I have to think humans in the 1700s would feel just as perplexed by the concept of modern day mathematics, physics, biology, neurology, etc. But we manage that pretty well nowadays.
I don't think characters on Trek shows being multi-disciplined scientific experts (by our measure) is anything all that bananas.
Yeah, maybe our education system has also managed to evolve along with everything else. Not having to worry about things like bills also frees up a lot of time for education.
The "trope where being intelligent is equated with knowing everything" makes vastly more sense in a Trek-like universe than everywhere else on TV. It's usually a very stupid trope though.
When you think about it, Starfleet could be filled with ridiculous overachievers. There is what? Around a hundred member worlds, each with a couple of billion people on it, not counting colonies. Yet Starfleet only has one academy, on one planet, in one city.
From what we have seen, the entry standards are really high too. Wesley had a hard time getting entry despite being his own special brand of Mary Sue(the Wesley).
It could be argued that the characters we see onscreen are exceptions even to the higher standards of the Future.
The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
They're clearly all far better educated than any person today, but you rarely see any of them with a workable understanding outside of their own field the way you often do in Star Trek. For example, Voyager encounters an anomaly, the science officer states the proper name for it, and the cook says, "I thought those were only theoretical! The gravimetric distortions would be far more than any starship's engines could handle." Same thing happens on Orville, and everyone who's not a science officer says, "Ok, that's a lot of words, but what is it?"
You mean the cook with a background in starship engineering (warp engines and environmental systems) that has been the captain of an independant tradefreighter for years when the Voyager encounters him?
When you think about it, Starfleet could be filled with ridiculous overachievers. There is what? Around a hundred member worlds, each with a couple of billion people on it, not counting colonies. Yet Starfleet only has one academy, on one planet, in one city.
Actually Starfleet had several annexes in different systems. At least 5 if I remember correctly. That's Canon btw since a number of them have appeared when personnel files are shown on monitors etc.
But yeah. Starfleet is high-achievers only. You need exceptional testscores to even get to the entrance exam (and even then typicly only 20-25% of the applicants are selected). Although so far we've never seen a captain graduating from anything but earth academy.
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
I have to think humans in the 1700s would feel just as perplexed by the concept of modern day mathematics, physics, biology, neurology, etc. But we manage that pretty well nowadays.
I don't think characters on Trek shows being multi-disciplined scientific experts (by our measure) is anything all that bananas.
Yeah, maybe our education system has also managed to evolve along with everything else. Not having to worry about things like bills also frees up a lot of time for education.
The "trope where being intelligent is equated with knowing everything" makes vastly more sense in a Trek-like universe than everywhere else on TV. It's usually a very stupid trope though.
When you think about it, Starfleet could be filled with ridiculous overachievers. There is what? Around a hundred member worlds, each with a couple of billion people on it, not counting colonies. Yet Starfleet only has one academy, on one planet, in one city.
From what we have seen, the entry standards are really high too. Wesley had a hard time getting entry despite being his own special brand of Mary Sue(the Wesley).
It could be argued that the characters we see onscreen are exceptions even to the higher standards of the Future.
That does kind of fit in with an interesting "The Federation is actually a dystopia" theory that I read somewhere. The gist was that the vast majority of humanity is living in holo ghettos, presumably enjoying lives of hedonism and gluttony that even Hedonism Bot would envy, while only the top most over achievers are let out to actually live a real life. Sure, most of them spend some time dabbling with the Starfleet Junior Academy program, but most decide to go back to Vulcan Love Slave 27 rather than pursue actual work. So the humans you see are already the best of humanity, while those few selected for service in Starfleet are the cream of the cream of the crop.
What we do see of Earth outside of Starfleet is almost the opposite of Fall of Rome style hedonism. Most people are living at a lower level of technology than we do today. A communication console on a desk, and then it's books instead of pads, kitchens instead of replicators, transporter rations, no holostuff, light and safe work but still often manual labor. The only place they get the same deal as Starfleet is medicine, so they can get half their organs and all their limbs replaced and go back to work as a professional potato peeler.
In TNG we see a mix of envy, respect, and resentment towards Starfleet with all their toys and adventure, DS9 we see a more bemused attitude, Grandpa Sisko can't really understand the appeal but never offers anything else unless Sisko is looking for it, like at the start of S7.
One of my favourite things in DS9 is Grandpa Sisko. He runs a restaurant, but the federation doesn't use money. So he's just cooking for people out of his love of cooking and making people happy with good food. It's rad.
This show is so much better than it has any right to be.
I have said this so many times. Between this and Cobra Kai I just cannot believe the quality.
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
Given the modern trend of virtually everything being at least 10% grimdark, Orville is a welcome lighthearted show that does a great job of carrying on in the style of classic Trek.
Believe it or not, I get really sick and tired of every show being depressing and wish there were a lot more that weren't trying to pump that well so hard.
Been watching Orville, and are slowly becoming a fan of the show. It's fascinating as a sort of modern update to TNG, while Discovery was to Deep Space 9. Both go in unique directions, and tones, and both have their own niches which are fulfilling.
Been watching Orville, and are slowly becoming a gan of the show. It's fascinating as a sort of modern update to TNG, while Discovery was to Deep Space 9. Both go in unique directions, and tones, and both have their own niches which are fulfilling.
And random Liam Neeson cameo!
Theres a strong possibility The Picard show was greenlit because Patrick Stewart was going to cameo on the Orville
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The show does use the convention of aliens somehow speaking English though.
This is one of those things that has never, ever bothered me. Like, what's the alternative? Spending resources to develop an individual sounding language for every alien but then splitting in subtitles and then hand waving a translator, or something?
If I can get past Stargate and English I can get past The Orville and English. I mean sure, an episode devoted entirely to verb/noun relationships would be cool to my nerd heart but I can't see you carrying a season with it.
It would be awesome if they recreated ST:TNG's Darmok episode, except the two captains are stuck in some sort of mind-numbing office instead of fighting for survival on an alien world.
One of my favourite things in DS9 is Grandpa Sisko. He runs a restaurant, but the federation doesn't use money. So he's just cooking for people out of his love of cooking and making people happy with good food. It's rad.
I imagine it is a lot like the favor economy in parts of eclipse phase. If grandpa sisko needs some help to do stuff a lot of his patrons would probably drop what they are doing to lend him a hand. Kinda like if your own grandpa needed some help doing something it isn't for pay but you kinda feel you owe it to them to come help when they ask.
So I'd known of this show for a long while but was avoiding it because of procrastination and that it was a Seth Macfarlane production. After being shown an episode of Black Mirror (which was enough to know the show was not for me but was good) this summer; I started craving an optimistic light-hearted sci-fi show.
I was happy to find that The Orville was just such a show, since I binged the first season in three days. Sure it had its missteps, and some modern humor bits that were trying too hard in the early episodes. But there was just such a core of humanity and earnestness to the show that I didn't care.
I can't wait to see season 2.
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+15
Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
The Macfarlane thing had me avoid it at first as well, and I'm so glad I decided to take a chance anyway. Regardless of what I think of his other material, it's obvious he has massive love and respect for Trek. I really hope this show goes the distance, it has such a great positive attitude.
One of my favourite things in DS9 is Grandpa Sisko. He runs a restaurant, but the federation doesn't use money. So he's just cooking for people out of his love of cooking and making people happy with good food. It's rad.
I imagine it is a lot like the favor economy in parts of eclipse phase. If grandpa sisko needs some help to do stuff a lot of his patrons would probably drop what they are doing to lend him a hand. Kinda like if your own grandpa needed some help doing something it isn't for pay but you kinda feel you owe it to them to come help when they ask.
Hence why everyone is desperate to make it offworld.
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amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
I don't want to derail, but what's the "Seth McFarlane" thing?
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
I don't want to derail, but what's the "Seth McFarlane" thing?
Just the fact that this whole thing is pretty much his baby and I can, at best, tolerate his other shows.
It's fine that I don't like his cartoons, plenty of other people like them and it's easy enough just to not watch them. But I never would have expected that the same guy who made almost the same show in like 5 different flavors, all of which I detest, to also make Orville, which I absolutely love.
It's not something where I'm ripping on McFarlane (I don't like his other shows, and that's a matter of preference), I'm just glad I didn't miss Orville because I assumed it was more material from him I wouldn't like. Orville handily made me go from seeing him as somebody who makes a bunch of stuff I have no interest in to seeing him as somebody that it would be a total blast to sit down with him and talk about Orville and Star Trek.
And no, there's also no rising or secret scandal involved with him, so I don't typically avoid his shows for ethical reasons or anything like that (which I'm guessing you were also wondering about).
Dude's actually been on Star Trek shows, he loves the setting/material.
This and Cosmos are the only reason I'm a fan of his.
He wasn't just on Star Trek. He asked for the chance, was told, "Ok, you'll be paid as an extra, and we're going to make you Trip Tucker's bitch." And he said, "Great, where do I sign?"
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These are dumb people who mean well. Rather than a smart person who's just awful.
It's more cynical than Star Trek, but it doesn't go into full nihilism mode.
When you think about it, Starfleet could be filled with ridiculous overachievers. There is what? Around a hundred member worlds, each with a couple of billion people on it, not counting colonies. Yet Starfleet only has one academy, on one planet, in one city.
From what we have seen, the entry standards are really high too. Wesley had a hard time getting entry despite being his own special brand of Mary Sue(the Wesley).
It could be argued that the characters we see onscreen are exceptions even to the higher standards of the Future.
You mean the cook with a background in starship engineering (warp engines and environmental systems) that has been the captain of an independant tradefreighter for years when the Voyager encounters him?
Actually Starfleet had several annexes in different systems. At least 5 if I remember correctly. That's Canon btw since a number of them have appeared when personnel files are shown on monitors etc.
But yeah. Starfleet is high-achievers only. You need exceptional testscores to even get to the entrance exam (and even then typicly only 20-25% of the applicants are selected). Although so far we've never seen a captain graduating from anything but earth academy.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
That does kind of fit in with an interesting "The Federation is actually a dystopia" theory that I read somewhere. The gist was that the vast majority of humanity is living in holo ghettos, presumably enjoying lives of hedonism and gluttony that even Hedonism Bot would envy, while only the top most over achievers are let out to actually live a real life. Sure, most of them spend some time dabbling with the Starfleet Junior Academy program, but most decide to go back to Vulcan Love Slave 27 rather than pursue actual work. So the humans you see are already the best of humanity, while those few selected for service in Starfleet are the cream of the cream of the crop.
In TNG we see a mix of envy, respect, and resentment towards Starfleet with all their toys and adventure, DS9 we see a more bemused attitude, Grandpa Sisko can't really understand the appeal but never offers anything else unless Sisko is looking for it, like at the start of S7.
The Orville - First Contact!
I have said this so many times. Between this and Cobra Kai I just cannot believe the quality.
Believe it or not, I get really sick and tired of every show being depressing and wish there were a lot more that weren't trying to pump that well so hard.
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I think they kind of already did that in the episode where
I may be remembering it wrong though.
Theres a strong possibility The Picard show was greenlit because Patrick Stewart was going to cameo on the Orville
Universal translator.
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This is one of those things that has never, ever bothered me. Like, what's the alternative? Spending resources to develop an individual sounding language for every alien but then splitting in subtitles and then hand waving a translator, or something?
Everyone speaks Basic!
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I imagine it is a lot like the favor economy in parts of eclipse phase. If grandpa sisko needs some help to do stuff a lot of his patrons would probably drop what they are doing to lend him a hand. Kinda like if your own grandpa needed some help doing something it isn't for pay but you kinda feel you owe it to them to come help when they ask.
I was happy to find that The Orville was just such a show, since I binged the first season in three days. Sure it had its missteps, and some modern humor bits that were trying too hard in the early episodes. But there was just such a core of humanity and earnestness to the show that I didn't care.
I can't wait to see season 2.
About on par with the new Red Dwarf
Hence why everyone is desperate to make it offworld.
Just the fact that this whole thing is pretty much his baby and I can, at best, tolerate his other shows.
It's fine that I don't like his cartoons, plenty of other people like them and it's easy enough just to not watch them. But I never would have expected that the same guy who made almost the same show in like 5 different flavors, all of which I detest, to also make Orville, which I absolutely love.
It's not something where I'm ripping on McFarlane (I don't like his other shows, and that's a matter of preference), I'm just glad I didn't miss Orville because I assumed it was more material from him I wouldn't like. Orville handily made me go from seeing him as somebody who makes a bunch of stuff I have no interest in to seeing him as somebody that it would be a total blast to sit down with him and talk about Orville and Star Trek.
And no, there's also no rising or secret scandal involved with him, so I don't typically avoid his shows for ethical reasons or anything like that (which I'm guessing you were also wondering about).
This and Cosmos are the only reason I'm a fan of his.
He wasn't just on Star Trek. He asked for the chance, was told, "Ok, you'll be paid as an extra, and we're going to make you Trip Tucker's bitch." And he said, "Great, where do I sign?"
A lot of serious fans would have said, "Ehhh..."
Groupthink that his shows are bad.
It is in Canada. Maybe it is in other regions?
I never finish anyth
I don’t have to have an opinion on whether his other shows are good or bad to know that I, personally, just don’t like them.
Totes. I gave up on Family guy like seven seasons ago. I still like American Dad, never watched Cleveland.
Orville is really good.