dethstrobe

I actually didn't expect Khan to just abandon his people...but he does seem a bit self serving, so I guess it's not exactly out of character.

Also, we get some idea of when everything happens.

• 2267 - Space Seed. 6 months later Ceti Alpha VI blows up.
• 2272 - They complete the Venture, and it presumably takes off with Kali and Delmonda and maybe 2 others.
• 2285 - Wrath of Khan happens. Khan mentioned it was 15 years after being marooned on Ceti Alpha V, but this is clearly 18 year difference. Khan could just be bad at keeping time. (this is assuming that memory alpha is correct)
• 2293 - The Excellsior goes to Ceti Alpha V to investigate why Ceti Alpha VI blew up and what happened to Khan and company. Sulu also mentions Kirk's death, so we know this takes place after the Enterprise-B's maiden voyage from the opening of Generations.

Also, interesting reasoning for Ceti Alpha VI's destruction being from the Elboreans' nonstandard warp drive. I'm really happy they explained it. I don't understand it though. What kind of FTL drive blows up planets? That sounds more like a horrible weapon putting the Deathstar to shame.

Sounds like rehabilitating Ivan didn't go very well.

Well, one episode left. I have to say, this has been a pretty enjoyable listen to on my mondays.

What a twist. That'd make sense. I guess the age would be about right. Space Seed in about 2267, and this audio drama is set after Generations' death of Kirk in 2293. Kali/Lear could be in their mid 20's or 30's which would fit.

This was a pretty heavy episode. A lot of interesting emotional beats.

Rosalind Lear appears to be hiding some kind of alternative motivation for investigating into Khan and Ceti Alpha, that is assuming Tuvok's suspicions are correct. I wonder if Lear might be a distant relative to an augment. We know that the Noonien-Singh line even survives to the 23rd century because of La'an from SNW. (Why did La'an's ancestors not change their last name?)

The song the young augments were listening to was Your Touch released in 2021. The song is synthwave so sounds like something from the 80's, which I thought was intentional, as we know from Space Seed that the Botany Bay was launched in the 90's (thought because of time travel shinanigans this was shifted around a few times). But I was expecting this to still be true. I'm unsure if this song is meant to imply that we're in a timeline where the Botany Bay is launched after 2021, or if this song is meant to be from the 80's which is how the augments have a copy. I wouldn't read too much into this, but...what's the point if we don't argue a bit over it?

Ivan's betrayal, and Khan's odd mercy towards him is interesting. Khan's paranoia served him well to deduce Ivan's betrayal as well. I'm very curious if the Elboreans will actually be able to rehabilitate Ivan, i suspect if they're successful this will place a great deal more paranoia in to Khan as he'll believe the Elboreans are capable of brainwashing. And make him even less trusting of them.

Lastly the inevitable loss of McGiven's to the Ceti Eel. It hit much harder than I was expecting. Amazing performances from the actors. I feel there are 2 possible fates of Kali, either Delmonda will save her and escape on that small ship they're building (Delmonda leaving the augments behind on Ceti Alpha V because Khan inevitably betrays them), or she dies which will send Khan of the deep end to go ape shit on the Elboreans.

This was a very interesting episode. I think we only have 2 eps left. Things should get moving pretty quick.

How could the Enterprise crew have missed the fact that one of the planets in the system was about to go critical? How could the Reliant crew not have not noticed a missing planet upon their return?

I'm going to be so disappointed if they don't answer those questions.

I think Discovery is perfectly OK Star Trek. However, because it had a few changes in show runners things progress very strangely.

Season 1 is a 10 hour movie. I liked it for doing something different, and thought the plot twist was interesting.

Season 2 starts off good, but then jumps the (metaphorical) shark at the end.

Season 3 thru 5 starts to feel more like traditional Star Trek, just with wacky doom's day scenario in the background until it's resolved at the end of the season. It honestly feels too formulaic, but I thought Season 4's ending was fantastic, some of the middle stuff was a mixed bag.

Anyway, I still think you should watch it. It's perfectly adequate. Didn't make me throw up at all.

So Khan and gang are on Ceti Alpha V. We see foreshadowing that Ceti Alpha VI is going to blow up. And we know it does in Wrath of Khan. What I don't understand is how Chekov and company mistake Ceti Alpha V for VI. Khan says that the planet's orbit shifted because of the explosion of VI.

But if VI is the outter most planet, how does it push V out further? Or like, how could they have mistaken V for VI when there is clearly a missing planet in the system. I guess because they were looking for a non-M class planet and didn't even bother to count the planets in the Ceti Alpha system. I guess that makes sense...

It also doesn't exactly make sense that a planet would just blow up, but I guess it could happen...

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this audio drama. This is honestly my first audio drama. I hope some animator with too much free time tries to make some cool visuals to go with this.

Yeah, I think this book/podcast is what named them Ceti Eel. I'm pretty sure they're unnamed in Wrath of Khan.

I also really like Season 3, but I do feel it is the weakest of the 3 seasons we got so far.

What are the rifles they're using? Maybe taken from the 90s Eugenic Wars? I guess Kirk would have left them with it, since they're basically obsolete and they do need something to help defend themselves.

I don't like destiny episodes. It makes it feel like nothing matters. Like in ENT's Shockwave, the crew just follows Daniel's plan it and it all works out.

I feel this was not a very strong season, but I did enjoy it and that they experimented with the shows formula a bit. But over all, I feel this is the weakest of the 3 seasons we have so far.

Also, what's up with all the mind melds? I went back and watch Dagger of the Mind, the first time we see an onscreen mind meld, and Spock says that he never mind melded with a human before. I guess he could always be lying, as that is definitely within Spock's ability, but it seems like a trivial thing to lie about. But I get it, don't be a slave to canon when we got a story to tell.

But to be realistic, it'd have been easier to make a program that could fire the phasers at the same time rather then a mind meld. And at the same time, there are many times in Star Trek where literally basic cyber security or actual computer programming could have saved the day, and at the end of the day that's just not good compelling story telling.

I'm also a bit disappointed that they did not find a contrived techno babel solution to save Gamble. But I get it, he's not bridge crew, so is expendable.

It was nice that Pike and Batel got to experience a happy ending that we know will never come.

I don't think I much like this episode though.

I'm refreshing myself on Khan story and am watching Space Seed. And I see Lt. McGivers identifies Khan as a Sikh. I knew that Khan and company rules over India during the Eugenics Wars, but for some reason I always thought since the augments were multiracial, I just assumed they got Ricardo Montalban, a Mexican actor, because when they're combining genes to make the perfect human they just kind of go with whatever's on hand.

It not makes me think that Andrews is even better casting choice now.

Not to throw shade at Montalban, because I love Ricardo Montalban. He's got so much charisma. But I do think it makes sense to have a Sikh character played by an Indian actor.

In contrast, Benedict Cumberbatch is another fantastic actor, but literally made no sense why they casted him as Khan.

Gasp! I should have looked up if Earl Boen was still with us.