Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Discussion – 1×08 “The Life of the Stars”
A visiting instructor forces the cadets to face the emotional realities of serving in Starfleet.
3 replies on “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Discussion – 1×08 “The Life of the Stars””
Excellent episode. Right in the proverbial “feels”. I love the aspect of looking at the emotional toll of immortality. We talked about how gruff the Doctor was with SAM. Thankfully, they paid that off (including showing the footage).
One frequent criticism of the franchise is how quickly characters bound back from trauma (TNG’s “Family” and DS9’s “It’s Only a Paper Moon” being notable exceptions). It’s important to show that our heroes aren’t invulnerable. They’re hurt and they need time to heal.
I’m a sucker for Our Town. There’s a reason it’s the most performed play in the US. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, here’s the version starring Paul Newman as the Stage Manager. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1o9cGQ9_Q
Bonus: Alcatraz survived into the 32nd Century! Between that and the Bridge, we can pinpoint exactly where the Academy is.
I’ve never seen Our Town, and I feel like this was a pre-requisit for this episode they didn’t tell us we needed. (I had this problem in my senior year of high school when they let me sign up for AP Physics C as my first physics class ever without mentioning that I should have had A and B first.)
Also, Alcatraz, and the bridge itself, still being intact a millennium from now is a bit less believable than the rest of the Sci-Fi, especially above a body of salt water.
And as long as I am just complaining, With the exception of Reno, there’s no reason anyone else would have decided Tilly was the go-to call. Reno’s the only one who would have even known her!
How are there third-years? Didn’t they say in the first episode they were re-opening Starfleet Academy for the first time in over a century? (I decided they mean this was that they were re-opening Starfleet Academy on Earth for the first time in over a century, but Starfleet Academy has always been around.)
There were cadets, just trained in space (on ship or station). The Academy has been re-opened. Those current officers didn’t all come from the 22nd Century.
You could argue that Alcatraz and the Bridge are not the originals. They could be rebuilds post WWIII.
Tilly says something to Ake about “it’s good you’re back”. Somewhere, off-camera, the two know each other.
Excellent episode. Right in the proverbial “feels”. I love the aspect of looking at the emotional toll of immortality. We talked about how gruff the Doctor was with SAM. Thankfully, they paid that off (including showing the footage).
One frequent criticism of the franchise is how quickly characters bound back from trauma (TNG’s “Family” and DS9’s “It’s Only a Paper Moon” being notable exceptions). It’s important to show that our heroes aren’t invulnerable. They’re hurt and they need time to heal.
I’m a sucker for Our Town. There’s a reason it’s the most performed play in the US. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, here’s the version starring Paul Newman as the Stage Manager. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1o9cGQ9_Q
Bonus: Alcatraz survived into the 32nd Century! Between that and the Bridge, we can pinpoint exactly where the Academy is.
I’ve never seen Our Town, and I feel like this was a pre-requisit for this episode they didn’t tell us we needed. (I had this problem in my senior year of high school when they let me sign up for AP Physics C as my first physics class ever without mentioning that I should have had A and B first.)
Also, Alcatraz, and the bridge itself, still being intact a millennium from now is a bit less believable than the rest of the Sci-Fi, especially above a body of salt water.
And as long as I am just complaining, With the exception of Reno, there’s no reason anyone else would have decided Tilly was the go-to call. Reno’s the only one who would have even known her!
How are there third-years? Didn’t they say in the first episode they were re-opening Starfleet Academy for the first time in over a century? (I decided they mean this was that they were re-opening Starfleet Academy on Earth for the first time in over a century, but Starfleet Academy has always been around.)
There were cadets, just trained in space (on ship or station). The Academy has been re-opened. Those current officers didn’t all come from the 22nd Century.
You could argue that Alcatraz and the Bridge are not the originals. They could be rebuilds post WWIII.
Tilly says something to Ake about “it’s good you’re back”. Somewhere, off-camera, the two know each other.