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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody (2023)
I like Musicals!
So, since so many ratings below 6-Stars seem to be by people hating musicals, here's a bit of a lower rating from someone loving musicals (normally!).
The combination of "Hitch-hikers Guide to the galaxy" and some classic 60s charm is...well, charming. I love "The Orville" because of the combination of the Seriousness of...well, being in Space and also the "Trekkiness". This Episode had lot's of these things as well, but the explanation felt lacklustre and just some technobabble - i mean, yes, there are probably impossible combinations in the multiverse of...variants, but a Universe where everyone sings is a bit far fetched - i mean, where does the orchestra/melody come from?
Overall, i liked the episode, but this is something i do hope they don't repeat (even though i actually liked most songs). And singing isn't necessarily unprecedented in Star Trek history and i don't mind it at all, but a whole episode...i think DS9 did it a lot better.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Charades (2023)
Very mixed bag
This Episode is a mixed bag. I've been fascinated by the Idea of Vulcans, Vulcan Society and read most books that honor Nimoys Vision of Vulcans.
I love the premise of this episode and i also love the idea of a half Vulcan having to deal with things he doesn't understand. But the way this has been done in this episode is...disappointing to say the least.
To roll this up from behind, first of all: Vulcans shouldn't have Sex on a whim - or at least not without any explanation as to why the whole premise of Pon Farr has been thrown out the window. I'm not going to begin what i think about Spock loving Chapell...
Then there's the way T'Pril acts. ENT did one hell of a good job solidifying how Vulcans act. T'Pol's Mother was a PITA as well, but...in a very different way and a lot more along the lines of what i expect a Vulcan PITA (difficult to describe, it just felt very forced in this episode)...Spock's Speech at the end was good, but it could have been so much better and "weightier".
Ethan Peck is doing a hell of a job, Anson Mount as well.
As i said, i like the premise and the idea, but overall this was not a very good episode.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: A Quality of Mercy (2022)
I'll happyliy admit that i have been wrong!
After J. J. Abrams and everything that followed after, Star Trek was pretty much dead to me.
I never thought Kurtzman and Goldsman were capable of anything like this. I actually didn't even watch more than two episodes of Discovery and stopped watching Picard after four episodes.
I gave Discovery another chance and watched the episodes where Pike was "lend" to Discovery and while i did think the Writing was subpar, Anson Mount did a bang on job as Pike.
So i gave SNW a shot, even though the horrors of the first Picard Season still rang hard. And i was blown away - yes, there are a few duds and a few...odds and ends that don't line up properly, but this episode? Holy moly. The Tie ins to TOS are incredibly well done, it's faithful but it's...well, it's own thing. It's a variation of reality, so to say and it's incredibly good.
I'm still a bit on the fence about Kirk, but he actually reminds me a bit of young Shatner.
I've been getting my Star Trek Fix on The Orville, as Seth did one hell of a good job of capturing the essence. I just hope that we get more of this. Oh and...just, "new" Stuff. If it has to be stuff from the established canon, do it like this. If you want something new...well, the Star Trek Universe is big enough, even with some established things.
Loki: Glorious Purpose (2023)
I gave up on good Series...
...and was utterly blown away by this. I'm a Sci-Fi Geek, a Nerd...and all those things you would have called a kid in the early 2000's that loved Star Trek, liked tech and so on. TV Series that really spoke to me have been rare. In the last 10 years, there was maybe one or two series, that i'd actually rate above 5. The Orville comes to mind, Dark Matter and to some extend Agents of Shield...and that's pretty much it.
Then the Marvel Movies came and while they where far from perfect, they've been quite good. I enjoyed them. Sci-Fi with Heart that doesn't take itself all to serious - i liked it.
But, the whole shebang with making money took some of the charm away from most Marvell Movies and most new ones failed to get a deep connection with the Characters. What if, Wandavision, Hawkey and so on...they where all okay, but they didn't grip me. I wasn't glued to the TV, aching to get the new "fix". Then came Loki. I liked Loki in the Movies and I'm an absolute sucker for continuity, especially if it's woven in to the story.
Season 1 gripped me already, it was great. It had a few little flaws here and there, some episodes that didn't feel all that great, but many, did the second season deliver and holy moly, this episode was just the cherry on top. IF this was the last Season and we do not get anymore of Loki - so be it, this End was perfect in every way and i wouldn't even be mad. (However - i much prefer if we get a 3rd Season, maybe even a 4th)
Mobius, B-15, O. B.'s Arc ended absolutely great. All the actors delivered and did an outstanding job.
Tom Hiddleston is...I'm unable to put it into words, other than utterly glorious. Tom has so much emotional depth and it resonates so much with Loki and he has absolute power on the screen over his delivery. It's absolutely wonderful. The last scene captures everything this Loki has become. Tom delivered those centuries of relentless trying absolutely perfect and believable.
The writing has also been utterly fantastic. As mentioned above, i'm a sucker for continuity, however, I also love pooling together heart and science. Science, Fiction, Storytelling, Philosophy, Dreaming, Art and so on are interwoven. They depend on each other, one doesn't work that great without the other. All of that together give great world building.
But on top of that, the twists where i as viewer felt Loki develop and not do what i would expect are amazing.
And to top it all off..it just doesn't feel "over the top", it feels absolutely believable, the character development Loki had throughout is absolutely palpable.
And now I'm starting to not have any words left to describe this utterly awesome series.
I even go so far calling this the best series ever made. And probably the best season (if not series) Finale ever.
This is better than the WHOLE MCU by far. This is how story telling is done.
The Orville: Midnight Blue (2022)
Blown away
After ST:ENT ended, there have been a few shows that grabbed me, but never pulled me in completely. Dark Matter was great to watch, SGU wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but i found it interesting and liked to watch...and so on.
But overall - i've been longing for a positive Sci-Fi show. Star Trek came back and PIC buried my childhood love for Star Trek. Been a huge Star Trek fan ever since i watched reruns on TOS, TNG, DS9 and VOY. I gave DSC's first Episode a Chance but felt so disconnected and disjointed, that i stopped watching. Gave Season 2 a chance, it was "okay-ish", but far away from what i want from a Sci-Fi Show to fill that void left by Star Trek and other "feel-good" shows. But i couldn't get myself to watch Season 3 of DSC and also buried all hope Star Trek will ever reach the intelligence and sophistication the "old" Shows had. PIC nailed the coffin shut for me - after drilling out that Eye, i immediately turned off the Episode and stopped watching. Star Trek died that day completely for me. I have absolutely no interest any more in any of it. (Except that new Game set in the TNG Time period...that looked phenomenal story wise)
Anyway - long story short, The Orville came along and this Episode is probably the one the cemented The Orville actually above Star Trek. It's Babylon 5 level good - no, it's even better. It has everything and this Episode made me cry. The redemption arc Klyden has is absolute stellar, Mercers wit and diplomatic fineness puts him above Picard for me (and before PIC i was a huge TNG Picard fanboy), the overall pacing of the episode is great, the VFX is phenomenal...the earth shots are beautiful (granted, there are a few VFX shots with the shuttle that could be improved a bit..) and oh my god, that Soundtrack...and the fact that this Episode made me absolute lose it, which not much has done, is astonishing.
I love the Orville and hope it gets the Universe it deserves with everything and beyond Star Trek. We, as Humans, need positive Sci-Fi and a Future to strive forward to. Especially now more than ever before...