You make so many good points here. I agree about the pacing in this show. It was great at the beginning, it let the story progress quite realistically, and then the last two episodes were a marathon in which they crowded as many things as possible, in such a short time. It felt rather anticlimatic and forced to me. Maybe it's a current tv thing, because I also felt that the older ST series would have taken more time with the events.
Like you said, the emotional impact wasn't really there, because we didn't have enough time to get emotionally involved with these characters. In many cases, I felt they were there just to make cameos. I might be biased, because I wanted to see more of them, especially Seven of Nine and Hugh. (I also love Seven SO MUCH).
I know that ST is always about making choices, and about the idea of hope and trust and dialogue versus violence. But this time, it felt a bit patronising to me. Maybe I watched it at the wrong time, I don't know, but the "Trekspiration" also didn't really work for me.
And I actually think it was the wrong decision to have Picard come back in his new synthetic body. I know they did that so that they can have more seasons if they want, but it was the wrong decision. The whole season set up his death perfectly and him dying--by his own choice--protecting a first contact species was just right. I don't like that they undermined that, had everybody weep and wail, then brought him back. It felt cheap.
THIS! SO MUCH THIS! They tried to sell us the whole "dying is better than living forever because it makes you appreciate life more" (which I side-eye a lot, because it sounds a lot like "humans are better than synths") and then they basically make a human come back from death? I know that it's ST and weirder things have happened, but I also didn't think it was a good call. Because what does it mean, then? Are synths only OK in small doses, in ways we can control them? Or in ways that help humans, but not as lifeforms themselves?
Anyway, I agree with everything you wrote. And I also want the new season of Discovery NOW! :)
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Like you said, the emotional impact wasn't really there, because we didn't have enough time to get emotionally involved with these characters. In many cases, I felt they were there just to make cameos. I might be biased, because I wanted to see more of them, especially Seven of Nine and Hugh. (I also love Seven SO MUCH).
I know that ST is always about making choices, and about the idea of hope and trust and dialogue versus violence. But this time, it felt a bit patronising to me. Maybe I watched it at the wrong time, I don't know, but the "Trekspiration" also didn't really work for me.
THIS! SO MUCH THIS! They tried to sell us the whole "dying is better than living forever because it makes you appreciate life more" (which I side-eye a lot, because it sounds a lot like "humans are better than synths") and then they basically make a human come back from death? I know that it's ST and weirder things have happened, but I also didn't think it was a good call. Because what does it mean, then? Are synths only OK in small doses, in ways we can control them? Or in ways that help humans, but not as lifeforms themselves?
Anyway, I agree with everything you wrote. And I also want the new season of Discovery NOW! :)