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Praxis blowing up was kind of the end of the road.
It wasn't that it was just a moon, it was a massive energy project that used huge amounts of materials and funding that ultimately evaporated (or exploded).
The Klingons couldn't keep up their military spending to match the Federation and rebuild its shattered economy.
It was an allegory for the fall of the USSR.

The Klingons were also only sort of allies after almost a hundred years and there was constant tensions between them and the Federation which were exploited by the Dominion leading to the Federation/Klingon war in DS9. So allies yes but ones that took great efforts to keep going.

There’s also the peaceable expansion of The Federation, bring ever more cultures and technologies into the one happy family. Like a Benign Borg.

That’s a difficult foe to face, because it’s comprised of many species, many technologies etc, and it’s an even harder foe to keep pace with, as its method of expansion is inherently less costly than that of conquering worlds - and typically comes without the need to continuously watch your back in case of rebellion on a subjugated world.

And where the Federation has seemingly never strong armed anyone into signing up? It’s difficult to demonise in the long term as an expansionist to be feared.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
And where the Federation has seemingly never strong armed anyone into signing up? It’s difficult to demonise in the long term as an expansionist to be feared.

The current discourse around NATO expansion in Russia and repeated by their funded mouthpieces outside of Russia shows that's not really the case.

An aggressive expansionist state regards even peaceful, voluntary expansion of a geopolitical (or in this case astropolitical) foe as aggressive.

I think its important to note that through the end of ToS (esp films) and into TNG and even into DS9 there's a sense that the Klingon Empire was going through a prolonged state of decline which was internal to itself. It wasn't just the Federation getting bigger, it was the Klingon way of life and Empire Building having basically run out of steam.

I think both economically and culturally there was a steady shift away from the act of military Empire Building into one where they were more trying to sustain what they had. Which was tricky because so much of what they had before was based on aggressive expansion. Take that away and as a culture they didn't quite have the maintenance tools to thrive. So you get a period of general decline where you get political groups aspiring to the "old glory days" trying to restart the Empire Building and wars here and there. However you also get those who are shown as more progressive who realise that all that would do is restart the cycle and that eventually they'd be back having an Empire to actually run, only one even larger and still without the actual skills and social structure to maintain it. Ergo they'd have a period of intense war followed by a likely even worse decline.

Just as Worf had to go through learning what a "Real" Klingon was; the Klingon people themsleves were also kind of having to redefine themselves. In a sense I think one reason Worf works so well is that he actually shows how you can marry the old style classic "Empire Building Age" attitude of being a Klingon (the romantic one) with an actual progressive attitude that promotes maintaining and running a functional society/empire.

All this explains why they can both be allies of the Federation and yet at the same time also end up almost coming into all out war with them. It's the rough patch as their society is transitioning a powerful change.

See also; fall of the Roman Empire…

Section 31 Trailer

Interesting.

Could be fun, but could be a massive steaming pile.

How bad could it be?

The good

Michelle - obviously

the BAD

Ohh yet another galaxy spanning super mega uber baddie race likely from nowhere that will never be seen again.and that every other super mega uber race ignores - cos reasons

The Ugly

Bet we have to suffer Burnham in it at some point.

I thoroughly enjoyed this look at the four era's of Star trek.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy0HZPg-3rQ

This weeks Lower Decks might be one of my favorite episodes of the series. It was a nice pay off with quite a bit of fun meta humor followed by a surprisingly touching ending with a funny gag at the end.

Haven't watched the most recent one but I've been enjoying it all year. This gang is one of my favorite ST crews. Even the senior staff which are supposed to not steal the show are great too. The Bajoran Security Chief has got some layers to him..

Honestly, what is the best Trek released in the last... 5 years?

That I've seen

Picard Series 1-3 for being a look at the darker underbelly and for massive fan-service in season 3. Now give us the followup where 7 gets her own series as captain!

Below Decks - for being the most pure-to the original style Trek that's actually trek


That I've not seen but have seen enough clips of and really need to actually see and is a shock - The Orville because it seems to be classic Trek in disguise

No one ever seems to talk about Strange New Worlds in a positive light... is it due to being an offshoot of the show-that-shall-not-be-named.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
No one ever seems to talk about Strange New Worlds in a positive light... is it due to being an offshoot of the show-that-shall-not-be-named.

I have not seen it but several friends say its really good - Pike was very good in Discovery.

Strange New Worlds is solid.

And that’s all I’ll say, as my feelings on Lower Decks are well known, and being an outlier, frankly irrelevant.

I think we've discussed it before and came to a general conclusion that SNW's isn't bad, but it rarely achieves memorable.

Sorry, I got to the party late...

Just trying to catch up.

Strange New Worlds is Good, but sets up some hooks that it pulls too early, killing off interesting crew members and resolving character issues too suddenly.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Honestly, what is the best Trek released in the last... 5 years?

Outlier here, but I think Strange New Worlds is about the closest to pure "Trek" that we've gotten in a while.

 Just Tony wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Honestly, what is the best Trek released in the last... 5 years?

Outlier here, but I think Strange New Worlds is about the closest to pure "Trek" that we've gotten in a while.

That's what I'm looking for then.

IMO the best Star Trek show in the last 5 years is The Orville. For the official franchise there really only has been 1 Star Trek show that is like a Star Trek show which it SNW.

I wouldn't have believed this if she hadn't said it herself (at the 46 second mark):

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
IMO the best Star Trek show in the last 5 years is The Orville. For the official franchise there really only has been 1 Star Trek show that is like a Star Trek show which it SNW.

I have greatly enjoyed The Orville. I think its a shame that it has been bounced around so much. Would love a season 4.

And with that Lower Decks is finished. I'm sad to see it go but I'm happy that the showrunners have done the right thing and ended things the way they want instead of pushing it too far.

Honestly, it's taken second place in my favourite Trek shows and it's earned it.

Is there anything beyond Section 31, that's coming out for Star Trek?

Star Trek Academy, live action debuting 2-25 or 2026. Seems it’s in the can.

Also Strange New Worlds is getting a further season.

Still haven’t forgiven them for the Klingons doing K-Pop* rather than Klingon Opera.

*yes I of course get the joke, it just wasn’t very funny, or in-keeping with the cause.

I really quite enjoyed the Lower Decks finale. Thought it was quite well done.

 Gert wrote:
And with that Lower Decks is finished. I'm sad to see it go but I'm happy that the showrunners have done the right thing and ended things the way they want instead of pushing it too far.

Honestly, it's taken second place in my favourite Trek shows and it's earned it.

Agreed. Also we learned why it was a good thing ensign Kim was never promoted and that it’s important to “Engage the Core”.