RIP. Andreas Katsulas (2006) he played Cmdr. Tomalak for 4 episodes in TNG, the Vissian Capt. Drennik in the Enterprise episode Cogenitor. but when it comes to US TV Sci-Fi. He will never be forgotten for Playing G'Kar in 110 episodes of Babylon 5.

"I also learned that I've been mispronouncing 'pedant.'" Beautiful delivery. Excellent work.

Another case where DS9 really shows us how it’s done- even though the changelings have infiltrated starfleet, I still felt like they made it pretty clear that the problem was how people in starfleet reacted to the threat of infiltration.

I really feel the Jake/Nog friendship is the best child or teen writing in any of the Star Treks. It was refreshing to see someone like Jake who isn't a science genius and isn't going into Starfleet, but isn't portrayed as lazy or dumb. Also, we find out Nog is hard working and loyal but we don't know that at the beginning of his run. Once Nog joins Starfleet we, the viewers, can see maybe what Jake saw in him. And I love that all the adults are wrong in thinking they shouldn't be friends.

I'm not surprised the writers couldn't write Alexander better. Based on comments from Will Wheaton, it seems the writers really hated writing children.

In the Strange New Worlds Season 2 Teaser, Jim Kirk's response to "you've never seen a revolving door before?" is "I'm from SPACE!" And I'm like "No, he's from IOWA, he only WORKS in space."

I heard somewhere that the "son of .... whatever" line was an ad lib by Shimerman. For that particular take, he blanked out on the name of D'Ghor's father and replaced it by "whatever". The director loved it and used that take in the final edit.

As for Martok being changeling or not - doesn't Sisko's dad mention it at some point that a shapeshifting alien could probably easily store some blood inside them just for the occasion? This was an emotional scene where we are supposed to be concerned about the police state the Earth (and probably the Federation as a whole) turned into, but I was like "shit, he has a point".

Okay, but if you're brothers with worf, even if he gets his honor back, you know hes just gonna lose it again. I think it was a safe bet for Kern to "die."

Bring back Brian Thompson as a Klingon! He could probably do with a payday. Getting baked by Stallone was decades ago.

I think having Klingons look different, even in the same show, would be a good idea. Too often SciFi series make aliens into monocultures. Not all Klingons can be warriors. They can't all wear military uniforms. Some have to be Chefs, engineers, physicists, child care specialists, teachers, etc. The warrior caste is the ruling caste, so we see them most often, but Klingons as a monoculture get boring. I loved the episode where TNG featured a female Klingon Scientist who felt beaten down by the warrior class who treated her like second class trash based on her profession, yet it is people like her who make it possible for them to do all the conquering and bitch slappin! I'd love to see more of that, including Klingons as a much more varied population with varying dress, religions, philosophies, etc.

6:00 I mean, they re-Uhura'd Uhura at the end of that one TOS episode where she got mindwiped. There we have it. Perfectly in-canon way to get Kurn back. To any currrent Trek writers watching, I'll be waiting for my check in the mail.

28:11 absolutely agree with Eddie Edwards: having episodes that don’t tie significantly, or at all, into a longer story arc isn’t “filler” or “padding”; it’s a breather or world-building or character development. Not every show need them, but the expectation that _no_ show should have them is one of the significant negatives of a lot of shows today. Elsewhere I was just having a discussion about the Babylon 5 reboot, and someone else was arguing that it should be tightened up-go to 12-episode seasons instead of 22. It might still be very good, but a _lot_ of what made B5 both as good as it was and as distinctive as it was would be lost in that change.

I literally have a shapeshifting liquid character in an RPG I am running and nobody among the player character detectives has figured they've replaced the original as they wear a wig made of the original's hair, dentures made from their original teeth, and keep pouches of their blood underneath the fake "skin" that they can gloop around to anywhere they're cut or pierced. Total GATTACA shit.

In terms of brevity and episodic television, I think the rise of anime did a lot to end episodic television. I remember Dragonball Z dragged its stories out over literally months and us DBZ fans loved it. We hated filler, single episodes that didn't add to the main story. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of episodic anime that became popular in the US, but I think anime really introduced the idea of taking your time with a story to US television audiences.

The Squire of Gothos is staring at me.......

The Klingons of Voyager would be a short video. Wonder if it would be longer or shorter than Enterprise’s one would be

With regards to Alexander, I feel like Voyager really deserves some credit with regard to how they handled Naomi Wildman. I've been rewatching Voyager, and generally speaking, they have done a nice job in keeping her from falling into that "annoying kid" role. I don't think there's anything terribly outstanding about the character, but I also don't roll my eyes and consider muting the TV every time she's in a scene either, and even the episodes where she takes a more prominent role, like "Bliss" are generally as watchable as any episode of Voyager is.

I'm surprised, Steve, that you don't recall the Star Trek way of 're-Kurning' Kurn. Simply sit him down with a stack of computer disks like TOS did with Uhura when Nomad wiped her mind and in short order the familiar old Kurn will return. Of course, he will likely also have problems calling the color blue "Blooeee," an apparently flaw with the system.

Re: Alexander, they could probably just do it with CGI now, but in the 90s when making a character Klingon involved lengthy application of prosthetic makeup, it probably wasn’t feasible to have an infant or toddler.

The SNW Klingons sport updated versions of their gold tunic with a sash look from TOS and I love it. It's similar to their update/reimagining of the TOS Romulan attire from Balance of Terror.

I will say I agree with the point about episodic TV. As stupid as the comparison seems, Sailor Moon’s 90s version and the 2010s reboot are a fantastic example of this. They tell the same story, but the 90s show is fundamentally more interesting because you actually are shown the sailor scouts getting to know each other and becoming friends.

I brought the Kling once! Then I had to notify my past sexual partners once I got the results back from the clinic

Martok very definitely was a changeling in WotW. They mentioned in Apocalypse Rising how Klingons were religious about blood screenings so clearly changeling Martok had found a way around them, and later on when we meet the real Martok, he acts like he's never met Worf before, so obviously that wasn't him talking to Worf in WotW. I think it's funny how big a deal everyone, in universe and out, makes of blood screenings, because I don't think we ever once, in the entire run of the show, see one actually used to successfully identify a real changeling. In the very first episode where they're introduced, the changeling has already figured out a way to get around them and use them to pin the blame on someone else, and the exact thing happens again in Homefront/Paradise Lost, so you wonder why anyone bothered with them in the first place.

That commentor was mistaken, there absolutely was starfleet as an entity during ENT, earth's starfleet is the same one that becomes the federation starfleet after the charter.

Excellent first comment, starting strong with this video, Steve. And thank you for the cheap shots, they are thoroughly enjoyed, as always. Bastard.

I'm Klingon honored to have been part of the "opening warm-up" funny comments.

15:30 -ish Everything makes Worf want to kill people. He's a Klingon. They all have to hold back their killer instinct. Worf probalby more than others but it is still there. Always thought it was a lost opportunity in Drumhead, when the Betazed guy says he's gonna investigate Worf for treason, and calls Mog a Romulan collaborator, that the scene doesn't show the guy being afraid for his life. He should had been able to sense Worf's primal Klingon instinct is to kill him. Worf probably pictured himself murdering the guy in a dozen different ways, including how many people he'd have to kill if they get in his way, before his self control kicks in. Betazoid guy should be waking up in the middle of the night thinking about it sometimes.

Love the framed print on the wall above your choir.

I don't think the Omelas connection counts since that's such a hugely influential short story that it's like saying that every story in which two guys that don't get along at first but become fast friends after a dangerous quest is a rip-off of Gilgamesh.

If my partner had that reaction I would leave them. Run far away, holy shit

Awwww, Steve, never let 'em see you cry! Your wit, compassion and creative insight --- not glycerin tears --- are why we just can't quit you!

That's twice Steve has replied to my comments! I feel so noticed.

Episode 1 season 1 of Picard.. I was pulled out of that story the second 200yr old JLP “ran” up that set of stairs.. all I could think was, “why are they doing this to Patric Stuart?” He was more of an elder statesmen in TNG when he was at least 473 years younger.

Static Kling!

Delighted to hear you've read some Frederic Brown! Along with Clifford Simak, he's one of my favorite Golden Age || Silver Age? writers. Brown's shorts are legendary! Also, I love early Keith Laumer, dammit! Back on subject: Worf suffered from a bad case of "1st Season Justice League Superman" syndrome, characterized by the writers beating you down to show how tough the villains are. (He got better, cf "World of cardboard". Best speech that Superman ever gave.)

I think even with the Romulan infiltration in Picard Season 1 driving the synth ban, it doesn’t exactly absolve the Federation’s refusal to help the Romulans and turning down Picard’s idea for rescue fleet, and it doesn’t absolve the general treatment of ex-Borgs either. I actually wish the season, and maybe even season 2, had addressed the aftermath of both of those aspects of the story because Picard’s interview with that journalist did point to numerous Federation worlds and citizens showing prejudice towards Romulans because of the history and using that as part of the reason they made excuses to not go help, and the ex-Borgs suffered for those same kind of prejudice as well. I do think Star Trek sometimes gets a little too afraid of questioning the institution of Starfleet and the Federation, for fear that viewers will make the claim that “it’s not Star Trek” if the Federation isn’t portrayed as some perfect paradise.

Klingon Chef prefers to think of it not as a food court, but as a hip indoor night market. Thanks.

Re: SNW / Disco Klingon differences. This can be easily fixed by just having a Klingon say "It's a long story"

Adam Pranika of The Greatest Generation (and Greatest Trek) podcast coined the term, "Star Trek is a Place" to encapsulate a point made here. Star Trek is a setting from which a miriam (shoutout to my fellow Friends of DeSoto!) of stories can be told across multiple genres. While they may be homages, Strange New Worlds shows this as each episode tells a different type of story.

With regard to should ST inspire us with our potential or reflect us as we are - you're exactly right, it needs to be both. In fact, I would argue that it HAS to be both. We cannot truly aspire to be our best future selves unless we know who we actually are in the present.

I think I agree with SFDebris' take on the difference between Worf's honor and Klingon honor in general: honor on Klingon society is external. It is conferred upon you by your fellow Klingons and it is recognized by them. Worf's honor is internal. It can not be conferred upon him nor can it be stripped away, and it makes demands upon him that are fundamentally different than the demands of an external honor.

My big brother loves startrek for as long as I can remember, I even played with one of those old TNG Enterprise ships where you could flip open the saucer and use minis like polly pockets to be inside the ship. I even got him that little patch so he could have a hat just like yours!

Yeah Mar’Tok was a changeling until they found him in the Dominion prison camp in the Gamma Quadrant, he says he’s heard of Worf, not met him… whereas the first DS9 episode with Worf, Mar’Tok (the changeling) had a conversation with Worf

I never got the blood testing thing. As a changeling I would just get onboard ships and space station as a piece of equipment or clothing.

100% agree with your response to my comment. And thanks for the excellent content.

17:30 Alexander: The Klingon cousin Oliver

Love the dolls in the background! (This isn't a joke, I am genuinely in awe of the colection)

good to see them kling-on to the old version instead of the discovery version. i hope they explain that.

Episodic and serialized shows both have their advantages and disadvantages. But you don't have to only pick one. It's possible to get the best of both by having standalone episodes, but also having an ongoing arc. Strange New Worlds has done a great job with that so far. Not everything has to be serial escalation with more and more powerful bad guys, and higher stakes either. It's also nice to have slice of life episodes without any real stakes.

The "Who's Next?" line gave me a good giggle. Another great video.

with regards to infiltration, I think that's why Homefront and Paradise Lost work so well. They start off seeming like infiltration episodes and the twist is that they aren't.

Steve, I want you to know that I for one would 100% watch a multi-hour (or multi-day for that matter) video of you sharing every thought you ever had on each Star Trek show

I like the touch that the Klingon chef serves dead gagh to most Federation and Bajoran customers - because he knows they can’t handle the real thing he serves his Klingon customers (but he’s impressed and serves up when someone else demands the real thing). It’s a fairly accurate representation of a lot of immigrant run ethnic food restaurants in the West, and how they know they need to treat their dominant-culture customers different in what they default to serving than the members of their own community (the most obvious example being in levels of spicines, but often there are dishes that aren’t even on an English menu)

Oh, man, you've read the Jemisin story! I read that in her collection "How Long 'Til Black Future Month?" and I found the whole book tremendously moving... but I did that whole read in a hospital bed while I was hopped up on painkillers after knee surgery and I'm a bit afraid that some of my emotional reaction was because I was absolutely flying on drugs.

I missed the comments about Brian Thompson. But i will say this, he was great in his appearances in Buffy. Also the episode of Superboy where he played a golem that goes around killing Nazis, and briefly fighting Gerard Christopher's Superboy. Not the greatest episode but it's an adaptation of a comic story. Something Superboy did a bunch of times. For example, the episode where they introduce Bizarro is a direct adaptation of the silver age comic. Really underrated series once it got going. Season 1 isn't great, but still has some gems here and there. 2 improves in some areas, but is worse in others. 3 was basically a soft reboot, Clark is no longer attending Shuster University, and is now working in a city working for a government agency doing x-files shit. (Before x-files was created) Sorry to ramble, but it's such a forgotten show i talk about it any chance i get. It deserves to be mentioned with the other live-action Supermen. Especially if Smallville is mentioned. Superboy is still Clark Kent. But in this show he actually wears the suit (a modified version of Chris Reeve's suit. Since the show was produced by the Salkinds) and flies around thanks to the same team that made Reeve fly. (you may also recognise season 2-4's Lex Luthor aka Sherman Howard as the actor who appeared as Endar in the TNG's S4 episode "Suddenly Human", Syvar in the DS9 S3 episode "Shakaar", and T'Greth in Voyager s7 episode "Prophecy". In addition he provided additional voices for the video game Star Trek: Armada II. He was also Bub the zombie in Day of the Dead.

1:48 Hey Steve! What you said about Lower Decks not being funny was wrong! It wasn't a cheap shot 😂

So, copyright lawyers tend to be cautious and often err on the side of paying a little money to stave off costly litigation, even when it's fairly clear the studio would win. But I think it's important to stress that general story premises aren't copyrightable. You don't need to buy the rights to a broad concept like "there's a society where happiness for the majority rests on the suffering of an innocent person" or "a conflict between two peoples is resolved by champions facing off in single combat" or "there's a hidden school for wizards." On a planet with millions of writers there's nothing at all implausible about many people independently coming up with the same broad premise, and even when there is some degree of copying, it would be incredibly harmful and stifling to treat such broad ideas as legal (or even moral) property.

Re the serialised format of today Generally I prefer episode over a season building up to something. That does not mean I need EVERY show building up to something. We can have variety of type of shows.

What's the difference between a Klingon restaurant and a bait shop?

A shout out in a Trek Actually video! But Steve, my birthday isn't til Friday.

Are we sure Brian Bonsall didn't have anything to do with Alexander's character problems? He kind of did the same thing to Family Ties...

I enjoy wej Duj, from Lower Decks, I rewatch it constantly.

Hmmm, didn't Kurn have kids? Future Alexander mentioned cousins... Maybe their mom took them back to her father's House early in the dishonoring. Oh, you watching the best Voyager recaps ever too? Remember when he was an arse? I'm convinced Klingons should love cats. They're natural tribble hunters. Besides, the image in my brain of Martok holding a kitten whilst riding a batleth horse (moose) is epic. When you do something right no one knows you've done anything at all. Go Sloan!

I always interpreted Worf’s rigidity and stuffiness in the TNG days as conservative coding, but appreciated his arc through DS9 where he eventually let loose with Jadzia

Enjoyed a lot of this video was fun. Loved the if you can't work your way out of a bit just cry lol

Regarding Worf as a parent, watching the finale review of Picard3, I was struck by how much of a missed opportunity it was to not take these characters we love and tell their stories as parents in various forms. Even Data’s story could have been how a child is an amalgamation of its parents and compare that to the other children. Sadly of the two parents of the TV series, in 10 episodes, we got a single line referencing those children.

Trek Management, Please please please use the DS9 klingon makeup!!!

Re your point about everything bad being external to the Federation. What's weird is throughout Picard the Federation is treated like a grim-dark version of the Federation (whether all the lawless planets, Raffi's drug trailer, the idea Picard's son wouldn't be safe on Earth etc) but this change from TNG federation isn't commented on or used as you say for commentary. I think they created the edgy federation just because writing drama in a sci-fi universe where every planet is Tatooine takes less effort.

IIRC, there's a lot of wiggle room on the Prime Directive as it's not expressly ever actually explained in full, and it's as often as not ignored when it would be inconvenient for the plot of a given episode. I imagine there would be a "Field Guide" manual as thick as a brick on the topic--if Starfleet used bricks or books, that is. However, it is generally described as a rule about Starfleet not interfering in the _development_ of a culture. In Star Trek: Insurrection, once the crew realize the "primitive" culture they've been observing is, in fact, quite advanced but just kind of Amish about it, they don't seem to have any concerns about getting involved. Picard, of course, is happy to get shot with an arrow to prove a PD related point, but I kind of suspect he'd not have offered himself up if it had been a phaser or maybe even a Tommy gun.... (I think Tarantino could turn out an interesting "Oops, we screwed up the Prime Directive..." ST film. Live long and prosper, mofos.) Point being, the culture of Majalas seems pretty well developed, surpassing Starfleet at the medical quantum level, for instance. Pike "interfering" in their culture probably wouldn't evoke the PD even if we didn't have the example of Kirk handing out flintlocks like Nick Cage in Lord of War.

On the Klingon front, I'm happy to see Strange New Worlds evidently embracing the post-TMP/TNG/DS9/VOY era look - I'll admit to disliking the Kelvin/early Discovery looks probably at least partly because it's not what I was used to, but I also just...didn't like the new look in general. I don't blame either for doing what TMP did and changing up the look of Klingons, but I didn't like it so I am happy to see it switch back. I'm also one of those people who agrees with Steve that they didn't need to explain why Klingons changed from TOS to TMP, except maybe the throwaway bit in "Trials and Tribbleations" - ENT went too far with the weird augment storyline (even if it at least worked as a decent highlight for Phlox).

Learning that someone wrote a fuckin "If I was in omelas, I'd just beat up the bad guys and be the hero" story is the most...desiccating thing I've ever heard in my life.

Steve, I just finished watching the part of this video where you rant about some people posting 4 hour videos detailing their thoughts on some show from their childhoods, only to look over at the 'coming up next' list and see Jessie Gender's video on nostalgia not being enough, which clocks in at 3 hours and 12 min. No disrespect to either of you (you and Jessie are probably two of my favourite youtubers period) but I found that really ironic and humorous! XD

The correct way for Worf to handle the Kurn situation would have been to sit Kurn down and be like "Look. Our family loses and regains it's honor more often than O'Brian changes the plasma filters. Stop being a drama queen and just ride it out."

Worf and Alexander should've had a Kratos and Atreus dynamic

The other thing to remember when "armchair quartebacking" is that you have the advantage of seeing what was done and how it turned out. Even if you come up with your ideas immediately afterward (or even during), you have that advantage. And it only grows as time passes from the original work. Saying that you have a "better idea" two years (or two decades or whatever) later isn't really fair to the original writer because you have had that time to refine your ideas. The writers of the original episodes didn't have that luxury.

31:09 ah yes, I’ve seen Twin Peaks explained too

Aww, I'm so happy that I successfully convinced you of my _In the Pale Moonlight_ headcanon! :D That rain which came on a bit later has a really nice timbre to it too. It's relaxing rain, rather than annoying, temeritous, insistent rain.

I think many of the critics of Le'Guins story are coming from a perspective that doesn't allow them to see things from the authors point of view. The ones who walk away are not the good guys or the heroes, they are the ones that see a problem and ultimately choose to not help but remove themselves from an uncomfortable reality. I can't know this for sure, but I imagine that a woman who lived in through a large part of the 20th century has experienced many times other people choosing to walk away from injustice being inflicted on people like herself. Reflect on your life, how many times have you witnessed an injustice? Have you always injected yourself into that situation? Have you seen a girl or woman being harassed? If so did you stop it or did you walk away? Have you seen a little girl be systematically oppressed through social indoctrination? Did you speak up? Or mind your own business? We all see injustices great and small all the time I we are honest enough to admit it, almost all of us choose to walk away.

I’m wondering if Steve or folks in this community have recommendations about books or other resources on “behind the scenes” Trek (of any/all eras)? My wife and I recently finished a run through of all Trek TV and movies, and now that I’ve seen it all I’m really curious about the BTS activities that shaped what ultimately ended up on screen.

That's a good saying

I can confirm that the klingons of ds9 vid was up before the SNW trailer dropped

They’re gonna have the Klingots on Star Trek?! That’s cool! 😁

Sticking a baby or toddler in klingon makeup and prosthetics might take more time than they could even be allowed to work

Is there a resemblance between the Prime Directive and Asimov's Laws of Robotics? A set of rules that exists because it sets up stories, not because the author thinks it's a good idea?

Here's probably the only Federation infiltration storyline that might be still doable: Non-Federation oppressive government (take your pick) sends an operative in on a long-term plan. Over time that operative finds that they are increasingly more loyal to the Federation, and eventually abandons the original plan altogether to just live the life they have. Final scene shows the operative's command just after the orders were given, revealing that they are just sending them to get rid of a potential Federation sympathizer from their midst, to avoid internal strife and maintain their autocratic control. This could easily be set, at the beginning of the episode, during the runs of either TNG or DS9 (the plot feels very Romulan), with the scenes stretching over many years into the present of the Picard era. There could be scenes of them reading reports of some well known episodes, layer in a few seconds of audio from the episode for more casual fans to get the reference. But make it mean something, like some battle audio The Siege of AR-558 for a show of sympathy and caring.

That album cover comment was an entire narrative

18:20 A character being treated like something that needed to be sidelined? Are we talking about Alexander or are we talking about the O'Brien family?

Absolutely

Watching this video, and contemplating "In thePale Moonlight", I wonder: is Sisko Section 31 material?

Somebody might have mentioned this, but the way you describe the plot of Picard Season 1 makes me realize we can go further in that critique. The show might have been mentioned a lot of topical issues, but the subtext of the season is that disgruntled refugees are here to sway our ethics and make us weak.

Anybody know how many years Leonard Nimmo played Doctor Spock?

I laughed at the dry "there you go andrew"

The prime directive has a major flaw. Its pretty cut and dry as far as pre-warp cavillations go, leave them the alone. But " no Starfleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture." Who defines normal and healthy, by my reckoning using children as infrastructure is not healthy, but as we can see plenty of people think child labor is just fine. The prime directive has never been explicitly defined within canon though. I always thought it primarily referred to not giving tech to less advanced civilizations. This version of the prime directive would also explain why we don't get contact from aliens. If the federation existed out there they would have a strict no talking to the dumb monkeys policy.

I missed something about the Jonathan Majors quip.

Re: your predilection for long seasons. While I share it, I did come across a drawback in a recent interview with Brent Spiner. In it the Data actor talked about the very difficult hours TNG required and how it led to some of the worst acting he's ever done with the episode Masks. So maybe to some degree less is more.

Apropos Omelas/Majalis and the Prime Directive: I think there's a strong fallibilist case for the Prime Directive, i.e., societies are complex with institutions and dynamics that evolve over long periods of time, which outsiders are unlikely to understand well the consequences of disrupting via external intervention. But the idea of societies "having a right to arrange themselves differently" is sort of incoherent. Not just because "societies" as a whole aren't the sort of things that have rights (barring some sort of collective consciousness maybe) but because it's already a thorny value-laden question when a "society has arranged itself" that way meaningfully. If a small ruling class impose a social order on an unwilling majority via coercion, has "the society" chosen to "arrange itself" that way? What if a bare majority nominally consent because the rulers monopolize media and extract that consent by deception and propaganda? If those don't count, you've already basically imported the conditions of liberal democracy. What if a distinct regional population claims to be its own "society" and wishes to "arrange" its affairs differently from the species at large? Deciding what counts as a "society with the right to arrange themselves differently" already requires "imposing" a pretty elaborate value structure.

Old shows and streaming services - According to the info that's been released, IIRC Voyager gets more viewers than DS9, and Friends is one of the most watched shows on its network. And this makes sense. If I want to watch a Voyager episode, I'm committing to watching 45-90 minutes of drama. If I want to watch a DS9 episode, that's _just_ serialized enough that it feels like I'm committing to watching 6,930 minutes. Give or take Profit and Lace, because oh my god Profit and Lace. ...Though doesn't prime time soaps from the 80s act against this point? Maybe it's just because of how serialized UK and Australian soaps I'm more familiar with are, but 'episodic' is not the adjective I'd use to describe that genre. (But, yeah, if you look at the timeline - Netflix started doing original programming in 2013. Game of Thrones was 2011. US television was already trending towards serialization prior to streaming. And that's before we get into non-US television where there's always been a bit of a mix between episodic and serialised shows, no matter the audience - As an example, my PFP is the title card from a serialized children's cartoon from the early 90s - S1 was a 13 episode adaptation of a novel, S2 was a 13 episode adaptation of the next three novels in the series. I forget which novels were used for S3. Some episodes ended on a cliffhanger, some were more standalone within the larger narrative. And some were the source of childhood trauma for some folk in my generation in the same way Watership Down was for a some of Gen X folk. Infant fieldmice getting impaled on a thorn bush by a Shrike/European Butcher Bird as their mother watches and weeps and their father helplessly fails to console her. Good times~) Infiltration - You mentioned there not being any tension for how things are going to turn out. I, honestly, struggle with that for any 'the world is in danger' plotlines in any long running franchises, and the larger the stakes the more this is a problem for me. The larger the stakes, the harder it is for me to pretend you'll let the villains win, and the less tension I feel when I think about the story. And for a serialized story? This is a huge problem, since you're giving me periods between episodes to think about the story. I think it's why for Doctor Who my favourite episodes tend to be the ones where the stakes aren't a major city, or Earth, or the galaxy, or the universe, or at the most extreme I think it's gotten all universes. But where it's smaller - A small town, a coach trip, a family, a single life. Because that's the sort of stakes that you _can_ show as being lost in a long-running show, meaning there's dramatic tension there beyond what I pretend exists as a viewer. Because I'm not pretending like I don't know how it's going to end, I genuinely don't know. Star Trek's never going to blow up Earth the same way it blew up Vulcan or Romulus, depending on the timeline. When they're doing present day stuff, they're not going to destroy the Federation. When the stakes are that high, the stakes drop to nothing. The stakes in Best of Both Worlds wasn't "Will the Borg Cube destroy/assimilate Earth?" - That was a given as a no. The stakes were "Will Picard remain assimilated?" Because leaving him assimilated, or ending with him dead? That's something a show might do, particularly an ensemble show.

Ever wonder what happened to Kurn? I'll bet you dollars to Terry Matalas' doughnuts that this will be an episode of Star Trek: Legacy, probably a two parter, and the Trekosphere will reek of fanjizz for weeks.

Regarding Klingons, there have been so many variations over the years. And there would naturally be a lot of diversity among hybrids in an empire that has conquered countless worlds. Aside from that, ever since "The Trouble with Tribbles," Klingons have been shown to be adept at plastic surgery. For all we know, some of the variations are purely cosmetic. Here are the variations of Klingons so far: * TOS dark-skinned Klingons * TOS light-skinned Klingons * TAS pink uniforms * TMP single-ridge Klingons * TSFS/TVH bumpy headed Klingons * TFF much less prominent single-ridge Klingons * TUC diverse array of forehead styles, including bald Klingons, with pink blood * Berman-era house specific foreheads, along with ridged noses, ridged feet, and backs * Into Darkness bald Klingons with forehead jewelry * DSC season one wartime bald Klingons with large heads, talons, recessed ears, and different skin colors * DSC season two the same, but with peacetime hair and smaller heads And, who said there weren't other Klingons in DSC seasons one and two? Just because they weren't on screen or there wasn't some drama-draining exposition scene doesn't mean they weren't there. It's the same as the fact that we never really needed an explanation for the difference between the TOS and Westmore Klingons. It was a cute joke on DS9, but utterly unnecessary in ENT. All it did was set a precedent that any degree of change would be met with frothing demands from the most pedantic fans. Regarding the culture of the DSC Klingons, aside from the fact that T'Kuvmah's followers were explicitly described as following a cult leader, tactics like spycraft with disguises, sectarian conflict between houses, and codes of honor that conflict with how 21st century Western world codes of honor have been portrayed have plenty of precedent in TOS, and the Berman-era, already. Not only that, but both Ronald D. Moore and the DSC writers used the same novel as a major influence for how the Klingons were portrayed: The Final Reflection (memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Final_Reflection)