Jill FellowsMay 18, 2023

Remember how in Star Trek everyone is oddly infatuated with 20th century arts and culture? And, like, nothing has really been created since the 20th century?

It's because of generative AI, right? This is how we get stuck in a feedback loop of 20th century crap.

FOREVER!!

Show threadDigital Mark λ ☕️ 🕹 👽Jun 2, 2023
@jjfphd Good theory, but Star Trek explicitly hates and fears AI. They're almost always insane (and in Lower Decks we see what happens to all these rogue AIs); Data's the only one running loose, and his cat meme poetry isn't setting the Galaxy on fire.
#startrek
Show threadAlonealastalovedalongtheJun 2, 2023

@mdhughes @jjfphd

Sort of, the ship in Discovery becomes sentient, Soji in Picard also decides against destroying humanity. Data is a walking super weapon that would have been dissected if Picard (in TNG) hadn't argue that they should just let Data chill with him on the Enterprise and experience life. The Doctor in Voyager is an instance of a friendly AI too.

Its complex and sometimes a bit stupid, but thats star trek lol.

Show threadLis CareyJun 3, 2023
@Alonealastalovedalongthe @mdhughes @jjfphd
But--Starfleet wanted to dismantle Data. The Doctor is valued in Voyager, on a ship stranded decades from Federation space, and other instances of the Doctor are relegated to deadly dull mining. They are definitely not "valued" or regarded positively.
Show threadAlonealastalovedalongtheJun 3, 2023

@liscarey @mdhughes @jjfphd

Idk in my opinion it is complicated. I mean, all of the star trek ships have voice activated computers that can answers questions like an AI as well.

The instance of the ship coming alive in Discovery is probably the best one in terms of starfleet treating AI positively.

The "AI Evil" trope I think is usually part of a broader trope of evil people being scientist/inventor types who want to "perfect" humanity and desire power above all else.

Show threadDigital Mark λ ☕️ 🕹 👽Jun 3, 2023
@Alonealastalovedalongthe @liscarey @jjfphd Ship computers are just search engines, and not really good ones, we often see officers paging thru a bunch of results and trying to figure out what matched. There's some programmed routines. What they do in Holodecks is borderline, but maybe just a big media library. They're definitely not autonomous or self-aware (I haven't watched Discovery or most of Picard, and not considering them Star Trek).
Show threadAlonealastalovedalongtheJun 3, 2023

@mdhughes @liscarey @jjfphd

(I haven't watched Discovery or most of Picard, and not considering them Star Trek).

....? They are star trek though?

*edit* sorry I kneejerk thought this was one of those fan reactions where someone writes off the new shows as not part of star trek canon, whereas I realized I think you are just saying you haven't watched them so you can't comment on them.

Show threadDigital Mark λ ☕️ 🕹 👽Jun 3, 2023
@Alonealastalovedalongthe @liscarey @jjfphd Really a bit of both; Discovery's (from reviews) so far off from main-line Star Trek I can't take it seriously. Picard even less so, it's fanservice. Enterprise and "Star Trek V" (which was never made) are similarly out of my vision. "It doesn't look like anything to me" as another show says.
Show threadAlonealastalovedalongtheJun 3, 2023

@mdhughes @liscarey @jjfphd

*facepalm* ok whatever, im done.

Im so tired of this kind of lazy writing off of new star trek because it doesn't superficially look like old star trek. Disco got review bombed online by conservative star trek fans, it definitely has issues but it is still clearly part of the star trek universe and holds true to what star trek is. It isn't some betrayal of the series.

If you like TNG I can't fathom why you wouldn't like Picard SE3, it is like a long TNG movie.

Show threadRaccoon 🏳️‍🌈 Jun 5, 2023
@Alonealastalovedalongthe @mdhughes @liscarey @jjfphd
To be fair, I feel like Discovery was purposefully baiting the conservatives, especially since a lot of it's worst writing came down to bad attempts at heavy-handed social commentary. Michael Burnham, Tilly, Saru, and the three gay characters are all great, and so are a few others on that ensemble cast, it's just that a show about a few people always being right while surrounded by imbeciles isn't interesting like PIC, LD, or SNW are.
Show threadRaccoon 🏳️‍🌈 

@Alonealastalovedalongthe @mdhughes @liscarey @jjfphd
Like, I think one of the best examples I've seen on it is that, on TNG, a socially inept character like Barclay becomes an asset wants the others learn to appreciate him, even a hero. On Discovery, he'd never get the chance, because he'd die within 20 minutes of being rude to or even just not agreeing with Michael Burnham.

A "strong female lead" doesn't work when every problem boils down to people not recognizing her perfection.

Jun 5, 2023 at 4:16amWeb
Show threadRaccoon 🏳️‍🌈 Jun 5, 2023
@Alonealastalovedalongthe @mdhughes @liscarey @jjfphd
And I say that as someone who finds Michael Burnham extremely relatable, even refreshing at times, and likes her more than even Data or Spock. She's a great role model, when the plot is sane: a logical adult. The writers are trying so hard to be feminist or something, some sort of social justice or something, but not being logical or letting her have flaws, that they end up writing this really bad example of feminist literature.
Show threadRaccoon 🏳️‍🌈 Jun 5, 2023
Note to self: If you're going to ramble this long about it as a tangent reply, you should just write a thing about it on your own timeline.
Show threadAlonealastalovedalongtheJun 5, 2023

@raccoon @mdhughes @liscarey @jjfphd

"Like, I think one of the best examples I've seen on it is that, on TNG, a socially inept character like Barclay becomes an asset wants the others learn to appreciate him, even a hero. On Discovery, he'd never get the chance, because he'd die within 20 minutes of being rude to or even just not agreeing with Michael Burnham."

I just really don't see this at all, the crew of Discovery seem if anything more accepting to diversity than other crews?