Posted on 09/08/2017 10:38:52 AM PDT by Red Badger
Exclusive: ‘The Klingons are going to help us look at certain sides of ourselves and our country’
Star Trek: Discovery will continue the venerated sci-fi tradition of using a fantastic setting to tackle real-world issues — only in a bigger way than any Trek series has done before.
The upcoming CBS All Access drama tells the serialized story of a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. The show is set a decade before 1966’s original series — which premiered 51 years ago today — during which the Federation and Klingons were in a Cold War standoff that reflected yesteryear’s U.S.-Soviet relations. In Discovery, war breaks out and the Klingons leading the charge have some ideological ideas inspired by the 2016 electoral divide.
“The allegory is that we really started working on the show in earnest around the time the election was happening,” showrunner Aaron Harberts says. “The Klingons are going to help us really look at certain sides of ourselves and our country. Isolationism is a big theme. Racial purity is a big theme. The Klingons are not the enemy, but they do have a different view on things. It raises big questions: Should we let people in? Do we want to change? There’s also the question of just because you reach your hand out to someone, do they have to take it? Sometimes, they don’t want to take it. It’s been interesting to see how the times have become more of a mirror than we even thought they were going to be.”
While such topics have been explored across Star Trek‘s six previous series and 700 episodes before, the serialized nature of Discovery‘s 15-episode debut season allows for a greater depth of storytelling. “The thing about the war is it takes Starfleet and the Federation and forces them to examine their ideas and ethical rules of conflict and conduct,” Harberts says. “It provides a backdrop to how we want to be as a society and that analysis and self-reflection is new for Trek. They’ve done it in certain episodes in the past, but this is a true journey for the institution in itself.”
“In times of stress and conflict it can bring out the best of us and the worst of us,” adds fellow showrunner Gretchen J. Berg. “But but ultimately brings out the best in our Starfleet officers.”
The Toronto-based production is currently shooting its 13th episode, and producers note that President Donald Trump’s tense stand-off with North Korea has some reflections in the show as well.
“North Korea is in our thoughts as we finish the series,” he says. “What began as a commentary on our own divided nation — in terms of Trump supporters and non-Trump supporters — has blown out to North Korea and how we’re right on the brink. [The U.S. is] actually right at the place where Starfleet finds itself in episode one and we couldn’t have anticipated that happening. But how do you end conflict when both sides have such strong opinions?”
In the series, Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) plays First Officer Michael Burnham, an ambitious Starfleet officer whose carefully planned career is upended when she makes a decision with far-reaching consequences. The Klingon characters are led by T’Kuvma (Chris Obi), a leader of an ancient Klingon house who goes to extreme measures to unite his people. Star Trek has a long history of allegorical commentary, including Deep Space Nine’s “Past Tense” (which tackled the separation of economic classes), Voyager‘s “Workforce” (labor issues), and The Original Series‘ “A Private Little War” (the Vietnam War).
Here’s the latest trailer:
Star Trek: Discovery debuts on CBS on Sept. 24 before switching to the CBS All Access streaming service.
Check youtube and most people think Star Trek: Discovery is going to be Star Trek: Disaster
Star Trek: The Wrath of Trump....................................
Racial purity is an evil goal and an unattainable one. What attracts me to Klingons is their sense of honor and self sacrifice.
I was ambivalent about watching Star Trek Discovery. Now I won’t.
Dr. Bashir of Deep Space 9 was the closest I could think of, because there are no religious humans in that show.
Bodacious translated into Klingon is bodacious.
Sure, Worf was both honorable and tolerant of humans, but in the new series, the Empire will be portrayed as just a bunch of bitter Klingons, clinging to their bat’leths and their Way of Kahless, eager to eviscerate anyone who looks different from them.
This is an interesting choice for the flagship show of the new subscriber-only CBS Access station.
Might be a good time to short CBS and National Amusement ( formerly Viacom).
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Sounds like they are gonna try and make season 1 of "Enterprise" look good in comparison.
Even worse than this idiotic reinvented Klingons idea is the show wants us to buy the idea that Sarek "adopted" a black female from earth and Spock had this human stepsister raised with him all this time that he never mentioned and we never heard about until Discovery. Naturally, the long lost stepsister is first officer of the Discovery and the "lead character" of the show.
Defenders of STD are trying to justify it by citing Sybok from Star Trek V (yes, pointing out what is widely considered to be one of the dumbest, most cringeworthy moments in Star Trek history to use as precedent for the new show). Audiences hated the idea of retroconning Spock with a fully Vulcan "half brother" in 1989, and they STILL hate it today, and that's why "Sybok" has NEVER been mentioned again SINCE Star Trek V.
Worse, as stupid as the concept for Sybok was, they at least had a valid explaination why Spock, Sarek, and everyone else had never mentioned Sybok once and always acted like Spock was an only child: Sybok had embraced emotion and was kicked off the Vulcan homework and ostracized by every Vulcan who ever knew him, so he was essentially dead to Sarek. I can't imagine they have a similar justification for nobody ever mentioning "Spock's human stepsister, Michael Burnham" before.
Bizarre thing, they keep trying to market this show by saying it takes place in the prime timeline and they're "strictly following canon", while everything they show us about Discovery demonstrates the exact opposite. This show has messed with the Klingon's and Spock's family free WORSE than the Abrams "reboot" did.
There is so much they could do, they could do anything, they have a whole galaxy, plenty of unexplored time in show’s canon as well as the post-Voyager “future”. And what do they come up with? Trumper Klingons (Klingons have been done to death, even if they had a good take on them) and Spock has a stepsister?
Why? Because people have heard of Klingons and Spock? Pathetic.
Why can't Discovery actually be about... y'know... DISCOVERING something?
When I read the description, I realized this is nothing but another leftist attack full of lies. A tv show wrapped up in Communo-fascist propaganda. It’s a damn shame, I’ve watched Star Trek for 4 decades since I was a little kid. I will not be watching this despicable, non-canon, bit of leftist propaganda attacking patriotic Americans. This isn’t Star Trek, and it deserves to die a quick and painful death.
Bingo.
Boycott Hollywood TV.
Dead giveaway this thing would be bad, the initials for the show: STD.
“:^)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.