[Stormy]

Oh, crap! I forgot to watch it. I'll be back later for my take!

Yes, I'm quoting my own post! Basically to take up where I left off.

I did read a couple of the posts before exiting and turning on the TV, which gave me hope that this episode showed some sense of turning the series around.

I was not disappointed.

1. While Burnham is still too much the focus, she did share the spotlight with others a little better. Now, if they would just strip her of her rank again and send her to prison like they should have from the beginning we will have a really good show.

2. In my opinion, Captain Pike stole the show. Anson Mount is a superb choice for Pike and understands the character well. They have to find a way to keep him there.

3. The storyline was much better as well. I agree with previous posts that this one was much more Trek-like than previous episodes. In #4 I'll tell you why I think that is. Anyway, the guest actors were all superb and sold the story beautifully, especially Jacob!

4. And now why I think this one was more Trek-like. It's simple. Jonathan Frakes directed the show. He understands Star Trek and has lived it much of his life now. He knows what Trekkies (Trekkers, Treksters, whatever) expect from Star Trek. Well done, Mr. Frakes.

5. I did not like Saru in the beginning. Didn't really like anything about him. As the series has gone on, I find myself liking him more and more each week. I can admit when I am wrong, and in this case I believe my initial reaction to him was at fault. I am glad I have got to know him better. Sometimes, a first impression can be your worst enemy. Everyone deserves a chance to prove themself and Saru has proven to be an integral part of this show. (I still really hold no hope for Burnham. I can only hope they ship her off to the new spinoff to join her previous captain.)

[Sul-Matuul]

I loved this episode.

Went back to the basics with Trek, exploring something unknown with some cool moral decisions to make and also a decent amount of world building for past events too. Plus it fleshed out some more characters as well which was nice and it was really and action episode either.

Some nice light comedy aspects too and the bigger mystery really has me hooked now. I'm guessing that this "angel" is pointing out people(?) or whatever that are in peril? I mean so far 2 out of 2 encounters have strongly indicated it's showing them to a location where someone needs saving, and there's even suggestion it has saved people in the past itself. Not sure how thatwill play out yet, can't remember if it saved the ship in the first episode (unless it caused the crash to save it from the Klingons?).

If they keep that standard going this will be one heck of a season.

[Sul-Matuul]

I thought it was cool how it wasn’t actually Burnham who ended up breaking the rules but the Captain. It was such a Burnham thing to do, go break silence with a temporally displaces person as she feels they deserve to know the truth. Having Pike do it was a nice change and caught me off guard.

[LogicalLeopard]

1) Burnham is a lot like Spock or Seven, very smart and forward enough to offer their views or criticism. Which is kind of what you want in Starfleet, like Pike said, as long as you're giving alternatives and not crapping on ideas. But yeah, I understand that can be annoying for some. Especially if you know someone in real life like that. *L*

2) I thought the same when I first saw the scene, but I thought maybe there was an element of drift that I couldn't make out with the graphics. I guess though, looking back at it, it is probably very difficult to drive a starship in a tight circle between hurtling rocks in a ring of debris in the middle of a gravity well, though. I think the last is what makes it the most difficult, because you have to get the right amount of thrusters to compensate for the gravity of the planet and do your maneuver safely.

3) Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing. How is this not hurting the planet somehow? But I suppose it probably caused some tidal waves and stuff in some areas, but the planet is sparsely inhabited.