Will the Klingons steal the show or fizzle out?
Brittany: There is a lot of interesting descriptions for the Klingons we are going to meet. And I don’t know how involved they are going to be. The description mentions that the Klingon leader [Commanding Officer Kol] is looking to unite the Klingon houses.
I have a feeling that we are going to be spending a lot of time with with Klingons.
Donya: Here’s the thing with the Klingons. I’m both interested to learn more about them by exploring this idea of uniting the Klingon houses.
The idea of their politics and their culture is something that I am always interested in having explored a little bit more because it’s quite fascinating. Especially because they are set up as such a huge antagonist a lot of the time. So understanding how they operate, who they are and what they stand for is one aspect I’m interested to get the potential to dive into.
But at the same time, [the Discovery] is a ship that is going out there and discovering new species and planets, assuming of course based on the name. I’d like the first interactions to be with species that we are maybe not as familiar with.
Brittany: Oh, absolutely.
Donya: It’s almost like a double-edged sword. I think it is something that could be really interesting to explore and I’m sure that when we see it play out onscreen it’s going to be great. But at the same time I want something new.
Brittany: That’s absolutely fair. Even with having one line [of description], like you were saying, [it opens up] all of these politics that we could explore. And we have the potential to get into a lot of interesting material with the Klingons.
But is that going to take away from anything else that we could be exploring with the crew of the Discovery? Is that stripping away any original stories with a new species?
There is so much potential in the Star Trek universe to create something new that I’m worried they are going to fall back too much on the Klingons. And we’re not going to have enough time with them to get a good story.
Donya: [Discovery is] in this really odd in between place. They need to ground it in the familiar to a certain extent, because it is stuck at a point where they can’t go referencing or using things that were first discovered by the Enterprise. There are certain things we are going to know in respect to species and planets that haven’t been discovered at this point.
But also we don’t want to go backwards too much. It positions itself in this odd place. It is stuck between these two points where we’ve got everything that’s come before it, where we have some understanding and they can draw in something familiar. At the same time, they can’t move too far forward using anything brand new because that has an impact on already established canon.
I would love to see them use and create new species and go wild. But they can’t go too wild because it won’t make sense that other ships or other series haven’t encountered them. Or that they are not involved or included in the United Federation of Planets or affiliated with Starfleet in anyway. They have to find a balance between the two.
In Fuller we trust(ed)
Brittany: Look, it’s going to be awesome, but I’m also really nervous. We only have 13 one-hour episodes. I’m starting to feel like they’ve bitten off more than they can chew at this point. While I don’t know the new people [Alex Kurtzman, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts] who are taking over that well, I really trusted Fuller to handle it.
How do you feel about losing Fuller? Were you attached to him?
Donya: I mean I’m always really attached to him. I love him very much. I do enjoy shows where he is overseeing them. He has such a strong understanding of overarching storylines and how to get from point A to point B. He’s very good at steering that ship no matter how many writers are under him.
I felt very confident with him being in charge because I felt no matter what direction the ship was being steered in, it would always be aiming towards something. But not being as familiar with the people taking over, I am not as confident in them anymore.
I have a lot of faith and respect for Bryan Fuller as a showrunner and as a writer and as a creative in general. A lot of the time I feel like Bryan Fuller is ahead of his time.
A lot of the shows that he’s done, when they come out, have come at a time later on they gain significant cult followings and become critical darlings because they are ahead of where everyone else is.
I’m a little disappointed because I would love that feeling, that kind of forward thinking is something that meshes well with Star Trek, because it’s always been this series that is ahead of its time.
This isn’t to say that everyone involved isn’t going to be as good as Bryan Fuller. I can’t say I am as confident with them as I was with Bryan Fuller at the helm.
It’s now more of a wait and see rather than I am fairly confident that this is going to hit all the buttons that I want it to hit in terms of a series I know I am going to enjoy.
Brittany: I definitely feel that. I’m really looking forward to it regardless of the behind-the-scenes creative crew. So many hands have touched it, but so many of the hands that are touching it care about it and want it to be the best it can be, which is why we are getting all of these delays.
It’s why the network isn’t pushing it to hit May or hit June. There’s no date behind it. Which, while frustrating for a fan who is excited for Star Trek to come back, dealing with a delay is going to give us a better version of what we are hoping the series can be.
Will ‘Discovery’ boldly go?
More Star Trek is good… I guess it’s good.
Donya: It is. I always feel that Star Trek has a good social political commentary. When it comes around, it has a lot that it can say, especially when it comes to the state of the world.
So I feel like particularly at this crossroads that we’re at, in this culture that we’re experiencing, this series is going to come at a particularly good time. It’s when we need Star Trek the most. It’s always been that guiding light of where we should be heading with respect to how our society works.
Having a cast that is as diverse as it is, across not only different people of color and in respect to who they are playing, human or humanoid, but also the different species of aliens. We also know that they are going to be exploring different sexualities as well.
It is almost like this touch point of reminding us this is what we should be aiming for. This idea of a society that comes together and works together rather than trying to tear each other apart.
It’s so important that it’s coming now. This year.
Brittany: We need it more than ever. Even rewatching old Star Trek feels comforting in this tumultuous time.
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