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Well, that was...something. Honestly I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was actually wondering for some reason if it was really the on-screen actors singing; if so, then some of them might have missed their calling.

I’ve also been watching TNG Season 3.

This is when it really found its feet, and became more of its own thing. Some genuinely classic episodes and for me, a marked improvement in the noise to signal ratio. Certainly you can see the cast, crew and writers room pushing it all in a stronger direction.

I talked about tonal shift between episodes in my last comment and here we have the same again.

But I really, really enjoyed this episode.

It's inevitable that it will be compared to Buffy's "Once more with feeling" but it's not an unfair comparison and I think both achieved the same thing - telling the audience things about the characters inner most feelings that they wouldn't normally share on screen.

I think where Buffy did it better was we had had so many seasons to build up the characters but I still think SNW did a good job this episode.

I loved it.

I liked how they explained the singing, by referring to the laws of the musical.

Definitely a fun episode. Noteworthy, but not I fear a classic. Also I don’t like how…

It’s what I had assumed they would, and thus nothing could have prepared me for what we got. While I Did laugh at it, it was a jarring, scene breaking moment that was there purely for laughs and not because it made any sense for the rest of the episode.

I usually do not enjoy musical episodes. This episode has not changed that.

It was ok but if I owned the season I would skip it if going back and watching.

I tried, I really did. But I cannot stand musicals.

 Gert wrote:
I tried, I really did. But I cannot stand musicals.

Is all good, the Lower Decks crossover was always gonna be a hard sell for me. And always remember? You or I not enjoying does not objective crap make.

There were definitely funny bits but just the torture of musicals was too much.

When they said the solution to the problem was that "they all had to sing together and project the power of love and friendship" I died a little inside and sank into my chair.

 Ahtman wrote:
When they said the solution to the problem was that "they all had to sing together and project the power of love and friendship" I died a little inside and sank into my chair.

Even odds that this episode was written by a Brony...



I'm finally catching up on this season of SNW and the Kirk/Noonien-Singh episode hit all the right spots. I wasn't giving her nearly enough credit as an actress before, but she definitely proved me wrong in that episode.

I basically binged up to the current episode over the last few days. I must say this has been one of the better seasons of TV I've watched in a while.

I did feel like the first two episodes were basically "getting the band back together" but then it really felt like it found it's footing and took off. Loved the time travel episode. The crossover was truly excellent (if you like lower decks as well). The doctor episode was excellent. And since I love musicals obviously I really, really enjoyed the musical.

I think the musical was really really well done personally. Also I loved the "they all had to sing together and project unity" bit. Because many of the best musicals do follow that rule. And the BEST musicals generally feature it.

The one issue I had this season was that fething wringing sound episode with the high pitch whine. I found myself irrationally angry every time after the 2nd time because they'd made the dang point!

More whiplash!

Was disappointed at first when they were down on the surface and it was just more baby not-xenomorphs.

It’s Scottie! Slowing getting the band together. Leftenant…

An actual adult Gorn! In a cool spacesuit! Finally! Why were they moving so slowly and sluggishly in space though? This ain’t underwater where you have all that resistance.

I really enjoyed that. Nice to have a solid villain in play, and as noted? One we the audience really aren’t all that familiar with, because they’ve not really been a focus in the past.

Scotty was pleasing

As for the Zero-G fight? I’m guessing the slow and deliberate was a limitation of SFX, in-keeping with what we the audience expect Zero-G to be like. But also, with whacking great holes in the area they’re fighting in? Deliberately slowed movements so you don’t inadvertently boost yourself out into open space, or leave your opponent an opportunity to use your momentum against you in the same way.

 Hulksmash wrote:
I think the musical was really really well done personally.

I recognize it was well done but I still don't enjoy musical episodes, even knowing the "rules"; it's just not to my taste. The exception being the Scrubs musical episode, but i imagine that being 24 minutes and the songs being short helped.

I think the thing is something like Scrubs constantly plays with the 4th wall.

Meanwhile Startrek generally doesn't touch it what so ever. So something like a musical can be jarring because its kind of saying "yes I'm a TV show" inside itself. It can kind of jolt you out of the mental space of enjoying the fantasy and into the "these are actors, this is a show would you like some popcorn etc.."

For me the only 4th Wall thing about the musical would be the Klingons.

Why some weird hip-hop thing, and not Klingon Opera?

Though I’ve also seen it called K-Pop. Do keep in mind that for me music basically ended at the start of the millennium, so I can’t pretend I know much about the modern scene.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I really enjoyed that. Nice to have a solid villain in play, and as noted? One we the audience really aren’t all that familiar with, because they’ve not really been a focus in the past.

Scotty was pleasing

As for the Zero-G fight? I’m guessing the slow and deliberate was a limitation of SFX, in-keeping with what we the audience expect Zero-G to be like. But also, with whacking great holes in the area they’re fighting in? Deliberately slowed movements so you don’t inadvertently boost yourself out into open space, or leave your opponent an opportunity to use your momentum against you in the same way.

The Gorn that Captain Kirk fought in the famous TOS episode "Arena" was also slow and ponderous, so maybe the slower-moving Gorn we see in the wreck is supposed to be more like that. Like, they're quick when they are young and have less body mass, but get slower when they get bigger.

Also, SNW has joined most of the other Treks in yet another way: the season finale cliffhanger. A staple of Trek ever since Riker said the line, "Mr. Worf, fire." at the end of TNG Season 3, "Best of Both Worlds, Part 1".

Wait that was the season finale? Already?

 AduroT wrote:
Wait that was the season finale? Already?

Yup, welcome to the age of streaming where 10 episodes is apparently the magic number. You're probably gonna be waiting at least 2 years to see how that episode wraps up with the strikes going on and all.

 creeping-deth87 wrote:

 AduroT wrote:
Wait that was the season finale? Already?

Yup, welcome to the age of streaming where 10 episodes is apparently the magic number. You're probably gonna be waiting at least 2 years to see how that episode wraps up with the strikes going on and all.

Yeah, that's going to be a long 2 year wait.

Umm... yeah, so, the musical episode. It was cute, at first, but eventually the entire episode became a massive example of why "Show, don't tell!" is so important. Every song belaboured the point so badly that within a few lines you got what the song was about and the rest was just waffling, wordplay and largely similar musical structure.

The episode we just had was nice, but, yeah, it's going to be 2 years 'til we get a resolution. But hey, at least we have STD in the meantime... yay.

Overall this was a season with too many gimmick episodes and not enough Star Trek.

My wife described SNW, at least the current season, as more soap opera than Star Trek. She pretty much hates it.

I really don’t care about the Nurse/Spock affair thing they keep pushing so hard, but I’d still say it’s more Trek than Soap Opera.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I was actually wondering for some reason if it was really the on-screen actors singing; if so, then some of them might have missed their calling.

Both Jess Bush and Christina Chong are singers:

 AduroT wrote:
It’s Scottie! Slowing getting the band together. Leftenant…

It does feel like they're setting up a TOS reboot.

 AduroT wrote:
I really don’t care about the Nurse/Spock affair thing they keep pushing so hard, but I’d still say it’s more Trek than Soap Opera.

I don't agree with her about the Soap Opera thing, but she also hasn't seen the worst of the franchise yet, so she doesn't have the best barometer when it comes to judging the series.

I did enjoy the line from Pike about being happy he wasn't breaking out into song every ten minutes. Me too Pike, me too.

It was nice to finally see a full grown Gorn, and in a space suit no less. Fabricating a fully enclosed but flexible tail armor is probably a lot of fun.

There has always been elements of the crew dynamics in Star Trek so I think it being more soap opera is a bit much. I don't agree but I can see where it could come across that way to some. I would say you should have her watch ST and see what happens but I can't honestly recommend anyone watch ST.

It does feel like they're setting up a TOS reboot.

That is crazy talk. Large media companies would never reboot or renew old properties. Just put that idea out of your mind.

 Ahtman wrote:
I did enjoy the line from Pike about being happy he wasn't breaking out into song every ten minutes. Me too Pike, me too.

It was nice to finally see a full grown Gorn, and in a space suit no less. Fabricating a fully enclosed but flexible tail armor is probably a lot of fun.

There has always been elements of the crew dynamics in Star Trek so I think it being more soap opera is a bit much. I don't agree but I can see where it could come across that way to some. I would say you should have her watch ST: D and see what happens but I can't honestly recommend anyone watch ST: D.

It does feel like they're setting up a TOS reboot.

That is crazy talk. Large media companies would never reboot or renew old properties. Just put that idea out of your mind.

Are you trying to get me divorced?!?!?!?!?

Also? The relatively, as such things go and still be practical, subtle blades on the tail armour.

For anything but a vaguely armoured spacesuit that is definitely something you’d want as an option.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Also? The relatively, as such things go and still be practical, subtle blades on the tail armour.

Because of that detailed tail armor at first I thought "how is it not in a spacesuit? They hate cold". I just thought it was a tail.