We’re getting close to being able to do the whole credits speech from episode titles. Spoilers.
There was a bit, about 40 minutes in, where I thought I was hating this episode. Because I’d picked that it was a fake reality, which is a bit of a cliche. Plus there was an awful lot of technobabble and callback to the past in the setup. But the episode completely won me back with the motivation for the future life sequence..
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The episode does suffer from some pretty rough story editing. Things like going straight to finding Korby, the unclear relocation after going through the first portal, M’Benga just showing up in the final montage, or even ‘how did Pike get back to the Enterprise’.
But the core of the episode is about character – in particular the relationship between Pike and Batel, but also some excellent development of Kirk and Spock’s relationship. Overall a good conclusion to an interesting season.
Quick hits:
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Yikes, a lot of this ‘previously on’ is ‘remember this thread that we didn’t maintain through the season? Well it’s back now’. For over 2 minutes.
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This is a recurring pet peeve of mine, but a Captain as the head of the JAG corps? That’d be a 2-star position, so that’s 2 levels above Batel’s rank. A Corps is always a 2-star or more rank.
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Love the callback to Scotty’s formal uniform.
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Was that a Dr Who crossover hint there?
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Wow, that green dress looks incredible on La’an, with that hair
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I will let this go, but how do Ley Lines work in space?
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Rough story editing going to just finding Korby like that.
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Wow, that is a rough bit of ‘injury to eye’ horror.
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While I understand that Batel is right by the laws of Star Trek plots, objectively we should be locking her up for a psychotic break.
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OK, we have a lot of technobabble to get to the mind-meld/synchronised ship sequence. I mean, that’s Trek, I don’t hate it. But two phasers having the power of a sun? That is really crazy in terms of power magnitudes. The sun converts 4 billion kg of matter into energy every second. So where exactly is this 4 billion kg on the ship?
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Chef Pike aprons available as merch when?
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Such a painfully obvious ‘they’re in a dream’ sequence. Why did we have to add the dog?
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Nice subtle ageing makeup and hair in the sequence.
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Interesting variation one the Inner Light gambit.
969 down.