The first like three or five episodes of Discovery are basically a different show than the rest. And a couple seasons in they change the whole premise and it's a different show again.
While all first episodes catch viewers off guard, Doscovery is a big jump, from the 2000s to the almost-2020s
And it definitely tries to do things differently. It's all a connected story, episodes rarely are stand-alone, and moral messages are mixed inside the story
That said, as you go on, you'll find wonderful ideas that would nave been awesome on the 90s too. Surely a few things will seem off, but the concepts are very startrek. At least to me.
Strange New Worlds is actually pretty good. Sure there are some weak episodes, some silly ones and so on but don't forget Sisko got trapped in a board game and Picard was Robin Hood.
I do like Strange New Worlds and feel that it captures the style and tone of classic 90s Star Trek, that most fans love, best. However, I think the number of whimsical episodes relative to the overall length of the season compared to the length of seasons from the 90s tips the balance too far. I haven't crunched any numbers for this comparisons, it's just vibes but even if the ratio was the same, in a shorter season I feel you need more serious episodes to maintain plot tension and character empathy.
"MOOOOOOOOVE ALOOOOONG HOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEMMMM!"
To be fair, Burnham's supposed to be a bit immature and make questionable choices, which in itself is really annoying to a lot of people, but a product of the plot, and another episode or two and it might might sense.
Also, like @ValueSubtracted@startrek.website, I am a little confused by the "xenophobic military propaganda" bit. Maybe it's that you haven't watched the 2nd episode yet, but without spoiling much, Burnham's somewhat xenophobic actions go pretty horrifically wrong the next episode and basically cause much of the season's plot. Also, the Klingons aren't entirely villains throughout the season and show.
Mariner in Lower Decks is far more immature and makes far more questionable choices, but she is a beloved character. I think Burnham's issue is that she has the emotional stability of a high schooler. You can have immature characters, you can have characters that disrespect the chain of command, you can have characters who make lots of mistakes; but you can not have characters who have a mental health crisis every other week.
Discovery is like a Star Trek show if nearly every character was some version of Lt. Barclay; crippled by their own insecurities and forced to overcome them again and again without ever seeming to actually grow out of them.
Xenophobic military propaganda?
Okay, I'll bite on this.
I'll grant that it's been a long time, but that seems like the opposite of the message of both that episode and the season as a whole...
Not saying this is OP, but there is a shockingly low level of dramatic literacy among people now. It’s like they’re not paying attention any more and have zero ability to parse subtext.
My biggest issue is I just dont like any of the characters and I wouldn't want to be on that ship. That to me is the biggest flaw of Discovery.
Every other Star Trek I can imagine it being so cool to get to be there. Discovery would be awful. Being around that crew sounds awful and exhausting.
I tried watching it and got to what I was told was a peak episode in S1E7 and it was still awful and seemed like it would be awful. No charm. I compare it to other episodes in sci fi like it and it has nearly 0 fun and the fun it had was dark and creepy.
The commander disobeing order to the captain in the first and also attacking her?
Not sure why this would surprise you, disobeying orders is a favourite pastime in Starfleet.
Seriously, season 1 is quite grimdark, but it serves its purpose and the story is allowed to progress past it. The show mellows by the middle and becomes positively saccharine by the end.
In some circunstances and was debated if was the right thing, and also, not to the point of actually knockout the captain to reach a personal goal.
Granted, it's a relatively extreme case. But there are also real consequences to Burnham, which persist through the whole season, as opposed to the usual slap on the wrist or less. Most shows will have the protagonist thumb their nose at orders and convey that it's a good thing. Personally, I like that it blows up in the protagonist's face for once. But I'm also the sort who kind of resents Trek IV letting everyone off so easy after the whole Enterprise hijacking incident.
Honestly, I think what we have yet to truly see in Star Trek is someone in Starfleet who saves the day but ultimately cannot be absolved of their wrongdoing and cannot avoid the consequences if they’re not going to take the necessary steps for redemption - doing one important thing does not give you the moral license to do whatever you want.
They got close in TNG:”Ethics”, but ultimately the only “discipline” Russell gets is getting yelled at by Dr. Crusher - no investigations or anything.
I’d almost want to have an allegory for how we should deal with sexual harassment in the sciences, basically showing the senior staff handling the situation correctly and doing what should have been done with creeps like Richard Feynman, and maybe examining the negative tropes of past Trek. Then again, TNG has so many clumsy sexual harassment episodes that I’m worried it’d be hard to do the issue justice.
Although I’ve never watched Black Mirror, from what I’ve heard of the episode, maybe USS Callister did better than Star Trek ever could on this matter.
It's only downhill from there for Discovery.
The exact opposite is true for Lower Decks, I hated it in the beginning, but it ended up being my favourite show in 20 years.
No one will ever convince me that Nu-Trek isn’t an alternate universe.
Simply for the fact that Starfleet decided to retrofit the Enterprise with buttons, knobs, and CRT screens before giving it to Kirk? Makes no sense.
I really wish we’d get a season/show set in that era.
Every first episodes of Star Trek series rather suck.
Really? I personally enjoy the first episode of most Star Trek series, TNG, DS9 and Voyager, because are a good introduction of what the series is, even with some retcons like Deanna and Riker telepathy or Data being able to smile in the first episodes of the first season.
EDIT: Also the first episode of Lower Decks, even if teleports supposed to detect anomalies. But the idea of a zombie infection and everybody resolving it without problem is cool.
You take that back right now, right now!
I mean, Strange New World's eponymous first episode was pretty good. Otherwise a true observation, though.
Eh, I dunno. The opening seasons are usually weak (TOS is an exception) but looking at Encounter at Farpoint/Emissary/Caretaker and even Broken Bow they all do a pretty good job introducing the show even if the cast hasn't found its feet yet.
Honestly, Vulcan Hello / Battle of the Binary Stars is spot on for how the rest of Discovery behaves. Pay lip service to science and exploration and, at the first opportunity, trash that and turn into an action drama.
While I think of all non-animated Trek shows, DS9 had the best first season, it still contains a lot of dogs. Move along home, anyone? My point is first seasons are rough. Discovery gets better in S2. I would watch it that far before you start SNW because it's basically the backdoor pilot for that show.
I don't think a mutinous commander is that outrageous a plot line in a universe where Riker once had Q powers, Janeway had warp 10 lizard babies with her pilot, Sisko poisoning a planet's atmosphere on purpose, or where a man like Jonathan Archer was made captain of anything.
Is Disco the best Trek show? I don't think so. I think overall it's better than PIC though. So if you have suffered through that, you stand a good chance of being more delighted by Disco.
Lower Decks is awesome. That and The Orville were some of my favourite "Star Trek" moments in modern times.
By the way, there's a bit of a story arc going on at the beginning of Discovery and some things don't make sense until that gets revealed later on. The show changes some of the tone and atmosphere over time with new seasons. But if you don't like it, maybe it's just not for you. It's not classic Star Trek for several reasons.
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