Great episode, although I was hoping the show would confront Ed more on his entitlement - but we have a season to go to do that :D

But it is still a fair point to question why the role (or indeed almost all major roles in the film) didn’t go to an actor from the continent - although that has the equal issue of condensing a continent’s diversity, multitudes of ethnicities and complexities into one ‘tickbox’ for American casting agents....

No he wasn’t, he was a Caucasian actor from Scotland, Hilton McRae:

One thing the time jump really helps with is the timegap to those pesky Netflix shows ever making a come back on Disney plus or FX.... With a two year wait til production can even begin, it means 2022 or 3 for airing; just right for the five years later.

I know this, I actually was part of what prompted Mack to reply. But I also hope, for avoiding any spoilers, that was really a lie for our behalves since saying anything else would have told us numerous future plot points from the next few eps (sentient ai, impersonated admirals,rebellion, etc). And I can’t imagine…

I should also note Mack is possibly the biggest and most successful of modern Treklit writers - he wrote several keynote works, including Destiny (which is Treklit’s answer to the Borg, both ending them and explaining them in elegant fashion, a trilogy published in 2009), then when the Pocket licence was possibly…

I think it does make sense; Kirsten Beyer is heavily involved in TrekLit, so even if had come up in the writer’s room, it would’ve been hard not to address how much it relates to David Mack’s work. Similarly, Mack did do the first Discovery book, so it’s unlikely he is a total stranger. The Treklit writers are pretty…

Also intriguing was how it was Rudolph Wegener (Rudolph Baynes) from S1 who said the line about Cincinnati - they had served together at one point in history, and this complicates what that meant - that complicity in genocide. I really do like how despite making Smith and Kido more complex, sympathetic figures, they…

That was a brilliant hour, and really grim and macabre,but delightful in its plotting. Like Zack I was worried about certain cliche developments, esp. Drummer and Ashford, but that became a great conversation about values and then led to the drum being spun, which although I think needing one or two more shots to show…

Although it’s rich given that Maeve continually removes agency and freedom from almost every other host she encounters - she makes them kill themselves, kill their friends, etc. - i.e. remove their selfhood, or identity. I don’t think Maeve is any more ‘moral’ or ‘ethical’ here.... Maeve does what Delores did that one…

Yeah it felt too quick-paced, especially with regards to Melba. I hope it smooths over, but if the whole book is in these 7 eps, that is one *fast* pace.

You all might appreciate listening to the Churn podcast, which features Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham (i.e. James S.A. Corey themselves) weekly talking about the show. They discuss hiring Strathairn this week, who came into the writers’ room and broke down the character; they talk about Naomi and Drummer; about the…

Why does anyone assume Avengers 4 will be set one year after IW? If it picks up immediately after then there is no time “in between” for shows to be set in.

The good thing is he meets up with Admiral Souther (and in the book leads the fight against Sadavar’s forces), who is a potential ally of Avasarala. Still, nasty spoiler promo :/

Emma became ‘good’ in Grant Morrison’s phenomenal New X-Men (c 2001-4, issues 114-154), which Whedon both followed on from & sidetracked from after Marvel walked back from the conclusions Morrison left behind. If you haven’t read it, you really need to - its one of the most ambitious & creative high points of 50 years…

This season never mentions Frank’s headwound, which is a shame. It, alongside a distinct lack of mention of “Red” or Reyes, is one of the weird gaps in the season. 

I loved Nathanson on The Knick, where he played a brilliant Jewish doctor, Dr Zinberg, who forms a medical rival to Clive Owen’s main character, at first, and later a mentor to Bertie as he enters into the New York Jewish world. His focus and also his warmth were really on show there.

He could be alive in the mirror universe.... :D

A sad thing about this is probably that Kojima will have no role in the film or any adaptation henceforth. He doesn’t own it, Konami does.

Hi Nobled, sorry to be pedantic, but can you stop mispelling ‘canon’ please :)