StillPaisleyCat

Thanks for letting us know.

I wasn’t sure if you’d blocked direct posting of photos and images for reasons, or if it was part of the larger issue that’s affecting the headers.

There actually isn’t a generally agreed order of approach, and many folks tend to assume what worked for them will be what’s best for others.

Most of the shows were designed to stand alone if need be, and can provide an entry point. They’ll fill you in on the essential lore along the way.

At this point, your own tolerances for 60s and 90s styles of television and visual effects might be a deciding point. If you want to jump right in with something new, Strange New Worlds is designed as the new live action entry to the franchise - but others have started recently with the animated comedy Lower Decks or the family show Prodigy.

There was a sidebar “Where do I start?” FAQ on the subreddit that listed options (release date; in-universe chronological; by personal preferences for serialization or not).

@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website could you make that available here please?

One of the challenges in interpreting TOS episodes is that many of us have read so much about them over the decades that our collective headcanon can crowd out what was actually onscreen.

It’s great that we can come together and make inferences, interpolations and extrapolations. Tie-in novel authors and magazines extend this further.

But the risk is that we come to a collective headcanon that can be quite rigid even though it’s certainly not the only way to look at what we’re shown and what’s said.

My recollection of my schoolchild’s reaction to the captain fighting the monster but choosing to be magnanimous and merciful in victory was that Kirk had burnt out his anger, and was ready to hold to his values.

More generally, I’ve been concerned for a long time that the message of the episode is so completely overshadowed by the cheeky meme of Kirk vs the guy in the rubber suit. Anything that can make the Gorn more believably terrifying to justify Kirk’s emotional response, and validate the significance of his choice to be merciful, is all to the good in my view.

Yes, it seems to be yet another Kirk as the insignia on his uniform isn’t a delta. He’s also got captain’s braids on his sleeves.

I was thinking about the hypospray McCoy gave Kirk to ‘adjust for the difference in oxygen levels and other environmental conditions.’

From the time I first watched the episode as a young child, I reasoned that there had to have been something more in the hypospray. Even in Earth-like conditions and gravity, Kirk wouldn’t last a minute against a Vulcan engaged by Pon Farr. McCoy wouldn’t have hesitated to add in a combat serum if he thought it would give Kirk a chance to survive.

(This was validated by the discussion of who and how someone could fight Vorik in Voyager before B’Elanna decided to take him on herself.)

In the season one premiere, it was clear that both M’Benga and Chapel had just rotated onto the Enterprise while she was under repair.

Pike knew M’Benga and was please to see him, but didn’t expect to find him in sickbay. Chapel was introduced to Pike as a civilian on assignment.

Season 5 was in advanced post production when the announcement was made that it would be the final season. The announcement included information that there would be additional content added to wrap the show.

Three additional shooting days happened in Toronto just before the strike. So it doesn’t sound like an additional episode was added but rather some scenes.

Fortunately, it looks like the new show Starfleet Academy will be in the 32nd century which offers opportunities for Discovery characters to appear as guests.

I think that Terry Chen would be a great choice. I loved the vulnerability and decency he conveyed in his character in The Expanse. He's also played cold villains, like the one in Continuum.

I also liked Doyle's Tarka. I'm looking forward to seeing Callum Keith Rennie's 32nd century Vulcan captain in Discovery's season 5.

Lots of changes happening with the Raptors - enough that I’d like to be able to get back in a conversation with someone.

I’m keen to see a better backstory for the Gorn and TOS Arena.

I just can’t get behind all the outrage at Goldsman in the comments below that interview.

What do folks here think?

I’d like to throw in some Canadian actor suggestions.

While it’s true that Discovery has drawn its seasonal guests stars and background cast among actors working in Canada, there are certainly others I’d like to see.

Ryan Gosling just seems, like Nic Cage, to be the kind of actor to make a interesting guest turn.

Sandra Oh would be great as a challenging captain or flag officer.

Cara Gee (Drummer in The Expanse) can equally play quirky and delightful characters (as she did in the indie film Red Rover). I’d love to see her get a lighter, comic turn in Trek.

Maurice Dean Winte (British-Canadian) is really compelling as Auggie in Surreal Estate, and would be a great guest alien. In fact, it would be great to see Tim Rozen appear as well.

Academy Award nominee Graham Greene - who recently made an impression in a Last of Us episode.

Some younger actors could include those who’ve graduated out of TVO/PBS productions targeted to kids including actor/writer/producer prodigy Jadiel Dowlin Lewis, Adrienna Di Liello, Addison Holley, Dalila Bella, Anna Cathcart, Issac Kragten.

Last, I’d like to see Samora Smallwood - who placed Lt Amin on the Enterprise in Discovery season two and in the Short Trek Q&A, come back as a guest star. She’s gone onto main cast roles in other shows, and a Canadian Screen Award. Even if they didn’t have a place for her as a regular in SNW, she’s more than able to hold a guest turn.

I like the idea of a show or even a few one-shots on more science-focused ship.

(This was ostensibly Discovery’s remit in season one, but the plot went quickly in other directions.)

One gets the sense that CBS/Paramount has given direction to avoid too much scientific focus outside of Prodigy, and especially technobabble, but it’s one of the very 90s era Star Trek things that I would like to see one of the new live action shows embrace.

An alternative would be a Starfleet Core of Engineers show focused on a specialized engineering ship along the line of the Relaunch Litverse series of stories/novellas/books. Those dealt with technological problem-solving in response to anomalies and disasters.