Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 5x07 - "Erigah"

[cooleddie74]

Even alien androids built by another advanced civilization took over the flagship of the Federation in 2267. Norman and the other Mudd androids basically took over the Enterprise with no exertion whatsoever. Androids routinely pose dangers to the safety of Starfleet ships and their crews so I can't blame the Federation for being wary when a Synth or AI goes online and does more than basic service tasks.

 

[fireproof78]

Exactly.

And even when not taken over, Data still could cutoff systems if he wanted to. Like in "The Quality of Life", when he locked out the transporter so the exocomps couldn't be used to save Picard and Geordi.

I actually agree with Starfleet on not having AI run amok.

I always have to laugh were I hear the insistence that Starfleet and the Federation must have better AI. Why would they? There are several reasons why they shouldn't, because it routinely presents a security risk.

In the Original Series there was Mudd's Androids, the M-5, Nomad as well as super computers taking over whole civilizations. So, strike one right there.

In the Next Generation you have Data go rogue, Lore impersonate Date, nanites, exocomps, and Moriarty.

In Voyager, holograms go nuts on a number of times.

And it culminates with the Attack on Mars. Why in the wide world of sports would Starfleet ever trust an AI?

Edit: ninja'd by @cooleddie74

 

[Yistaan]

Burnham: Dr. Kovich why do you want the progenitor tech so much? I don't think it's meant to be used in the hands of humans.

Kovich: I'm not human, I'm a synth. The progenitors had the power to create life. I want it to turn me into an actual human.

Book: Seriously? All that just for this? I thought synths got over their desire to be human especially after they tried to summon robotic worms to kill all organics 800 years ago.

 

[Mr Awe]

Tech is just the window dressing for the stories. You have weapons and defenses. The particulars change but it's always the same principle. They might upgrade to quantum torpedoes or whatever, but the shields are now multi phasic or whatever. You can have lasers, phasers, and now phasers that appear out of nowhere through programable matter. Tricorders go from handhelds to contacts.

And you have the ships to get you to where the stories take place. No matter what drive tech they use to get there, it's all really the same thing. The ships will be fast enough when required and too slow when required. They always travel at the speed of plot.

For all these, the end result is the same from a story perspective. They don't change the stories. Just the window dressing on them.

And the stories aren't about the tech anyway.

 

[Mr Awe]

What the hell is going on in this thread and how can we stop it?

I used to follow a personal rule of not revisiting episode threads after the Sunday after a new episode airs. Most of the good discussion is done by then. I might need to revisit that rule!

 

[Mr Awe]

Yes. No. What purpose did it serve to go 800 years into the future, if they weren't going to leverage that setting and everything that comes with it? It honestly doesn't feel any different than 24th century Trek.

I guarantee you that their purpose was NOT so they can reveal and use new and improved technology in their stories! No, it was surely to break free from the constraints of being a prequel. Again, the tech is just the window dressing, not the story itself.

 

[BillJ]

But, sure, let's sideline our heroes and treat them as Relics. I'm sure that will go over well.

Fish out of water stories usually play well with the masses. Some of Trek's best are fish out of water stories.

 

[evilchumlee]

Fish out of water stories usually play well with the masses. Some of Trek's best are fish out of water stories.

It's the weird thing about Discovery. They try to do things, but don't.

The whole premise initially seemed to be "You liked TOS right? So... NOSTALGIA!"... although they changed everything to make sure none of that pesky nostalgia got in.

Now it's "Fish out of water", except they went 800 years into the future and they have basically zero issue with it at all and immediately integrated in perfectly.

 

[Macintosh]

Now it's "Fish out of water", except they went 800 years into the future and they have basically zero issue with it at all and immediately integrated in perfectly.

In fact they seem to be better at the 32nd century than the people who are actually from the 32nd century.

 

[fireproof78]

he whole premise initially seemed to be "You liked TOS right? So... NOSTALGIA!"... although they changed everything to make sure none of that pesky nostalgia got in.

Because that's what was the money maker for ST 2009. It wasn't "Nostalgia!" in that sense, but "this time period seems to garner the most interest."

Of course, Fuller's mandate to redesign everything away from the familiar didn't help matters, so we have an interesting amalgamation of redesign and familiar design.

In fact they seem to be better at the 32nd century than the people who are actually from the 32nd century.

As @Lord Garth notes sometimes it takes outside the box thinking to move things in a new direction.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The greatest danger known to Trek.

Other than the fans,

 

[cooleddie74]

We'll always be the biggest danger to Trek.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's the weird thing about Discovery. They try to do things, but don't.

The whole premise initially seemed to be "You liked TOS right? So... NOSTALGIA!"... although they changed everything to make sure none of that pesky nostalgia got in.

Now it's "Fish out of water", except they went 800 years into the future and they have basically zero issue with it at all and immediately integrated in perfectly.

The chances they'd spend any amount time with the crew acting like my 85 year old mother trying to use a Smart Phone were pretty much nil.

 

[cooleddie74]

Eh. It's Star Trek. Kirk and Company should have had a lot more trouble adjusting to 1986 San Francisco than they did but as long as the story was great I was able to not even care about most of that.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Eh. It's Star Trek. Kirk and Company should have had a lot more trouble adjusting to 1986 San Francisco than they did but as long as the story was great I was able to not even care about most of that.

"What is 'exact change'?"

 

[cooleddie74]

I live in the same year and era as modern day San Francisco and it would take ME longer to get my bearings there than they did.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I live in the same year and era as modern day San Francisco and it would take ME longer to get my bearings there than they did.

I lived in the Bay Area in '86. San Francisco can be nightmare to get around in Getting to the Cetacean Institute is easy though.

 

[fireproof78]

The chances they'd spend any amount time with the crew acting like my 85 year old mother trying to use a Smart Phone were pretty much nil.

And if they did people would complain about them not being smart enough to be Starfleet officers.

 

[cooleddie74]

All I know for sure is lots of restaurants, the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street and rolling, winding streets that rise like mountains and would give a marathon runner or even mountain climber a heart attack.

 

[Nerys Myk]

All I know for sure is lots of restaurants, the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street and rolling, winding streets that rise like mountains and would give a marathon runner or even mountain climber a heart attack.

If you like one way streets SF is the place to be. Your sanity might be left there, though.