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Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | 1x04 "Vox in Excelso" (startrek.website)
submitted 6 months ago by [M] to c/startrek@startrek.website
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LoglineWhen an existential crisis threatens to wipe out a beloved but infamous Star Trek species, a cadet is forced to confront his past and strained relationship with his family. As he pursues an unexpected method of coping, Nahla races against time to save this species from extinction.

Written by: Gaia Violo & Eric Anthony Glover

Directed by: Doug Aarniokoski

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[–] 20 points 6 months ago (3 children)

That was a fantastic episode altogether. Loved it.

I agree that the resolution should be obvious, and after the Betazed episode, it is again ridiculous that political problems are solved at a school, but then again, it was ridiculous that Picard solved all problems in the galaxy.

I also like how this episode resolves why Klingons played no role in Discovery after the time jump.

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  • [–] 13 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    I thought the contrivance of involving Starfleet Academy was done very well.

    From an upper decks perspective, a tragedy happened, and Starfleet was compelled to act. No need to involve the Academy, but it just so happens that the highest ranking official in Starfleet with close ties to a member of the Klingon house is the current chancellor of Starfleet Academy. (That she's 400 years old is going to be a pretty handy plot device for getting her involved in all sorts of things... but it hasn't hit the point of being annoying yet.)

    Separately, it also tracks that the chancellor needs to see their only Klingon cadet privately to offer support. That's a good school administration right there. No need to involve him in the diplomatic negotiations that are going on behind the scenes.

    The only reason why these converged was because of the debate class, which makes total sense that it would be a required course at the Academy, and then only because the students debated the Doctor into allowing it because they were already talking about it.

    I think this would be ridiculous if it was literally every episode, but this actually worked.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago

    I just think the show needs to be careful. I like that the stakes at the moment are low and personal, and there's not galaxy threatening desaster (yet). I think the show would profit if they kept ist that way.

    Everything else in this episode on what it means to be a Klingon was probably top 10 Trek for me.

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  • [–] [S] 6 points 6 months ago

    Yeah, I thought both this and the "youth movement" angle of episode two worked well.

    As the cadets start venturing out into fieldwork more, they shouldn't have to make excuses quite so often. They can go find their own trouble, and Discovery will be undergoing a perpetual refit!

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    I agree that the resolution should be obvious, and after the Betazed episode, it is again ridiculous that political problems are solved at a school, but then again, it was ridiculous that Picard solved all problems in the galaxy.

    Eh, that's just how shows work. Just imagine that there are a slew of other problems being solved off-screen by characters we never met.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago

    Obviously, you need some disbelief for this kind of show. It's also always the main group of people solving the problems, not that random dude in the third row.

    The show just needs to be cautious with not overdoing it. This is the second major federation "crisis" solved at the school in just four episodes, while they should actually study that nebular or learn temporal mechanics

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    But Star Trek writers should come up with new ideas other than "our favourite alien race" diasporas. Will we have a Frengi diaspora next season?

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    It's a bit weird that losing Qonos somehow wiped out the whole Klingon empire.

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    Well, plus the Burn that made it difficult to traverse space. The "Klingon Zone" that was hinted at in Discovery probably meant that the apparatus of empire was no longer in place, but that only individual houses remained, scattered wherever they were across the region of the empire.

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