Ok first of all. Space, you bunch of idiotic potato heads. I set up to record you at 6:30 and 7:30 for the first two episodes, and of course you jacka$$es decide to run a 20 minute pregame show so of course when I watch the show, I get cut off with about 20 minutes to go in the second episode. Nice going you bunch of jack wagons.
Ok my thoughts, I'm not sure what to think, my first initial thoughts were that it was ok. not stunningly great. They had some good moments of tension, some nice cinematography, but I didn't come away breathless about the episode.
Spoiler!
First of all I had to wonder if this was another reality. The Admiral talked about not encountering the Kligons for a 100 years. But we know that in the show Enterprise that they had heavy contact with the Klingons. However Enterprise took place about 100 years before TOS and this show takes place 10 years before.
Apparently the Klingon Empire is fractured, but T'Kuvma is some kind of profit in re-uniting the great houses of the Empire. So to do that he flies around the galaxy in an intergalactic hearse and making a lot of speeches and then atacking the Federation. I will say that I'm still not on board with this version of the Klingons. They lack the fun and bastardry of the Klingons of TOS, TNG and DS9. They're dour and humorless and consumed with the idea of way.
I just can't get into Michelle Yeoh as Captain Gerogiou, she just seemed stiff and her banter with the crew seemed to be so stiff and uncomfortable.
Martin-Greene was ok as Michael the first officer who was raised Vulcan, and they tried to make her have some emotional supression. But her plan for firing on the Klingons after rendering the Captain unconcious was just stupid, why wouldn't she take the time to I don't know? Tie her up. Lock her in a broom closet? But instead she knocks her out with a Vulcan Nerve Pinch and goes tot the bridge and says "No worries fellas I'm just getting stuff ready for the Captain in case she has to fire, oh and Fire"
I was happy to see Doug Jones who played one of the creepiest monsters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as one of the gentlemen. I loved the backstory of his species as a herd animal, which explains his flee instinct. I think he was probably the best character in this first episode.
The battle scene was decent, however it was too much like what they did in Battlestar Galactica with the shaky cam work, because of that it did create an atmosphere of confusion. However I only got to the point where the Klingons were collecting more armor errr bodies for their ship before Stupid Space cut me off.
Was it great? I don't know if it was, again there were lots of clumsy episodes of each Star Trek series, however it also wasn't as bad as the rumors had made it out to be.
I think the acting will straighten out as the actors get to know their characters.
The ship design was pretty good, however they fell into the trap where the ships looked far more advanced then the Kirk Enterprise, but that's a tough challenge that was handled really well in the DS9 Trials and Tribulation episode.
Not bad, not stunningly great, a few nice moments of tension and we'll have to see where it goes from here.