Star Trek - Discovery - 1.08: Si Vi Pacem, Para Bellum

[Cathbad]

-----------------------------
Creating topic, remember you
can only discuss this episode
inside this topic. Reviews of
the episode are encouraged
-----------------------------

First 11/05/17 (Su.) 8:30 PM CBSAA

 

[Cathbad]

I'm not sure I understood all of this episode (I plan on watching it again), but I liked it.

This planet/life form is very, very interesting; but something tells me they're going to end up a casualty of the war.

As a set-up for the finale, it was good. My problems with the episode include: Knowing the First Officer had been compromised, why would the Lieutenant have confided in him, or touched that crystal? Suru might've lost the fear for the first time in his life, but would that really have caused him to act against the best interest of the Federation? I find that very disturbing. And why does that female Klingon's every facial feature give away exactly what she's truly thinking? Has she had absolutely no training in deception?? (Or is she just a bad actor?)

 

[Alexa]

I hoped until the last second they will show the Amiral and that female Klingon alive and asking to be transferred on board. I hate when they do that and make you wonder what will happen in the next episode.

Maybe female klingons are different. She lost all her crew members and she was sentenced to death, too. I wonder if they are gonna like her in any way with Worf.

That life form was strange. I'm prettly sure we had episodes in Star Trek with crystals like that. Not a good idea to be around them.

I don't like Saru or maybe I just don't like Kelpiens and their cowardice. And what's his problems with Michael anyway ?

 

[Dave]

This planet/life form is very, very interesting; but something tells me they're going to end up a casualty of the war.

My first thoughts were Avatar, both for the 'tree-hugging' all-life-is-joined-together Gaia philosophy, and for the giant aerial vs. the giant tree. But, my later thoughts were of TOS episodes Errand of Mercy and Day of the Dove when Federation and Klingons were forced to make peace, and were forced to fight respectively. And non-corporeal aliens. This planet seemed like a diversion, but instead it is going to have some central role in the plot.

I'm prettly sure we had episodes in Star Trek with crystals like that. Not a good idea to be around them.

Maybe you are thinking of Is There in Truth No Beauty? when there is an ambassador inside a box that no one is supposed to look at him or go mad? Or Dilithium crystals, which featured many times, but while powerful never changed personalities? Or the Andromeda aliens?

Knowing the First Officer had been compromised, why would the Lieutenant have confided in him, or touched that crystal? Suru might've lost the fear for the first time in his life, but would that really have caused him to act against the best interest of the Federation?

I don't like Saru or maybe I just don't like Kelpiens and their cowardice.

I think he is just badly written/developed. I can't see how he would ever have evolved. I can understand Larry Niven's Pierson's Puppeteers, who are evolved herd animals, and who have brains in their torsos, and who roll up into a ball when challenged, but Kelpiens are just humans who are slightly more cowardly.

And why does that female Klingon's every facial feature give away exactly what she's truly thinking? Has she had absolutely no training in deception?? (Or is she just a bad actor?)

For L'Rell, see my previous answer about Saru above.

I'm not sure what this episode was all about. We didn't really get any further forward plot-wise. Everyone is going to assemble at Pahvo. The Federation have lost a lot of ships and all the Klingon ships now have cloaking devices. Stamets is going crazy, but we already knew that. The Burnham and Tyler relationship continues to develop, but can never be fulfilled because she is going to prison. L'Rell's request to defect goes nowhere, but was it actually real? And she cryptically mentions that Voq was lost to her rather than dead, keeping alive that conspiracy theory that Tyler is Voq.

 

[Vince W]

That was the first proper episode of Star Trek that Discovery has delivered. Probably because it covers so much ground previously covered by previous incarnations. That said I still found myself enjoying the episode.

I still don't really like any of the characters, but at least in this episode they were acting more like Starfleet officers. Or at least they were doing more of what we expect Starfleet officers to do. That's a step in the right direction. I think.

I don't believe Tyler is Voq. Kor maybe...

 

[ctg]

Oh man, that was spectacular. So much so that everyone are quite a bit of stunned as soon as the episode finishes. Pashu are a new species to ST universe, while something similar has been showed in others, including ours where alleged Russian alien manual speak about gaseous creatures or spiritis. In a way, what you see is B5's Kosh without exosuit (and wings).

It's understandable that Pashun would be perfect with Saru's species, and possibly ST's betazoids. Maybe even Vulcans as all those species access psychic powers. Something that's supernatural to human species, but taking all that ST has to offer, this was really dipping into the core of the Star Trek spectacle as what we got with The Search for Spock.

Back then and even during the Next Generation, the technology nor the writing allowed this level space battles or serene scenes on a sentient planet. It's that planet spirit that seems to ef up so many people concept of thought as it boldly steps in the realm of fantasy and shows species influenced by a living planet.

Staments is experiencing time outside the realm of normality. Some of the later generation time police civilisation could claim that he's experiencing temporal illness for experiencing time and space through his brain and nervous system. The chances are that he gets cranky for experiencing situations time and again, while if you look Saru, he was in psychic unison with a planet.

That is where my brain start to wave a flag. And to understand more I would need lore. But there is never planetary archaeology, no science missions to deep the knowledge on times of these civilisations.

 

[Cli-Fi]

-----------------------------
Creating topic, remember you
can only discuss this episode
inside this topic. Reviews of
the episode are encouraged
-----------------------------

First 11/05/17 (Su.) 8:30 PM CBSAA

OMG they finally step foot on a planet!!!!!

I thought that maybe this was the episode that probably hurt production costs the most and must have delayed the series a good month or two. I am amazed at the battles but even more so the special effects on the planet. JJ Abrams couldn't even do that on a $100 Million budget! Even my cat was amazed.

I can see some of the criticisms about the bridge crew and how we don't know them as well as we knew the officers on the Enterprise, but remember this is burnham's story. So we only get it from her perspective. She being Lorca's muse and a science specialist will not have access to all of the officers especially if she reports directly to Lorca or Saru. She will only interact with the people they set her up with and occasionally Stamets. She's not in the armory or communications.

I get the feeling that unlike serving on the Enterprise, Discovery is only cool to someone like Stamets and even then, he hated being thrust onto a starship in the first place. Most of the rest of the crew seem to be just doing their tour. Unless you love the Navy, you aren't going to love or have a passion for whatever ship you are service. I know plenty of sailors who couldn't care less about the ship they were on!

Then there is also the fan factor if Enterprise is the flagship that everyone wants, and then you find out you get stationed elsewhere, how disappointing would that be?

I did laugh at the ending of this episode though, and that's again more Star Trek's fault than Discovery's. Oh yes, Saru is A-OK and just resting now, with no explanation of how alien spores got out of his mind. That's OK. Just go ahead and talk to him. This happens a lot on Star Trek in general.

 

[Cathbad]

On Aftertrek: Doug Jones' (Saru) explanation of his character's forgetting his "Federation Sensibilities" in this episode helped me understand (and forgive) him.

 

[Vince W]

I watched the first After Trek and gave up on that bit of crap. It's just a network sponsored propaganda show. Completely biased.

 

[Cathbad]

Of course it is! That's what all the "After" programs are!

 

[Vince W]

Well if you like that sort of thing I've got some pamphlets from the Ministry of Truth for you. Or the White House.

 

[Cathbad]

Just like Talking Dead, these shows are for fans, who'd like to listen to some of the cast's thoughts. They're not meant to be "critical".

If you're looking for a critical analysis of the show, searching the same broadcasting network is rather useless - no matter the show.

 

[Vince W]

Very true.

 

[Alexa]

Maybe you are thinking of Is There in Truth No Beauty? when there is an ambassador inside a box that no one is supposed to look at him or go mad? Or Dilithium crystals, which featured many times, but while powerful never changed personalities? Or the Andromeda aliens?

I had the time to think about this. I may confused these crystals with those from SG-1 when the double get back on Earth while O'Neill's body is still prisoner on that strange planet. My mistake.

 

[Cli-Fi]

I watched the first After Trek and gave up on that bit of crap. It's just a network sponsored propaganda show. Completely biased.

Any show with more than 10 million views or a spinoff of a franchise aka fear the walking dead or better call saul has an after show. Star trek discovery probably has close to 10 million viewers and is a spinoff too. So this was all but guaranteed to have an after show. Even if they are a little preachy

 

[Alexa]

Take it as an opportunity to know a bit more about the actors behind the screen.

 

[Khuratokh]

Just like Talking Dead, these shows are for fans, who'd like to listen to some of the cast's thoughts. They're not meant to be "critical".

If you're looking for a critical analysis of the show, searching the same broadcasting network is rather useless - no matter the show.

I recommend the "Women at Warp" blog for a bit of analysis. Or "Trekyards" on youtube. They focus mainly on ship designs though.