I found this to be a solid, okay - but not remarkable - episode for a couple of reasons.

As I recall, 2001 is one of the first big steps for science fiction into existential questions about humanity’s existence in the cosmos...so I leaving Bowman’s monologue out also enhances the point. It’s about asking unanswerable questions and inviting the audience to bring their own interpretation.

That’s nice that you’re perfectly fine with it. That doesn’t mean I’m required to feel the same.

Things like ‘objectivity in academia’ and ‘pluralism’ don’t really mesh well with the belief that yours is the only true religion, so yeah, I’m not surprised to hear that.

I actually do agree that Discovery has a Main Character problem, in that I think it’s been to the detriment of the series of how much emphasis they’ve put on Burnham at the expense of almost everyone else in the cast. I also agree that they tend to have a ‘telling over showing’ problem when it comes to relationships.

She is more fleshed out. But that’s a low bar.

I mean, my primary issue is that Chapel is being both too limited and too defined by this entire thing. I’d rather we get to know Chapel as a medical professional and how her own personal backstory has informed the person that she’s become today. So saying that she’s the explanation as to what went with wrong between…

Baptisms for the dead, yep. It’s pretty shady. But when you believe you are the One and Only True Church, then it’s not entirely surprising that you’d try to bring everyone into the fold - even those who are dead.

So here’s the thing.

The look they shared when Chapel insisted to the aliens that she and Spock were just friends was great, too.

T’Pril to Spock: You are a huge disappointment.

but much better. sure, there are some coats of paint by retelling these stories through the lens of modern sensibilities, but they’re just that—coats of paint. this show is not saying anything substantially new, doing anything substantially new, or breaking any ground

I appreciate that SNW isn’t for you, and that’s totally fair. I even agree with you somewhat about your concerns regarding Chapel’s character. And I’m being a bit tongue-in-cheek here...but if you think Star Trek has never been about characters being horny for each other, then I question whether you ever watched any…

Oh yeah, the way the show is handling her character has been wonderful. But I worry that by creating this rift that they’re so focused on creating a conflict that divides them (so that he can explore romance with Chapel) that they won’t properly address T’Pring’s very legitimate reason for being upset with him.

I worry that the show is so focused on finding a way for Spock and Chapel to hook up that it’s coming at the expense of T’Pring’s character.

Based on the episode description, I was hoping for more Vulcan Hijinks...and it did not disappoint!

That’s both entirely depressing and very believable.

Personally, I liked the initial three shows best, because they were able to give space to supporting characters (Wanda, Vision, Sam, Bucky, Loki) that never had a starring vehicle. And all three shows were a lot of fun.

“There are too many Marvel shows.” Yes.

Picard also could’ve gone back to save his family.