Star Trek

Spoiler alert: SDCC attendees this weekend will see Strange New Worlds episode 7 early

https://twitter.com/StarTrekOnPPlus/status/1681408562361438208

@startrek #StarTrek #StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1730411

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Originally posted over on [email protected], thought you guys would appreciate it, enjoy!

Also missing is the catchphrase "Every series. Every episode." I wonder why, Paramount?

Full text from SAG-AFTRA:

You cannot participate in conventions on behalf of or to promote companies we are striking against. This includes appearances, panels, fan meet and greets, etc. involving projects produced by struck companies, whether current or past, and current and past independent projects that are not signed to an interim agreement.

You may participate in a convention in ways that are wholly independent of your work on struck projects and that are not sponsored by or connected to struck companies. Additionally, you may participate in appearances, conventions, and fan expos for work under contracts other than the TV and Theatrical Agreements, such as TV or New Media animation or video games. (Theatrical animation is struck work and you cannot participate in events relating to animated theatrical content during the strike.)

• The episode title of course refers to a popular party game. In the PRO episode, “Mindwalk”, the Protogies where had to communicate with Dal using charades, because he didn’t learn any Morse code.

• Both Nurse Chapel’s and Spock’s personal logs gives us a stardate of 1789.3.

• The USS Enterprise is travelling to the Vulcan system, first seen in “Amok Time”.

    • Alternatively, one could argue that the first visit to the Vulcan system was when the Enterprise visited the planet Delta Vega to affect repairs after sustaining damage attempting to travel through the Galactic Barrier in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. Delta Vega is also the planet that Nero marooned prime Spock on (and Kelvin Spock marooned Kelvin Kirk on) in 2009’s “Star Trek”, and Spock was able to watch the destruction of Vulcan. In an interview, Robert Orci claimed they ”moved” the planet for the film because the easter egg of the name was more important than coming up with a new name fans wouldn’t be familiar with.

        • Both the 2011 Kelvin universe “Star Trek“ comic series, and “The Enterprise War” novel attempt to reconcile this by claiming there are two Delta Vegas.

• We learn of the Kerkhov moon, and the fact that there was an ancient civilization there that vanished at one point. Other ancient civilizations which have disappeared from the galaxy leaving behind only ruins and mystery are:

    • The Greek Gods

    • The Arretans

    • The Preservers

    • The Tkon Empire

    • The Iconian Empire

    • The D’Arsay

    • The Hur’Q

• The Vulcan Science academy was first mentioned in “Journey to Babel”.

    • On Vulcan they preface everything by distinguishing that it’s Vulcan because it’s important to them that the rest of the galaxy be aware that it’s theirs.

• ”What are Korby’s three principles of archaeological medicine?” Spock mentioned Roger Korby is referred to as the Pasteur of archaeological medicine in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

    • Roger Korby will be Chapel’s future fiancée.

• The notion that Vulcans use nasal suppressants to overcome how debilitatingly pungent humans are was introduced in “The Andorian Incident”.

    • ”Not to be indelicate, Captain, but the scent of humans is something most Vulcans must become…used to.” Spock grew up with a human mother, and human adopted sister.

    • In “Broken Bow” Archer comments that Vulcan females specifically have a heightened sense of smell, but in “The Andorian Incident” it is a male Vulcan monk who comments that the smell aboard the NX-01 “must be intolerable.”

        • Later in this episode, T’Pril repeats the claim that Vulcan women are more sensitive to odours.

• ”I am still not speaking to my father.” It was established in “Journey to Babel” that Spock had not spoken to Sarek in 18 years, which would mean their communication ceased nine years prior to this episode.

• The shuttlecraft Spock and Chapel take to scan Kerkhov is the Cervantes, which was previously used on the mission to investigate the USS Peregrine after it was divested by Gorn hatchlings in “All Those Who Wander”, and transported Captain Pike, La’an, and Doctor M’Benga down to Rigel VII where they lost their memories and were subject to a Starfleet yeoman turned Tyrant in “Among the Lotus Eaters”, and maybe they should leave the *Cervantes” in the shuttlebay next time.

    • The Cervantes is also the shuttle Ortegas pilots herself, Chapel, and Uhura in back to the anomaly when they revisit it.

• ”The Vulcan Science Academy would be lucky to have someone of your experience.” “Battle of the Binary Stars” established that as of 2249, ten years earlier, Michael Burnham was the only human to have attended the Vulcan Science Academy. However, in “Brother” in 2257, Paul Stamets had accepted a full time teaching position there, so they weren’t entirely opposed to the idea.

• After the Cervantes crash, Spock had to be healed by the Kerkhovians who made him fully human. In “Faces” a Vidiian scientist split B’Elanna Torres into two separate beings, one fully human, and the other Klingon. The Klingon died to save her human counterpart during the escape, and the Doctor was later able to restore B’Elanna to her hybrid self using genetic material from the deceased Klingon.

    • In “Spock Amok” Spock had a dream that he was human, fighting a fully Vulcan counterpart, but he later lied and claimed that in his dream he was the fully Vulcan half.

• The episode cuts off before Spock can finish saying, “What the fairly intriguing development.” As we all know, Spock was unfamiliar with profanity until visiting Earth’s 1980s in “Star Trek: The Voyage Home” despite living on a starship and closely working with one Doctor Leonard McCoy.

• As a human Spock chooses to eat bacon despite most Vulcans including himself being vegetarian. In “All Our Yesterdays” Spock appears to be disgusted with himself for enjoying consuming animal flesh after being transported to the past causes him to regress to an earlier stage of Vulcan cultural development. As we all know, all humans eat meat, and this scene certainly didn’t disgust any vegans who might be watching and then later writing a point form list of how the episode ties in to other Trek canon.

    • According to T’Pol in “Broken Bow”, Vulcans also do not touch food with their hands, but we see Spock picking up the bacon with his fingers here. Of course, Spock also touched his food with his hands in “All Our Yesterdays” as well as his marshmallow in “Star Trek: The Final Frontier” so perhaps that’s a cultural practice that fell out of usage between ENT and DIS/SNW/TOS.

        • Later this episode, Sevet does not hesitate to go in on some tevmel with his hands.

• ”I just thought that my field work would be relevant.” In “Journey to Babel” Kirk argued to Amanda Grayson that Spock’s time aboard the Enterprise was “a better opportunity for a scientist to study the universe than he can get at the Vulcan Science Academy.”

• ”She did seem awfully enthusiastic about purchasing dilithium.” The Federation of this era is a moneyless society, as established in such episodes as:

    • “Mudd’s Women” - The character of Harry Mudd is transporting three women around to find them husbands out of the goodness of his heart, and lithium miners on Rigel XII offer to give the crystals to the Enterprise for free.

    • “Errand of Mercy” - Kirk intimates to Spock that Starfleet would not be troubled by their potential deaths, because their training cost nothing.

    • “Catspaw” - Lieutenant DeSalle says he would make a bet on the effectiveness of their strategy, but there is no money and hence no gambling.

    • “The Trouble With Tribbles” - Cyrano Jones gives away exotic animals, and no one pays for drinks at the bar, because what would they pay with?

    • “The Escape Artist” - We see several android duplicates of Harry Mudd captured by concerned citizens intending to hand him over to Federation authorities, because there’s no need to collect a bounty when everything is free. Also, Mudd doesn’t complain about Federation taxes, because what would they tax?

Continued in Comment Below

Resurrected Starships is a fun channel for the aspiring Starfleet engineers who prefer to talk about the ships of Star Trek.

Prodigy EP Aaron Waltke is continuing to update on progress on his mastodon account.

“The world needs to see this.”

We’re with you @[email protected].

For those who missed it, Prodigy picked up a Children and Family Emmy nomination for 2021-2022 Outstanding Animated Series.

The quality of Star Trek in 1997 was an embarrassment of riches. Some of the best parts of the Dominion War on Deep Space Nine, Scorpion and Year Of Hell on Voyager, and First Contact in theaters. It was a great year to be a Star Trek fan!

The quality of Star Trek that I've seen this year has been giving me similar feelings, watching them hit it out of the park every week, wondering how they are going to top the last one then watching them do it, again and again. Is it just me?

One Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Scene Made Christina Chong & Paul Wesley Want To Puke

Now I want to rewatch this scene with what the actors were going through in mind. Egad.

https://www.slashfilm.com/1337874/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-christina-chong-paul-wesley-puke/

@startrek #StarTrek #StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds

Star Trek's level of medical care is far more advanced than today's. As Beckett says in LD, "Doc will wave a light over it." Yet, in Star Trek people aren't shown doing hobbies and pastimes that are much different from what's done now. Still, I wonder about differences in a society where people know they won't be laid up for months for doing or trying something that some folks of today might look at and say, "nope, too dangerous." Injuries will still hurt, there's a big difference between say, a broken leg taking months to heal and possibly multiple surgeries, and Star Trek's healing of a broken leg in a matter of hours.

I'm trying to think of what I'd do differently if I had access to Star Trek level medical care. There are things I want to try, but I look at sideways because of the possible injuries. It's mild, but one thing I think I'd try again is skating. I injured my knee roller skating at a rink years ago, and that knee is still a problem. That injury left me skittish of skating. If I knew an injury from skating (within reason) could be an easy fix, I would have given it another go.

Is there a pastime you'd be more willing to try, or try again, if Star Trek level medical care was available?

Chat Game/Narrated AI Star Trek Adventure Game

Your opinions will never be removed from the community. Even if you say you don’t like a particular series, character, writer or producer.

Fan Made Shows/Movies?

@startrek

Any particular shows people here like watching? I've seen Renegades and a few others. I'm currently in the middle of Phase II. The special effects impress me for the budgets involved, and the writing/acting makes me appreciate the professionals more :^P I don't want to shit on any of them though. The effort is solid, and they're still an enjoyable watch.

Here's a review of the first five episodes of the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds https://vocal.media/futurism/review-of-star-trek-strange-new-worlds-2-1-2-5 #startrek #strangenewworlds @startrek

Hello, all! Several days ago, one of you fine Lemmings posted a link to the new solo-oriented edition of Star Trek: Adventures. As one does, I immediately bought it and read the entire 300-some-odd pages. Lol. If anyone else was considering doing so, or is even remotely curious about it, here are my first impressions and a sampling of what the game (and its incredible matrix tables) has allowed me to create thus far.

These are just my spur-of-the-moment ramblings, so I hope they are still useful.

Rules

1. The rules are incredibly simple. Now, that's not to say that there aren't complexities to certain aspects of the game, but it, like its regular Adventures counterpart, is extremely narrative driven.
2. While being designed for solo play, it is absolutely possible to use this system in a group. In fact, it's probably the easiest thing to set up for a group in the genre. I was able to get four of my friends up to speed, with generated characters, and into a session in less than an hour. That's nearly unheard of for TTRPGs, at least in my experience.

Gameplay

1. Combat is a bit lackluster. It works very well, but it is bare-bones. Luckily, the rules from the regular books can transition pretty seamlessly into Captain's Log. It's even suggested for players that want "more crunch" with the combat systems.
2. The momentum and threat mechanics provide some really fun twists that keep the story chugging along before it can stagnate and get stale.
3. Despite the urge to let the randomness of everything take over for solo play, I've found over a few sessions that it's best to outline the entirety of the "episode" first. It doesn't detract from the fun at all, and it allows you to focus solely on the development and challenging of your character's values.
4. With a basic understanding of the "yes/no probability matrix" and some dice, or a phone app, you can literally play this anywhere. It is that flexible. Of course, nothing beats modeled miniatures in my mind, but I digress.
5. The tables. Oh, man, so many wonderful, beautiful, gorgeous tables. The last third of the book is just matrix tables to help create and complicate the myriad random Star Trek situations you might find yourself in. Honestly, the book is worth the price just for the tables. I'm not kidding.

Rating
Overall: 8.5 / 10
Incredibly robust and fun, with enough of a random kick to keep things feeling like your exploring the unknown no matter how much preparation you do.
Complexity: 3.5 / 10
If you're already familiar with the Trek universe, you can learn the entire game in an afternoon and be playing before the kids start to get home from school.
Combat: 6 / 10
As I mentioned earlier, the system is very basic. It's still fun, given enough narrative spice, but it isn't impressive on its own.
Characters: 9 / 10
The ability for this game to quickly generate believable friendly and hostile NPCs with their own varied motivations, outlooks, and backstories is insane. If it isn't the best out there, it's still one of the best I've ever personally used.
Locations: 9 / 10
As above, so below. The game does with locations what it does for characters.
Length: 7 / 10
There is a bit of groundwork that goes into setting up any game like this, but it goes quickly, in no small part to the (yes, I'm still on about them) crazy good tables.

What I've got for you here is a sampling of the game so you can get a feel for how it works, coupled with a single scene of my actually playing of it. One of the most important things I want to communicate is that, even though this is a game, it feels more like a series of incredibly intricate writing prompts. It isn't a bad thing at all, and I've been having a blast, but I want you to know what you're getting into before spending your money on it.

I used the in-game rules exclusively to develop this crew. The only personally creative parts are appearance descriptions.

Ship: U.S.S. Constantinople, N.C.C. 1453-B. Galaxy-class cruiser retrofitted with improved impulse and warp engines, hull integrity, and damage control systems.

Captain: Apius Stoyer (myself), rebelled against his Starfleet parents growing up but ended up attending the academy anyway. Turns out he was super good at science so that's the path he took. Two years after graduating and becoming an ensign, his current captain on the U.S.S. Persephone bungled a first contact with an incorporeal being and nearly lost the ship. Admiral Kent noticed the official protest in his logs and, impressed, whisked him away to the command track under the tutelage of one Commander C.J. Disto.

Scene One: A New Captain

Rolled for initial mission theme and conflict: got "Diplomatic / Establish Trade / Unite / Exploding Planet"

Captains log, stardate 446215.2. Yesterday, I received orders to take command of the U.S.S. Constantinople. She’s a beautiful ship with a crew complement of 1,637. That’s 1,384 Starfleet personnel, and 253 civilians. Virtually a skeleton crew compared to her other Galaxy-class counterparts, but more than enough to run the trade mission we’ve been given.

While being a perpetual “substitute captain” hasn’t been ideal, it is the natural result of my extraordinarily fortunate rise to prominence with Captain Disto. There are plenty of folks in the admiralty that would have rather put a more experienced officer in charge of one of their capital ships, but given the … urgency of the Afenian’s request, and the temporary lack of command officers with any recent experience on Earth, I’m finding myself with a remarkable chance to to change some minds.

She’s a beautiful ship. Newly retrofitted with all the trimmings: improved warp engines, better damage control systems, reinforced hull integrity, and a newly developed impulse drive system with an emergency magnetic focus index — well, I’m rambling now. Suffice it to say, she’s magnificent. Maybe I’m being a bit of a romantic, but stepping out of the shuttle bay and into the halls … it was love at first sight.

I think I’ll keep her.

//

Introductions go smoothly. Commander Wynter had met Captain Stoyer in the shuttle bay and spent the next half-hour introducing him to his new bridge officers.

In the Captain’s Ready Room:

KATOHA (OVER COMMS): Captain, Admiral Kent on the line for you.

STOYER: I’ll take it in here. Thank you, commander.

Desk viewscreen comes to life

STOYER: Admiral.

KENT: Captain. A pleasure, as always.

STOYER: I’ll assume I have you to thank for this assignment. She’s a real beaut, this ship.

KENT: That she is. You’ll do well with her. With any luck, the other admirals will begin to see that you’re a capable officer and not just some little pet project of mine. But, that’s not why I’ve called.

STOYER: No. So, what more information can you give me about the Afenian’s request? We haven’t ever had ties with them before. Why the sudden change?

KENT: I’m afraid that the copy of the request you’ve already been sent is all we have. When we tried to reach back out there was no response, so your mission remains vague.

STOYER: You’d think if it was so urgent they’d at least give us some details.

KENT: Well, “ours is not to reason why,” Captain.

STOYER: That’s a little ominous for a standard trade run, Admiral. Are you sure you don’t know something that you’re not letting on about?

KENT: No. I’m just an apprehensive old man. Expect the worst and hope for the best.

STOYER: You never were any good at the “motivational” and “inspiring” stuff.

The two share a subdued chuckle

KENT: You should be finished loading with all the generic goods by now. I’m transmitting your official directive and clearance codes. Stay safe out there.

The viewscreen flicks off and Captain Stoyer exits the Ready Room onto the bridge

KATOHA: Captain, cargo bay four reports fully loaded.

CAPTAIN: Excellent! Ensign Flannigan, take us out.

FLANNIGAN: Aye, sir!

As the ship peels away from the orbital dock, Ensign Flannigan opens the plasma vents and ejects a colorful display. Lt. Commander Katoha leans over and smacks him lightly on the head

STOYER: Ensign, what was that?

FLANNIGAN: It was for the boys and girls back home!

Captain Stoyer is unamused

FLANNIGAN: Okay, yeah. Sorry sir! I told my girlfriend at the docks that I’d show off some of her engine improvements when we set out.

Captain Stoyer raises an eyebrow; it is difficult for Ensign Flannigan to respond; Lt. Commander Katoha slips her face into her hands, attempting to contain her second-hand embarrassment

FLANNIGAN: [clears throat] It won’t happen again, sir! Course laid in.

STOYER: Engage.

Looking about the bridge, Captain Stoyer really begins to take in the crew. He’s done this many times before, but the responsibility of having the welfare of others—others he’s never met before—always gives him pause for that first moment.

Commander Wynter: slightly shorter than Stoyer, has a stern face. Thin lips nestle underneath a nose and pinched eyes in a permanent scowl, but her mannerisms showcase that there’s much more to her personality. Her dark red hair is pulled tightly to her head in a bun, adorned solely by a Starfleet delta pin.

Ensign Flannigan: a young hotshot freshly graduated from the academy. Closely cropped, curly, dark brown hair reflects his innermost desires, struggling against being contained and wanting to burst out and be free. The conn has a knack for attracting just that sort of personality, but his flight record is spotless, if a bit reckless.

Lieutenant Vaath: it is highly unusual to see an Orion in Starfleet. There’s no wonder he took the security path; he’s a daunting figure. That impression is made all the stronger by his soft-spoken demeanor. Admiral Kent called him a “gentle giant with an indignant streak.”

Lt. Commander Katoha: a Bajoran that bounced around between specializations until she graduated. She’s something of a renaissance woman, and a perfect fit for her current station. Sporting short, spikey, blonde-dyed hair and a, by Bajoran standards, modest earring, she’s quick with a quip and loves to laugh.

Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Steward: a crotchety old man. It was clear he was only on the bridge out of protocol and wanted, desperately, to return to the main engine room. His Illyrian mutation enhanced his hearing dramatically. “The Engine Whisperer,” Stoyer had heard some call him. His disheveled appearance was hardly regulation appropriate, but the Captain figured he was lucky enough to get him into a uniform at all.

Chief Science Officer, Lt. Commander Zendala, wasn’t present. She was hard at work in sick bay with CMO, Lieutenant Rielach, putting on the final coat of paint, so-to-speak. Zendala is a Palmyran. Deep, darkly caramel skin and ever-so-slightly pointed ears gave her an elegant, almost elvish appearance.

Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Rielach, also preoccupied in sick bay, is a gorgeous Deltan woman. Her empathetic, and empathic, manner may make her the friendliest doctor that Captain Stoyer has ever had the pleasure of working with. Thankfully, her vow of celibacy was current and on file. He could count on her to gently dissuade potential suitors, avoiding all of that pesky drama.

//

So, as you can see, the potential is SO high for invested RPG players that prefer to actually roleplay. But, if you're looking for something with a bit more meat on the bone as far as far as gaming goes, it may not be the best fit. But, whatever your preference, if you get your hands on it, it's a grand old time.

https://postimg.cc/BLPnqfYt

Super Star Trek 1978 meets 25th Anniversary by emabolo

@startrek

OMG the nostalgia is real. Playable in browser or install on your computer. https://emabolo.itch.io/super-star-trek-25th

(For an article that speaks more generally, click here. I'll be focusing on Star Trek.)

The Writer's Guild of America went on strike in May. The actors guild (SAG-AFTRA) began theirs on Thursday. Among the demands from both camps are 1) an updated compensation structure that deals with streaming content more fairly and 2) restrictions on the usage of AI and other computer tools that perform the duties from either union. (After all, ensigns should make more than this and extras shouldn't have to worry about being in their own version of "Joan Is Awful.")

(And outside of the writers and actors, one mustn't forget the contributions of the many scores of people behind-the-scenes who make these shows possible. They, too, will be out of work. Visual Effects Production Manager Shawn Ewashko has tweeted praises about the team he's assembled for Trek live action going forward, but he's also worried that prolonged strikes could decimate that team as its members have to find other work to feed their families.)

Both strikes have come at a time of desperation for Paramount and when its future is clouded. Any discussion of post-strike Paramount and Trek would be pure speculation at this point, so I will focus on the productions that are already greenlit and at various stages of completion.

DISCOVERY: As we all know, after filming on the fifth season was wrapped last November, Paramount canceled the show in March. New scenes were written to wrap up the series and pickup shoots were planned shortly thereafter. A tweet from showrunner Michelle Paradise indicates that filming for those pickups began in late April, so we can speculate that the filming is complete by now, though I don't recall seeing confirmation of that. Post-production is still underway on DIS season five and that should continue unabated.

STRANGE NEW WORLDS: The show was renewed for season three and writing was completed before the WGA strike in May, however, the series delayed its production start in solidarity with the WGA. Once the strikes are over, SNW will likely resume then.

LOWER DECKS: Voice actors are also on strike, but the recording for season four was completed last year. Assuming it's not already finished, the show is in the hands of the animators and should be released as planned. A fifth season was ordered in March, but writing and production on that will have to wait until after the strikes.

PRODIGY: (sigh) Despite its cancellation (more precisely, renewal reversal), the second season is nearing completion. (The voice acting was complete.) The Emmy-nominated series' second season is being shopped to other streaming services and producers are confident it will find a home.

SECTION 31: While a writers room for this show existed way back in 2020, it hasn't been said publicly if the conversion of that series into a single film was completed before the strike began in May (making S31 into a movie was announced in March, so I'm sure that some work was already underway). Regardless, production has not yet begun and won't until after the strikes.

STARFLEET ACADEMY: Perhaps not as long as S31, but SA has had a writers room for a while and it was already active when the series was announced in March. However, like S31, no production is expected for a while.

LEGACY: (Not greenlit, but the people want it.) One of the powers that be says the "appetite for it is undeniable," but there won't be any discussion about it officially until the strike(s) are over.

Conventions: You may not have seen this coming, but there's a long list of things striking actors can't do. Sure, SAG-AFTRA members cannot film their roles, but they can't promote them, either. That means no conventions. (I'm not sure what's going to happen at Comic-Con then.) It is unclear at the moment if an actor from a legacy show (like TNG, DS9, etc.) can appear at a convention. Armin Shimmerman is looking for more info while a tweet from Anson Mount suggests that maybe they make a "personal appearance," so long as they aren't promoting anything specific.

(Edited to add tweets from Shimmerman and Mount at the end.)