KenJennings

The plot was silly, but the character moments were fantastic. It was a fun movie to watch, even if a lot of it doesn't make sense. It was the best kind of bad Star Trek.

I have felt this way for years. It's honestly one of my least favorite episodes of TNG.

This being an in-canon conspiracy theory makes me so happy. It warms my heart that, even in utopia, people distrust power.

This is a great moment to nightlight, because the point of Star Trek VI is to let go of outdated, meaningless divisions and to embrace peace when it offers itself up. "You've restored my father's faith." ... "You've restored my son's."

"In television we have the choice of encouraging others to demean this life, or to cherish it, in creative or imaginative ways." I've been thinking about the latest episode a lot, more than I probably should. Particularly, why it so upset me. By coincidence, I stumbled across this clip of Mr Rodgers that answered so clearly what I was feeling. To me, Star Trek has always represented a higher standard. Even when I couldn't live up to it in this life- it represented a future where we cherished life; where we were a cut above the rough hewn inner tumult of today. I just expect better. Star Trek used to be special, it used to be the show to buck the trends and defy the norms- insisting on positivity and hope as the parable. This week's episode fell short on that front. It may not be the first to have done so, but it feels like the most severe so far.

I don't believe this. Data would've never lied about it, not even through omission. He also would've been justified, as at that moment, it was his belief that it was the only way to stop Fajo. The decision at the end of The Most Toys is ultimately a poor writing decision meant to introduce ambiguity for no good reason, when really, it leaves the only rational answer is that it was a transporter glitch. Kira not being Starfleet is held to another standard, and I can't recall her ever crossing that line. Worf certainly did, but was at least dressed down by his captain for it.

I'm so irritated with the writers of this show The futility and immorality of vengeance is one of the deepest and most important values Star Trek has imparted over its legacy. Then these writers just decide to hell with that? Gross. Tuvix and In the Pale Moonlight used to stand out as examples of our protagonists crossing immoral lines; but at least they had damn good cause in those cases... not just petty vengeance and a self deluded sense of justice. This is one episode I'm just going to have to ignore. Everything tied to the nuTrek portrayal of the Klingon War has been awful.

The two episodes are unrelated, so watching out of order shouldn't cause big issues. That being said, I think some Lower Decks context would be beneficial.

This week's two episodes were both solid. The lower decks crossover was a bit cringe, but still fun enough. The annoying behavior of Boimler and Mariner in true colors was even more off putting than I feared. The Uhura focused "Lost in Translation" was a stellar episode, which seemed like a love letter to TNG's mind bending "Eye Of the Beholder", without being directly linked in any way. SNW should lean into these smaller stories. Save the crazy sfx budgets for some massive cinematic story once or twice a season; these heartfelt, thinky, bottle episodes are the meat and potatoes of Star Trek.

Sajak is irreplacable. His acerbic banter is the perfect tone for the show. The show will certainly be much more boring without him.

There we go. Finally some solid Star Trek. Loved the way it fit into canon, and thought it had great attention to detail.

I've never watched an episode of Star Trek before where I found myself checking the time to see how much longer it was going to be drawn out. I normally love Star Trek's courtroom procedurals, but this one was so monotone and shallow that I struggled to get through it. I fear Akiva Goldsman is getting to exert too much influence over SNW in it's second season. Where Henry Alonso Meyer deserves credit for the brilliant tone and execution of season one, I'm sensing him being pushed aside by Kurzman's hack sidekick who has missed the mark with every attempt he's made. I hope I'm wrong, and I hope they turn it around. Paramount has two rockstar showrunners in the Star Trek franchise: Terry Matalas and Henry Alonzo Meyer. They need to empower those guys and get the other clowns out of the kitchen. Unfortunately, they don't seem to get it.

Yeah I found this to be one of the weakest episodes of SNW yet. The pacing was frustrating, the plot was underdeveloped, and the characterizations just felt off. The story could've worked as a two parter, given a little time to breath, and with a little bit more thought put into some of the silly action sequences. Looking forward to a rebound next week.

I could imagine the Section 31 show going either way. It depends on where/when they set it, who is involved, and what the plotline entails. Michelle Yeoh is clearly a rockstar actress, and her redemption arc was one of the highlights of Discovery season 3. So if they move her on, set her in a radically different part of the timeline, and give her some connection to legacy Trek; I'm on board. Here's an idea, we just saw the body of James T Kirk in the custody of Section 31 with the subtext of "project phoenix" in the manifest... What better way to lend credibility to Georgiou than to put her side by side with the real, o.g. Captain Kirk?

How I feel in the wake of that conclusion...

What a beautiful sendoff to the TNG crew. The finale was well earned, to the point, and left plenty of breathing room for epilogue. I can't wait to see more from Terry Matalas, and Paramount would be foolish not to see him as the future of the franchise.

PSA: If you haven't watched the finale yet, make sure you stick around after the credits.

About that... Quoting showrunner Terry Matalas. Potential (totally unconfirmed) spoilers going forward...

I actually got a little misty eyed twice. The first time was when Data silently put his hand on Picard's shoulder to comfort him. Really a beautiful moment. The second was hearing Majel's voice again.The attention to detail in this season has just been incredible.

The Pah-Wraits were non-corporeal aliens from Deep Space Nine. They were the 'evil counterpart' to the Bajoran Prophets that lived in the Wormhole. Armus was this thing. But since I last posted, I have been spoiled by some confirmed leaks about the final two episodes of Picard. And now I know roughly what's coming:

Everyone's back all at one conference table! I'm surprised to see Vadek and the Shrike dealt with so quickly; but I'm not entirely sure she won't find a way to resurface... It's clear the big bad is going to be whatever is behind the red door, and I'm excited to see what it is. I think it's going to be Armus, the black tar blob that killed Tasha Yar. It's an immensely powerful entity, it showed the ability to pull others' strings like puppets, it has a vendetta against Picard and the Enterprise crew, and it was left abandoned and forgotten last we saw.

Hearing Vadic's backstory was definitely compelling... It's nice to see Star Trek enriching itself with it's canon rather than tripping over it.

I loved seeing the original TOS constitution design, as well as the refit Enterprise A in their original glory. Affirming that Discovery/SNW did not fully retcon those iconic designs. That has been one of the bitterest pills from nu Trek to swallow, so for them to quietly reassert those designs as canon meant a lot. This series has been billed as a love letter to the "TNG era", and it hasn't fallen short. The big reveal at the end of today's episode (what was stolen from Daystrom) has me a touch nervous; but I'm still very excited and optimistic to see where this goes. If the last four episodes are half as good as what they've done, we're in for a treat.

The episode is called "Preemptive strike." It was the second to last episode of the series.

Another fantastic episode. Sweet, sweet closure for one of the biggest loose ends in TNG.