How Authentic a Trek Show is This?

  • This feels like the real deal!

    Votes: 1 10.0%
  • Have these guys even watched the original series?

    Votes: 9 90.0%
  • I'm still on the fence

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    10

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Watch the full panel, "Introducing Star Trek: Discovery," featuring Mary Chieffo (L'Rell), Sam Vartholomeos (Ensign Connor), Kenneth Mitchell (Kol), and Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber) from Creation Entertainment's Star Trek Official Convention in Las Vegas, held on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. Star Trek: Discovery will premiere in the U.S. on CBS All Access Sunday, Sept. 24, following a broadcast premiere on the CBS Television Network.



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The crew of the USS Discovery - Anthony Rapp (Lt. Paul Stamets), Shazad Latif (Lt. Ash Tyler), Mary Wiseman (Cadet Silvia Tilly) - talk mysterious science, being a POW in Star Trek, and fear of the Klingons.


 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
I am finding more examples of fans trying to explain the Discovery Klingon discrepancy.

Will post them as I find them, for a bit of fun.....

Such as this.....


There are hints that Discovery era Klingons were found on a mausoleum ship so they would have been isolated from the virus. They are relics from an even older era of Klingon.

"Ancient Klingons waking up from cryo storage" is what I've heard. Not sure if I believe it.

What if a group a Klingons, lets say a Subspecies reacted differently on the Augment Virus. Instead of devolping a more human appearance, they degenerated into a past phenotype in their Evolution, which had a more advanced Exosceleton.

From what I remember of that episode, the virus was spreading but didn't reach all of the Klingon empire. So we probably have two main groups, those with ridges and those without. It can also be an alternate timeline/mirror universe. Discovery can take place in the mirror universe that Star Trek 2009 film (and sequels) take place in. Now some might argue that the differing factor was Nero, but in the original universe Kirk was born in Iowa on Earth. In the 2009 film, they did not look to be anywhere near Earth (I could be wrong). In the Discovery trailer I saw, they looked rather similar to the Klingons from Into Darkness versus the "usual" Klingons from the TNG, Voyager, DS9 and Enterprise series. So my theory is, this is a mirror universe from Enterprise and the virus could've had a different effect on the Klingons. Or cranial reconstruction surgery was a thing like others have mentioned. Some Klingons could have waited until there was a way to genetically reverse it for whatever reason.

Discovery is confirmed to take place in the prime universe. I think we're sadly just going to have to stuff it all under "artistic license".

Aren't the Klingons we see on the ship supposed to be very old klingons? maybe even having been in cryostatic suspension, this would mean they might predate the virus that took away their ridges

An attempt to cure the virus?
 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Star Trek: Discovery’s Klingon may look unfamiliar for a reason

The theory behind their “new” look


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After months and months of waiting, CBS finally released the first trailer for Star Trek: Discovery yesterday (seen above) and one aspect stood out above all the rest: the Klingon’s new look.

The most notable difference between many of the Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery and the look of Klingons in, say, Star Trek: The Next Generation, as seen in the prosthetic makeup on Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf is the lack of ridges on the new Klingons’ foreheads. Unlike Worf, seen below, their foreheads are smooth, which has led to many fans theorizing that this is an ancient group of Klingons that slowly died out.


These ancient Klingons belonged to a group of alienated people who encountered humans on the edge of Federation space. In 2154, a group of Klingons managed to get their hands on Human Augments, a genetic material they used to try and improve their own genetic makeup. While this helped the Klingons become stronger and more intelligent, it also degraded their physical makeup. When one of the affected Klingons came down with a Levodian flu, the combination of the sickness and the genetic differences created an airborne, fatal plague that spread from world to world. This is all confirmed in Star Trek: Enterprise, one of the Star Trek series that happens to pre-date the Original Series.

It was in the early stages of this plague that these Klingons lost the ridges on their foreheads. It was only with the help of the Enterprise’s Dr. Phlox that a cure for the plague was discovered. Star Trek: The Original Series takes place in 2364, but again, Star Trek: Enterprise takes place before that. Considering Discovery takes place before the events of the original series, which focused on Captain James T. Kirk and his crew aboard the Enterprise, and just after Star Trek: Enterprise, the timeline allows the theory to potentially come to fruition.

The only counterargument is that the Klingons in the original series most likened humans. We know that because of the genetic mutation, they began to look more normal before a cure was found. If this is the storyline that CBS wants to take Discovery in, that will need to be addressed as these Klingons aren’t as similar to humans as their later counterparts.



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One other interesting aspect about the ancient group of Klingons that should be acknowledged is how religious they were. In the trailer, it seems like the Klingons have gathered together for a religious ceremony. Combined with the lack of ridges on their forehead, it seems to suggest that one of the focal points of the series — along with the crew of the U.S.S Discovery — may be the ancient Klingons trying to save their quickly vanishing species.

Former showrunner Bryan Fuller mentioned that Discovery would focus on an important event from the original series that wasn’t ever examined in-depth, but didn’t mention anything specific about the Klingon race at the time.

Star Trek: Discovery will launch this fall on CBS’ stand-alone app, CBS All Access.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
When you have to over sell the stupid idea you made in production, it further proves it was a stupid idea. If you're going to change the appearance, give us the simple statement of "they're an offshoot, different evolutionary path", and explain that in a way that anyone can understand. I realize they explained it this way, but the fact that we have this many people putting forward their own theories means they must not have been clear enough. That, or as is want to happen in fandoms, people just want to put their own two cents in, just because.

I thought about going on a rant about the amount of fan theory videos on YouTube, but this didn't feel like the time for that. And I felt my blood pressure rising.
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
Paramount got away with one drastic change in the Klingons' appearance by explaining it in ENTERPRISE.
I never had an issue with the original change in appearance. I was happy with the understanding that the way Klingons appeared in the first movie was intended to be viewed as the way they had always appeared but were restricted by makeup limitations at the time the original series was filmed. My imagination was good enough to pretend that they had ridges when I rewatched the original series.

This change is unnecessary and seems to be done just because they can. It wouldn't be an issue if they'd gone with a future Star Trek era, but as a prequel to the original series (and only 10 years prior) it just comes across as unbelievable.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“Star Trek: Discovery” S2 Storyline Planned


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It seems early plans for the second season of CBS All Access’ upcoming “Star Trek: Discovery” series are already under consideration even before the first season goes to air next month.

As we know, a war with the Klingons will serve as the main plot arc of the first season – a war that series lead Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) plays a key role in initiating.

Executive producer Alex Kurtzman tells Digital Spy that the character is an expert on alien races and has an obsession of sorts with Klingons:


“She is fascinated and fixated on alien races; particularly the Klingons, for reasons that we’ll come to understand are very personal for her. Given the fact that we’re at war with the Klingons in the show, she’s going to have a lot to say and do about it.”

Kurtzman then says that a second season will tackle the aftermath of the skirmish with the Klingons:

“Each season needs to be about a different thing. I wouldn’t necessarily want to bring the Klingon War into season two. However, the results of the war are going to allow for a lot of new storytelling that will be the result of everything that happens and the people that are left behind; the casualties, the things that have grown in Starfleet as a result of the war. That’s what we’ll inherit in the second season.”

“Star Trek: Discovery” premieres on CBS and CBS All Access on Sunday, September 24th and will be available the following day on Netflix around much of the rest of the world.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Star Trek: Discovery's Second Season Won't Continue The Klingon War


Star Trek: Discovery may not be the anthology series it was originally pitched as, but each season will still have its own distinct story to tell.

Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman says that the Klingon War that is the focus on Star Trek: Discovery’s inaugural season won’t be the cornerstone of the show for its entire run.


"Each season needs to be about a different thing," he tells Digital Spy. "I wouldn't necessarily want to bring the Klingon War into season two.”

Kurtzman goes on to say that doesn’t mean that each season stands alone either.

"However, the results of the war are going to allow for a lot of new storytelling that will be the result of everything that happens and the people that are left behind; the casualties, the things that have grown in Starfleet as a result of the war. That's what we'll inherit in the second season,” he says.

Kurtzman has also stated that more Star Trek series may be in the works, including a version of Bryan Fuller’s original anthology pitch for Star Trek: Discovery.

"I think that's totally possible," Kurtzman says. "It was a really cool idea, but it wasn't necessarily an idea that everyone immediately agreed with."

While Kurtzman may already be considering a second season for Star Trek: Discovery, some fans are skeptical of the show now even before its debut and at least one of the show's stars is looking forward to the fan outrage.

CBS has high expectations of the new Star Trek series, as they have touted it as being partially responsible for taking the CBS All Acces streaming service to the next level.

Set 10 years prior to the five-year mission of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery follows the adventures of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new lifeforms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself. The series will feature a new ship, new characters, and new missions while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers.

Star Trek: Discovery will debut on Sept. 24.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Star Trek: Discovery's Jason Isaacs Is Looking Forward To Trekkie Outrage


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Though the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery is still more than a month away, the series has already raised the ire of certain fans of the franchise, and that's something that at least one of the show’s stars is actually looking forward to experiencing.

Jason Isaacs, the Harry Potter alum who will play Captain Gabriel Lorca of the Starship USS Discovery, tells the New York Daily News that he’s not at all concerned with backlash from hardcore Star Trek fans.


“I don't mean to sound irreverent when I say I don't care about the die-hard Trekfans,” Isaacs said at a Los Angeles event. “I only ‘don't care’ about them in the sense that I know they’re all going to watch anyway. I look forward to having the fun of them being outraged, so they can sit up all night and talk about it with each other.”

For Isaacs, Discovery is changing what it means to be Star Trek.

“It's Star Trek, but not as we know it,” he said. “There are places obviously where they’ve observed canon to do with things like uniforms and badges and stuff, but there are places where the rules of storytelling are reinvented.”

Star Trek: Discovery's cast and crew have made no secret of the fact that it plans to take Star Trek to new places. The series will be fully serialized and have no standalone episodes, could kill off some of its main characters, and will discard at least one of Gene Roddenberry's golden rules.

We'll find out if the series can withstand fans' apprehension when the series debuts on September 24th.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
New Star Trek series will abandon Gene Roddenberry’s cardinal rule

For the first time, a Trek series will show main characters in a negative light.


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Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a lot of strict rules for writers on his shows. Some, like the requirement that both female and male officers be called "sir," were thrown out a while ago (Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Kathryn Janeway, wanted to be called "ma'am"). Now, with forthcoming series Star Trek: Discovery, we're about to see one of Roddenberry’s most cherished rules bite the dust.

When Roddenberry first framed his ideas for the Star Trek universe, he wanted to be sure that writers would emphasize the Utopian aspects of future life in the Federation. Some of that Utopianism was hardwired into the show's basic premise, in which money, war, and racial discrimination are things of the distant past. But Roddenberry wasn't satisfied with that—he wanted characters whose behavior was exemplary, too.


So he made a rule, which endured long after his death, that main characters were not allowed to mistreat each other or have conflicts that weren’t quickly resolved. Writers for the various series also weren't allowed to show characters being malevolent or cruel. Of course, there were exceptions. Aliens or non-crew members could be as awful as the writers wanted, as could protagonists whose minds were being controlled by outside forces. (This helps explain why our heroes are always being possessed or hopping over to the Mirror Universe.)



After decades of complaints about these constraints from producers, Star Trek: Discoveryshowrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg have decided to abandon Utopia for something they consider a little more realistic. On this streaming series, debuting on CBS All Access this September, our protagonists won't always be nice. Their behavior won't be worthy of emulation, and their conflicts will get out of control.

"The thing we're taking from Roddenberry is how we solve those conflicts,” Harberts told Entertainment Weekly. "So we do have our characters in conflict, we do have them struggling with each other, but it's about how they find a solution and work through their problems."

Harberts and Berg are also chucking the "planet/alien/giant space object of the week" format that's long been a staple of Star Trek storytelling. Instead, there will be a seasonal arc, with character-driven plotlines. You can expect something like The Expanse or Battlestar Galactica, in which multiple plots play out over the entire season, rather than self-contained adventures each week.

There's risk in doing this, because one of Star Trek's main lures has always been its relentless optimism even when things go pretty dark (see, for example, Deep Space Nine). Plenty of science fiction franchises already deal in gritty realism, and it's possible that audiences won't take to the idea that Star Trek is now one of them. That said, conflict will always be part of human life. What could be more Utopian than telling stories about people overcoming genuine, entrenched conflict rather than avoiding conflict altogether?
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Les Moonves say Star Trek: Discovery is terrific

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Perhaps the man whose opinion means the most, CBS CEO Les Moonves has viewed the first six episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.

In this business, you want to keep your fans and viewers happy, but you NEED to keep the man cutting the checks happy too. According to early returns, Star Trek: Discovery has made CBS chief exectutive officer Les Moonves very happy indeed.


“You have all heard quite a bit about the debut of Star Trek: Discovery next month,” Moonves said. “I have now seen the first six episodes and I can assure you that it is terrific. It is the perfect vehicle to take All Access to the next level and beyond.”
The timing of Discovery’s launch coinciding with the NFL’s regular season is a strategic move, according to Moonves.

“With a full season of NFL, Star Trek: Discovery, and more and more original programming and every episode of every CBS show on CBS this fall, and international expansion, we are just getting started with All Access,” Moonves said. “This fall with Star Trek, the NFL and new programming we really think it should grow quite a bit.”
Many fans are loudly opposed to CBS putting Discovery on CBS All Access, a subscription based service which costs $5.99 ($9.99 for the commercial-free version). So much so, in fact, that many fans claim they’re going to completely skip the series altogether.

Mind you, a range of $12 to $20 (depending on how much you like commercials) for the first half of the season is equivalent to buying a movie ticket (and adding popcorn if you don’t like commercials). This influx of cash from All Access has made it easier to put a movie-style budget into Discovery and attract talent which otherwise may have been inaccessible.


For the price of a beer (and maybe a hot dog) at a baseball game, a well-funded project more than a decade in the making can get a nice long leash with big network support.

And supporting this show is something CBS is clearly doing, if Les Moonves’ enthusiasm is any indication.
 
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