I have loved the RTD2 era, but this looks like a very gun, very by-the-numbers generic medium-gritty sci-fi with a very tired Romeo-&-Juliet trope. There must be some sort of twist to this, right? But I'm nervous that this is more Pete McTighe, who wrote the only bad episode of last series and seems only capable of accidentally writing ethically repulsive episodes with the worst dialogue you've ever heard.

BILL: Sorry, what do you mean, it's his real name? Nobody knows the Doctor's real name.

MISSY: I do, because I grew up with him, and his real name is Doctor Who.

Romana, for sure

I'm not sure that Sarah Jane sleeps from Planet of the Spiders all the way through Revenge of the Cybermen, so Belinda has joined an illustrious club! Donna also has a shit day all through the 60th specials.

I almost always prefer frock to gun and this episode was not for me, but I am a base-under-siege Grinch and know my limitations. This is my second-least-favorite RTD2 episode after Empire of Death, though I am thoroughly enjoying this series, even more than the last.

I'm especially excited for Inua Ellams' episode - I really hope it works, because in addition to quite liking his writing, he's exactly the sort of writer whom I was hoping they'd recruit for the show: someone who's loved Doctor Who their whole lives, for whom Doctor Who is extremely meaningful, but also willing to put the Doctor in a very different story - temporally and narratively – from what we've seen before.

Usually contracts have to be negotiated after five seasons. Especially after the strikes last year, studios are committed to never budging an inch on contracts or residuals, even if it means losing money in the short term. To them, it's worth it to cancel even a successful or popular show if it means keeping their workers in a perpetual state of gig work and at a disadvantage for contracts on new shows.

Totally, thank you. Star Trek is goofy as hell sometimes. I think if the Kelpian kid had been a plot device isolated to a single episode, no one would have batted an eye if it were on TNG or VOY. But as the reveal of a season long mystery, it was a big woof for a season and a concept that I was really into.

That said, season 4 really picked up that briefly dropped ball. I think the last two episodes of S4, plus the one with the debate at Federation HQ, will go down as Trek classics once Disco ages a bit.

The information broker has had cosmetic surgery to resemble the puppet Balok used to appear intimidating in “The Corbomite Maneuver”

I don't think it specifies in the episode that the information broker had cosmetic surgery, does it? I wondered if this episode was trying to semi-canonize the Dassik. I don't really care either way because that bit was hilarious.

I loved this one. I'd read a Ryan North comic about Shaxs doing pretty much anything, but nice to see him in action fighting fascists.

With all the "Pirates of Orion" references in this one, they really missed the boat not having at least someone pronounce Orion the insane way they do in that episode.

Barclay's actor has become a truly odious person in real life –– I don't think the TNG cast (Stewart in particular) would have agreed to have him on the show.