Comment on Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | 1x07 “Ko’Zeine”
ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 4 days ago
Well, that was certainly a low-stakes palate cleanser after last week’s more intense episode. Probably a little too low-stakes for my liking.
They seemed intent on inverting common tropes in this one:
The “arranged marriage” storyline didn’t play out in a way that we’ve really seen before.
Similarly, Darem’s overall arc of “I need to stop being such a people-pleaser so I can be my more authentic, dickish self” is…a twist.
Caleb and Genesis put any “will they/won’t they” plotlines to rest (though I suppose they could revisit it).
And Genesis’ deep, dark secret turned out to be…not that deep. As much as I appreciate the inversion and that she didn’t turn out to be a Species 10-C spy or something, I feel like we still don’t know enough about Genesis. We’re going to have to meet her dad to really get to the bottom of her character, I think.
I really don’t think we were meant to interpret the advice of “be a dick” literally. People with social anxiety oftenfeel like they’re being a dick when others just see confidence and playful teasing.
I interpreted his lesson to stop being afraid of how others perceive him, which is a recurring theme of this series.
Yeah, I exaggerate, but I think the message was definitely that it’s okay to embrace your inner cockiness, which I think is an untraditional (but interesting!) message.
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 2 hours ago
The thing is, for Darem, his family and his people, this might be a high stakes situation.
It’s a change in leadership model, with a young new monarch. It should have more weight — especially as we and Jay-Den learn that they have some advanced Ionian-level portal technology. So, they seem the legacy of an advanced species with a highly structured society.
But the feel of the event was more like a resort destination wedding than a constitutional event.
The Khionians clearly a society hiding behind masks, and Darem excels at that.
BUT in the end, Darem’s long time betrothed expresses betrayal that Darem had been wearing a kind of mask with her, never showing his true self.
So, she sees only the ultimatum of an abdication an annulment as a solution.
Being creative and allowing Darem to continue with Starfleet so he could grow and become more comfortable and confident in his own identity, was beyond her ability to imagine.