Tom Riley

@Razzleberry @TheWorldSpins not a careful opener like S1 but they tied up ends like: Chief engineer, La’an, Una’s status, Spok’s emotions still out. A bit messy but we’re on track, and good Klingons.

Re the serum: Maybe it’s specifically for humans to fight Klingons unarmed (not general fighting juice), given M’Benga carries it since the Klingon war. Skipping explanation *may* mean we’ll come back to it, in the context of weapon ethics (in TNG, Q shows earth fought WW3 with drug-fueled armies).

@Nmyownworld @SeeJayEmm @startrek I mean, if you’re OK with ship sensors that can analyze space in tiny detail, it’s reasonable that transporter tech makes sure the target area is safe/unobstructed, and safety protocols prevent transport if there’s risk. We often see a human operator scanning for good transport locations too.

There’s obvious issues with the concept of course, but Star Trek is the type of scifi that you can trust with your suspension of disbelief, and you’ll usually be rewarded.

@briongloid @Speckle Great list. Chain of Command is my favorite two-parter also. Patrick Stewart’s performance as Picard deteriorating under torture, but refusing to give in, and still mentally deconstructing his captor is immense. Also we learn a lot about the Cardassians’ militaristic regime, and how much they’ve “dehumanized” their enemies.

@Tired8281 @crazycanadianloon yeh that’s my interpretation. For a moment it looks like Pike has not recovered enough to remember he shouldn’t kill someone when he has the upper hand. Zac suddenly changes demeanor when he realises Pike might not show any mercy.

@ValueSubtracted second best episode of S2 so far, after Ad Astra Per Aspera. The type of setup has already been done many times but there are enough new ideas to keep it interesting. The old man is a great single-episode character.

@psychothumbs @khaosworks That *was* interesting. His instincts work overpowering Zac in the phaser battle but then we don’t actually know if he’ll “remember” he can’t just beat him senseless afterwards. Maybe we’ll see some Pike backstory at some point that shows him learning ethical lessons when he’s younger.

@GCanuck @startrekexplained going on the first four S2 episodes, they seem to be following a weird-solid-weird-solid pattern with S2. So, weird one this week.

@startrekexplained agree it hasn’t started as well as S1 but I’m still optimistic, especially if that second episode is anything to go by. Episode 4 was a good one for me too.

@startrekexplained @keeb420 I forced my way through PIC S1 last year but abandoned it when I discovered SNW. I cannot with chaotic plot arcs threaded everywhere and shoehorned cliffhangers that turn out to be insignificant. TNG/SNW tell a complete story per-episode with some wider arcs holding seasons together. That works and is the only trek I can enjoy. The PIC/DISC format invites lazy writing and breaks suspension of disbelief, which is needed to appreciate trek.

@war @Datas_Cat_Spot actually, what is the word for that? When a species treats a human as less than human (or vice versa)? I was saying the other day that in Chain of Command, the Cardassian captor “dehumanises” Picard, but that’s not right, is it? I mean, that’s what humans would call it, but what would be a cross-species term for it?