Gotta be honest, I'm not really too upset that Disney doesn't own Star Trek....
Sisko and Shaw in a single comic? Can one story really contain that much animosity towards Picard for what happened at Wolf 359?
I just finished the "USS Cerritos Crew Handbook" by Chris Farnell, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book is formatted to be exactly what the title says, a handbook for new crew, specifically lower deckers, joining the Cerritos. It's a new update being written by Boimler with entries from several other members of the crew. Except it's presented as being a shared document with editing notes -- mostly from Mariner and Boimler -- as well as entries written by Mariner who hacked Boimler's password after he did not ask her to contribute.
It's almost certainly the closest thing we've gotten to the "TNG Technical Manual" in this new era of Trek production, even though it's more about the duties and responsibilities of the a junior officer aboard the Cerritos, and the closest thing to technical information in the book is Rutherford's entry on different tools and what the various coloured stripes on the tricorders mean. There is a complete MSD for the Cerritos, but the writing is too small for my old man eyes.
There's a lot of jokes, referencing other Trek productions, as well as LDecks. I think Farnell does a good job capturing the voices of the characters he's portraying here. My only gripe is that Shaxs, my favourite character, was a bit off. Unfortunately, I believe all the art -- and to be clear, the thing is mostly pictures -- is stills from the show or promotional material, with nothing original to the book.
Anyways! It's a fun book that can easily be read through in a single sitting. I'd recommend if it you're looking for something to to enjoy while waiting for season five.
From the opening log of "Whom Gods Destroy":
Captain's Log, stardate 5718.3. The Enterprise is orbiting Elba Two, a planet with a poisonous atmosphere where the Federation maintains an asylum for the few remaining incorrigible criminally insane of the galaxy. We are bringing a revolutionary new medicine to them, a medicine with which the Federation hopes to eliminate mental illness for all time. I am transporting down with Mister Spock, and we're delivering the medicine to Doctor Donald Cory, the governor of the colony.
So, at least this one TOS episode indicates that there is only one small facility which the Federation uses to house all the remaining criminally insane people in the galaxy. I think we can assume that by the galaxy, Kirk actually means the Federation. But as of that era, there apparently exists a medication that they believe will cure people of mental illness.
How much stock we want to put in one third season TOS episode I think can be debated -- and crucially we never get any confirmation as to the long term success of the medication -- but it is part of the canon.
There is also the Tantalus V penal colony from "Dagger of the Mind". Before they beam down, Kirk tells McCoy that it's more like a resort colony than a cage, though the doctor who ran the facility was using a machine to essentially brainwash both inmates and staff.
As for incarceration and rehabilitation in the 24th century, we know Tom Paris was at the New Zealand Penal Settlement when Janeway sprung him, with the approval of the Rehab Commission. When we see the settlement, the prisoners appear to be doing some sort of labour: one is carrying something, and Paris appears to be calibrating some sort of machinery. Granted, we don't know exactly what he was doing or why. Maybe he was working on a project he volunteered for or even conceived himself, and was given access to the resources to carry it out.
Ro Laren was on the Jaros II penal colony after her court martial. She was sprung from that by Admiral Kennelly, and he claims it was difficult to do so.
Kasidy Yates was incarcerated for six months for aiding the Maquis, though there's never any indication that the sentence isn't purely punitive.
In "Blaze of Glory" we saw that after his capture in "For the Uniform", Michael Eddington was being held aboard a station in a fairly small cell. He was still wearing civilian clothes. It's possible he hadn't yet been formally tried and convicted, though.
Jeepers, that’s dark, Boss.
Ugh, I knew there was someone I was forgetting!
Kinda wack saying Picard's trauma isn't comparable when it clearly effected him quite significantly.
I’m not sure how I would feel about Nog showing up not voiced by Aaron Eisenberg.
My apologies that this one's going up late, even by my standards. Between work, social obligations, and my internet going out during the time I normally have to write these, I wasn't able to get it up when I'd like. Still, it is (barely) before the next episode drops, so there's that.
This one was written by Aaron Waltke, the head writer on “Prodigy”.
And I agree there’s not much to write home about with this one, but unlike the previous entires, I personally did not find it actively terrible.
You're commenting this on a Star Trek discussion forum. A show that was founded on the idea that diversity is a strength. Gene Roddenberry specifically cast women in positions of authority, and non-white actors to be the crew of the Enterprise because he wanted to portray a future where humanity had moved beyond such petty bigotries.
A franchise which has persisted for 57 years, and is recognized the world over, founded on the "diversity first" approach you're lamenting.
Are they doing something intentionally here?
Violence. Against me. Personally.
But also, as others have pointed out, in TOS there was very little rhyme or reason to the Stardates, and SNW seems to have embraced that. It's actually seems to be less non-sequential this season than in the first.
My personal headcanon is that after the Klingon, Starfleet implemented a sort of two factor authentication to the stardates so they're somewhat randomized, and can't be properly pieced together with the proper "key" that lets you know the actual sequence of events.
Hearing Jack Quaid’s distinctive Boimler scream gives me life.
However, between work and my social life, there is not much time left to write these posts without losing sleep, so while getting an extra episode is cool, it also feels as much like a personal attack as the season one stardates.
I will attempt to have “Those Old Scientists” done by Saturday morning, and this week’s episode by Monday.
Wasn’t that just Wesley Crusher?