New Star Trek Discovery Trailer

Based on the first line it looks like Star Trek's stubborn naturalism/atheism is still a major foundation. But aside from that, this actually has me eagerly anticipating this show!

Too bad it's going to be mystifyingly trapped behind a paywall. Can't imagine I'll fork out cash for that.

Though I'm a longtime trekkie, I found this seriously underwhelming, bordering on boring.

Thank you for posting all these btw, very convenient!

Yeah, Star Trek will always come out of that kind of worldview, and has sometimes been a little insulting toward theists. Although, I really liked how DS9 paid respect to people with religious faith, and even had a first officer who was a firm believer in her planet's religion. They did some really cool explorations of faith with her.

I'm getting an awesomely "serious" vibe from this. Kind of the "Batman V Superman" of Star Treks, although they have suggested it will have lighter and humerous moments.
Looks like they've even found a way to make Harry Mudd not cheesy.

Some people are concerned that the show seems to have a major focus on war (which Star Trek has done well in the past, DS9 for the win again). I am wondering, Katja, if that is part of the underwhelm you are feeling? Not enough seeking strange new worlds?

I suspect, and am hoping, that there will still be a strong exploration focus to go along with the war theme.

I'm looking forward to seeing Star Trek done in the modern TV environment. A strong 15-episode serialised story. Modern effects.

Peater, I'm lucky that in my country, I get it on Netflix. Although, if you wait until the end, get CBS All Access for one month and binge the whole season, it would probably be pretty affordable (probably a lot cheaper than getting it on blu-ray.) I watched all 90s Trek by buying VHS tapes.

AdamCollings wrote:Some people are concerned that the show seems to have a major focus on war (which Star Trek has done well in the past, DS9 for the win again). I am wondering, Katja, if that is part of the underwhelm you are feeling? Not enough seeking strange new worlds?

Nope, that's not it at all. If done well, I like war and fighting (in tv or movies) just as much as exploring. Maybe even more. And DS9 is my all time favorite Star Trek series (and I've watched them all).
It was just that the trailer seemed incoherent and slow paced, with pieces of actor interactions that were probably meant to highten the suspense but left me wanting... less.

I will watch the pilot though for I'll give any Star Trek series a more than fair chance - if it will ever become available in the Netherlands that is.

AdamCollings wrote:

I suspect, and am hoping, that there will still be a strong exploration focus to go along with the war theme.

I'm cool with that! Despite liking character-driven over concept driven, you can do both! I think the trick is to have the concept personally affect the character. That means the problems of exploration can't just be about "how do we do diplomacy with these people with three bumps on their forehead? Okay, now how do we do diplomacy with people who have two bumps on their forehead".

You can even keep the diplomacy, but make it necessary to solve a personal problem. "We need the cure for the weird virus that is giving our captain alzheimer's." Get your politics AND your drama fix there, as the captain is aware of their own deterioration. Loss of memories, identity and mortality. Or do some monster eps, where the monster concept is explored and slowly revealed... as it hunts down the crew!

Although I'm not suggesting the same tone or even writing style be used, Farscape often had episodes with a crazy "concept of the week" that had dramatic, personal impact on the core members of the cast.

I don't think ST:Discovery will last very long. It's going on CBS' own streaming service which will dramatically reduce its viewers. Additionally, the first season usually isn't very good. The cast hasn't gelled and acting can be a bit stiff. In the cut-throat TV environment we have today that spells disaster.

ComiKate wrote:I will watch the pilot though for I'll give any Star Trek series a more than fair chance - if it will ever become available in the Netherlands that is.

Star Trek Discovery will air on Netflix in the Netherlands, within 24 hours of the US broadcast.

http://www.startrek.nl/nieuws/star-trek-2017/nieuwe-serie-te-zien-op-netflix

jorowi wrote:I don't think ST:Discovery will last very long. It's going on CBS' own streaming service which will dramatically reduce its viewers. Additionally, the first season usually isn't very good. The cast hasn't gelled and acting can be a bit stiff. In the cut-throat TV environment we have today that spells disaster.

At the risk of being contrary, I'm gonna predict the opposite, John.

1) CBS All Access.
I get it. People don't want to have to pay for yet another streaming service. They probably already have one or two. I faced this myself last year. Netflix (Australia) didn't have the rights to Star Trek. I did a little research and found that a competing service (Stan) had the Aussie streaming rights. Although I was already paying for Netflix, and nobody hates parting with money more than me, I decided to take on Stan as a second streaming service so I could watch the backlist of Star Trek. Keep in mind, this is just for the old shows, which I saw decades ago, and much of which I own on VHS (even though I don't have a VHS played plugged into my TV any longer). (ironically, not long after, the rights shifted to Netflix)

Now, for the chance to watch brand new Star Trek? As a fan, that's a no brainer. Despite a vocal sub-section who say they'll refuse to pay for CBS All Access, I believe most people who have an interest in Trek will take the plunge. As somebody who spent $40 per month to buy the VHS tapes as soon as they came out, paying for just a one-month subscription to bringe the series seems a small price to pay. CBS are viewing this as a premium show, which people will be willing to pay to watch.

I don't deny that having it on the streaming service will limit the casual viewers somewhat. The trick will be for them to hook viewers powerfully with the pilot, which will be free-to-air on CBS. If the quality of the show is what I think it'll be, then I believe they can pull it off. I suspect that as fans start talking about the show and buzz builds, even some of the detractors will give in and give All Access a go.

Netflix clearly has a lot of confidence in this show. They contributed big dollars to secure the international rights. They don't do such things lightly.

2) Traditionally speaking, the first season of Star Trek shows have been weak in the past. That's true. This was especially true of TNG and DS9. As you have said, TV has changed a lot in the intervening years. the people behind Discovery seem to understand this. They are developing a show using modern sensibilities. Strong serialised format. Strong character-based writing. If a show like Falling Skies can get it right from the first season, then I don't see why Star Trek Discovery can't do the same. The cast themselves already seem to have a very strong chemistry, from what I've seen in interviews, so if the writers do their jobs properly, I don't see this suffering from the old 'first season blues'. Remember, they're not trying to put together a 26 episode season. They're concentrating on 15 good episodes, and they're clearly taking their time on it.

Regarding the acting, I am years behind on The Walking Dead, so haven't seen Discovery's lead, Sonequa Martin-Green, in action, but from what I'm reading, she's a highly regarded actor. I can't really speak to the other actors involved.

Obviously, I can't predict the future, but I live in hope.