Submitted 1 day ago by ValueSubtracted@startrek.website to startrek@startrek.website
A visiting instructor arrives at the Academy and uses an unorthodox method to help our cadets process the emotions of recent trauma. At the same time, a cadet faces an unexpected challenge that will alter the trajectory of her life forever.
Written by: Gaia Violo & Jane Maggs
Directed by: Andi Armaganian
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10/10. No notes.
In my view, perhaps the strongest episode yet.
Just goes to show that YMMV remains a truism.
I wonder why the old TOS fans like me are less impatient with fundamentals of human existence are presented through the growth of young adults?
Sincerely, like resilience in the face of trauma is something many 30 and 40 year olds struggle with. I didn’t see this as sophomoric at all.
So, I wonder why episodes like this aren’t landing as well for folks 20 or even 30 years younger than I…
I don’t have any issue with seeing young adults growing and dealing with trauma. This episode has a lot of pieces working together in the overall storyline, I just don’t think it was that compelling within the episode.
The drama class half of the episode didn’t really go off. Maybe because I only know the play from what the episode told me about it, but I think it’s more like the actual growth part got cut off. We spend time with drunk Tarima (yawn) and then short cut the cadets actually performing the play with each other. That would have been the climax of that story, them getting into character, relating to it, working through it and reaching some sort of understanding or catharsis but that scene gets hand waved. Probably needed a full 45 minutes to do right too.
Or the Sam story, which was closer to the mark but still failed to create tension or consequences and ended up getting resolved neatly with a happy ending. Give Sam half an episode to be dead, for people to be sad, and the Doctor half an episode to reflect on it, resolving to do better before tying it up with a bow and it could have been great.
I love that the show isn’t constantly balls to the wall action and we’re getting a lot of character focus but the story juggling bit this episode in the ass and it isn’t the first to be trying to do too much and fumble the execution.
I only know the play from what the episode told me about it
I was unfamiliar with it too, but I feel like I got what I needed to from the description.
I unfortunately found Tarima’s messy response to her trauma very…familiar, on multiple levels.
this is great Trek, among the best Trek, all about how to keep going after loss and failure, with help, and, just as important, by giving help if you can.
it got me all face wet like the end of TNG “The Offspring”, Data’s daughter, but the focus there was more on loss than what Data learned and how he grew from his loss. This ep was a celebration of that resilience after trauma.
great episode. I do wish the actress who plays Tarima was better acting. I think her scenes were the weakest
So… I cried
I literally spent the whole episode whispering “don’t kill SAM, don’t kill SAM” to myself
Since we didn’t really get to see, I wonder how Sam’s personality is going to change in next week’s episode. A whole 17 years, having an actual childhood, being added to your life could make for an interesting transformation.
Kasq looks like a location straight out of No Man’s Sky. What a creepy vibe it has.
I wonder how Sam’s personality is going to change in next week’s episode.
I was thinking the same thing. In theory, she shouldn’t have any memories of her time at the Academy to date…maybe the Doc was able to describe it to her in excruciating detail.
They mention she was going to have both sets of memories, but definitely having a childhood of her own will change her perspective on both her previous experiences and what comes next.
I was not ready for the callback to “Real Life”.
Maybe I’m just getting too old and grumpy for this teeny drama emotional crap, but for me this was the worst episode yet. I get that this was effectively trauma therapy after the Miyazaki incident, but boy was is not entertaining. It’s all just “oh, we are so damaged, nothing will ever be the same”. There’s nothing really at stake, no tension, no climax, just whining and speaking way too much in metaphors for my liking. I’m still watching Star Trek here after all and not some artsy independent movie.
It doesn’t not sound old and grumpy…
Yeah, I think this one didn’t really come together as well as it could have. Should have focused on the Sam story more and do more to make it feel like she was in real danger. When she was dead I involuntarily yelled “yeah right!”. Lo and behold it lasted like under a minute. The drama and Caleb/Tarima story could have more easily been cut short without losing anything.
Probably one of the worst eps, but I’m happy to say that’s actually a pretty high bar for this show so far and this is more meh than truly bad (here I’m flashing back to like 20 different Discovery episodes where the episode ended and I was tearing my hair out over how stupid they were - that’s the real trauma here)
Also happy to speculate that, with two episodes left, the pendulum seems likely to swing back to excitement next week and I’m here for it.
Annotations for 1x08 are up at: startrek.website/post/36104352
bgainor@thelemmy.club 7 hours ago
“The only thing that allows me to bear my infinity is not having to love anyone” may be one of the most devastating lines I’ve ever heard.