STARFLEET ACADEMY-BETA TEST and VITRUS REFLUX (s1: eps 2 and 3)

The nay sayers are all wrong. I mean all wrong. The right are trying hard to find reasons to hate this show from the start. They fail to see that this show is set in a school, a college so the college age people that they complained about from even before the show started were always going to be…college age people. Surviving teenagers from a tough time after “the Burn.” For any sci fi show, that’s a wonderful premise. For TREK, it’s revolutionary. TREK, for far too long, has been set in a universe of comfort and ease and even when it wasn’t, there was always a DEEP SLEEP MINE station to return to or a return to Earth or a boring earth type planet as in NEXT GENERATION, both of those shows “fans” and the right like to pretend were great shows. BOTH were not. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that STARFLEET ACADEMY is superior to both of those shows and hit the ground running, which DEEP SLEEP and NEXT GEN definitely did not. Both shows promised so much and failed to deliver, failed to follow through on romances, on gay representation, and even on little things like, oh, plot and character. See the recently posted articles about unresolved storylines. And DEEP had characters that were NO fun, unlikable, and boring. Sisko might have broke some barriers just by being African American, but he’s a bore, a stiff father figure who was thoroughly unlikable and almost unwatchable.

But this is about a fun show. A show about college age kids so if you can’t relate or are too old, or too against something different in the TREK universe or you’re focused on something other than story, visuals and characters, like say your own hateful agenda to find something wrong in this diverse and representative cast, then do not watch. But I suspect most will and are just to complain but deep down they like this. And thus far, the show had not had any gay male representation that I can see in the first three episodes but that didn’t stop haters from claiming against gay male representation in this show.

In fact, only episode three has a gay couple. And they’re both female. I think. No matter, the first three episodes aren’t perfect but…they are far more perfect than the first three episodes of ANY TREK series ever (though the Animated Series almost makes that).

In the second one, BETA TEST, the action of the first IS left behind and that’s okay. It is a wonderful character study introducing a Betazed character who will, unlike NEXT GEN’s Worf/Troi pairing, will stick around and develop. Modern TREK has its issues but it is far superior to the lack of follow through and underdeveloped characters and forgotten guest characters that permeate NEXT GENERATION and it’s a lot more fun than DEEP SLEEP MINE. And it does not rely on gimmicks like VOYAGERS 7 of 9’s D cups. And I doubt we will have the whole problem VOYAGER had developing solid characters like Garret Wang’s 7 year ensign Harry. They do so in favor of giving us stories about 7 of 9, a character that totally destroyed any worth and excitement VOYAGER originally had.

Tarima is a beautifully brought to life not just by the actress but by the scripts and the dialog and I like that the second episode gives us a breath from the original TREK like action of KIDS THESE DAYS and opens up possibilities for the Betazoids to be interesting again.

Some are complaining that Starfleet is being selfish and using the Betazoids and making them leave a well developed force field protection and that the aliens survived during a rough time. It’s an agenda designed to accuse STARFLEET ACADEMY of being woke and too woke at that. Nothing is further from the truth than that. It’s established, if one listens with an open mind and not a political agenda against the left, that in a few years or even in the present, technology moved past the Betazoids and soon their “wall” will be of no value and they will be open to invasion by hostile forces. Starfleet wants to help them and yes, Starfleet, maybe for the first time in the entire TREK franchise, is just as vulnerable and needs the Betazeds, too. Is that so wrong? No, it’s not. Starfleet will protect that planet.

On the whole having Starfleet vulnerable and admitting it is a new part of this franchise. Other reviewers, also unfair, depict that show as having Starfleet as the villains. It’s not true here, maybe in season one of PICARD that is true and parts of STRANGE NEW WORLDS (probably not) but not here. Starfleet is also depicted as not perfect. I’m not sure about the War College but that does represent the conflict this show needs in its setting of ….you know, a college where most cadets might think the same.

And this show is fun. There is also the mystery of Tarima’s fear of her powers, which I hope will be further explored. If this were NEXT GEN, I could expect a seven year drought of them never answering that but not this show. I also like that we need answers as to why she joined the War College instead of being near Caleb (that might answer it, she can’t be near him because he makes her lose control…and who would not, he’s gorgeous).

Character means a lot to this show but this show knows how to have fun, too. And before we get to the third episode, this second episode talks about fleeing responsibility, taking control of your own life despite fear, and even has a “wall” allegory which one might not like or agree with but such a thing was a part and parcel of STAR TREK from its inception (okay, WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE, CHARLIE X, THE CAGE, and THE MAN TRAP might not have such a thing but who could forget episodes like A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR which reflects Vietnam or THE OMEGA GLORY, just one of a few cold war allegories). To say this show is meaningless is not true and sure, it has its own built in flaws but it’s fun, engaging and a lot like the original STAR TREK and yet better and different from it.

I’ve also seen outright lie videos about what the actors have said in public, about what former TREK franchise actors have said, and about ratings. Disclaimers about the reviews themselves are often put up that this is just for entertainment purposes which means….it’s all a big fat lie and the actors never said the things the video and its labeling say they did!

Never mind, for some reason the right are scared of this show and firing back as much as they can, lying, often reviewing without actually watching the show, and saying they hate it when deep down they probably love it.

The third episode worried me because the first was action filled and set the whole thing up, the second was a character study and a Wall allegory, and the third could have gone wildly wrong.

It’s wild all right and mostly concerns a prank war between the War College (I do not get why a Vulcan would be so…low in character and so nasty toward others but there you go; the female looks partly Romulan and maybe Klingon?) and Starfleet cadets. I thought this could go horribly wrong but it didn’t. It stayed light hearted, engaging and fun. Throughout, there is also a competition between Starfleet cadets to determine which of them will be the captain of their group. Again, an interesting character study of both Reymi and Genesis. I like that they didn’t go directly to Caleb for captain but two others and those two are explored. Also explored: a bit more of Tarima and her strange reasoning, and Caleb’s beginning to trust and enjoy being part of a group. Sam is just fun, fun, fun. Tarima’s brother is, too. He gets to be the mascot in the prank war challenge in the arena. I don’t know his name or the name of the tall curly haired hot guy in the group. There’s also another female or two.

In any case, two good episodes. Light hearted, fun, deep in some ways of character, thoughtful and interesting. Some of the science might be a reach (isn’t it always in TV science fiction?) but these three episodes form a tight entertaining threesome. I hope it continues. Caleb, the Klingon and Reymi are all super sizzling hot, too. Sorry if that offends the right looking to offend.

This show is meant to be looked at NOT through political eyes or a right or left stance but through the eyes of your imagination and hopes and dreams and yes, of your younger self, which is still there somewhere. Stop thinking old and closed mindedly and you might enjoy this show for what it is rather than what you keep faking that you want. Like it or not, THIS is STAR TREK and I think, so far, it and the first two seasons of STRANGE NEW WORLDS, are wonderful.

Whoops! I started this review of the second episode a week ago but never finished it: here is the opening:

STARFLEET ACADEMY-BETA TEST (s1e2)

Again a not bad opening though I have to say WTF to the credits: change that to something more akin to STRANGE NEW WORLDS or the Original STAR TREK please. I know what you’re getting at but it a sucky credit sequence.

SKIP INTRO.

Okay 13 minutes in, she’s not wearing shoes or socks and there is her line, “Sometimes I just need to let the little piggies out.” Bad move, bad dialog, bad scripting here. Hope that’s the only criticism because thus far I’m liking almost everything else.

She is going to a meeting with Betazoids who the Federation lost when the Burn happened.

Digging the whole meeting of Caleb with the Betazoid leader’s daughter plus the Doctor trying to get him to stop playing with his zipper and making a loud noise bit.

This is engrossing, engaging and fun. The rapport between Caleb and the wonderful actress playing the Betazed girl is admirable and fantastic. They demand you to watch them. More later…

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Later….