Today the
first episode of Star Trek: Discovery drops
on Netflix and I am so damn ready for it. I have done my best to keep
myself spoiler free. I know the point at which the series is set, I
know some of the casting details and I've seen the new Klingon
designs. I know nothing else.
Its
been too long. I loved Star Trek Beyond,
felt it was a return to form for the franchise after two pretty empty
action movies, but this is a series that belongs on the small screen.
There are too many messages, too many issues in the world to be dealt
with one at a time once every couple of years especially as ineptly
as the non-Simon Pegg written films did. That's what I think is
important about Star Trek,
especially now, that it is science fiction's conscience in the
mainstream space.
There
are things I'd like to see, of course. I'd like to see some sort of
LGBTQ+ storyline not end in epic tragedy (a real failing of the
series up to now, Sulu's reboot family notwithstanding). I'd like to
see the series do more with the exploration aspect without getting
bogged down in endless prequels concerning established races.
I'd
like to see less concern with continuity than Enterprise
felt was necessary. I'm not a fan of slavish continuity for its own
sake, it tends to bog down stories far more than it allows for
interesting explorations of established characters and races.
I
mean, The Next Generation
and original cast movies basically flipped the characterisations of
the Klingons and Romulans and now we accept that Klingons are
honourable if dicky whilst the Romulans are completely untrustworthy.
Go back and watch The Original Series:
you'd never turn your back on one of those Klingons whilst the
Romulans had their own sense of honour that could be relied on.
So,
if these strangely Orc-like Klingons turn out to not be very much
like Klingons as I understand them... I won't mind if it makes for
better stories.
Just
so long as we don't have to sit through a multi-episode story arc
explaining how their foreheads have changed shape.
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