours, then it belittles the very serious nature of those subjects (and most especially those people who have actually had to experience it in real life) to cover it with such a very light touch. My 2 cents.

 

[Glaysher]

No Federation in the mirror universe, it is an empire instead so Discovery shouldn't be in the mirror universe.

Anyone else think Harry Mudd was very different from the original series.

 

[ctg]

Harry Mudd was very different from the original series.

Not really, no. We get around five minutes of his character in the original one, rest is dedicated to the tribbles. I think they made a very good job on expending his background. He is one of those persons who would turn on his kind and fleece them on every opportunity for a profit. It just I don't think he will ever have enough of money to get out from the abysmal hole he has dug himself into.

 

[Glaysher]

Cyrano Jones was the tribble guy not Harry Mudd