Value Subtracted @ ValueSubtracted @startrek.website

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I thought that was a very solid season opener - it certainly surpassed my modest expectations.

I didn't think much of the retrofuturistic stylings in the previews, but the robots won me over with their absolutely ridiculous arms.

It's interesting that the Doctor was on the planet for six months - wasn't that also the length of time he and Ruby went on adventures between "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord". This episode has to take place after "Boom", though, so it might be a coincidence. It's just in my head because it does sound like we're going to get a glimpse of those six missing months later this season.

Making the villain a manosphere chud was rather timely (or maybe just evergreen over the past decade or so), especially on the heels of the discourse around Netflix's "Adolescence".

Ni'Var in Discovery does seem to be on that path, particularly with the Romulo-Vulcan faction.

Among the legal organizations’ expressed objections and flaws they contend mar the proposed regime in its application to legal professionals:

• IRCC’s proposed broad powers to inspect and search, based on an IRCC officer’s determination that there are “reasonable grounds to suspect” a violation, and to demand documents from lawyers, without safeguards, as well as the lack of any mechanism to allow lawyers to fully and effectively defend themselves, without breaching established principles of solicitor-client confidentiality;

• unfairness, expense and other negative impacts on legal professionals, and the risk of inconsistent results by needlessly subjecting them to dual regulation;

• failure to respect the fundamental principles of independence of the bar as well as solicitor/client privilege/confidentiality, which are protected by the common law and the Constitution;

• the lack of procedural protections and accountability;

• IRCC’s lack of neutrality vis-à-vis immigration and refugee lawyers who advocate for clients, often in opposition to IRCC and its counsel, including representing in court those accused of offences, including misrepresentation. “Granting the same entity the authority to discipline the very lawyers who challenge it creates a glaring conflict of interest — comparable to allowing Crown counsel to oversee the discipline of criminal defence lawyers,” the CBA asserts in its submission to IRCC; and

• Ottawa exceeds federal jurisdiction by purporting to regulate and penalize lawyers and paralegals doing paid immigration and refugee work, including by naming violators and publishing particulars on IRCC’s website, an interference with a lawyer’s ability to practise law, which is the exclusive preserve of law societies.

Yeah, it's definitely possible that Picardo could play both versions of the character, even if it's just for a single episode.

But the full-time version on "Academy" will be the original, not the "Living Witness" backup.

Oh, are names important? What were the names of the Klingons?

Well, the Cerritos is also transformed into a *Galaxy-*class ship by that anomaly, so by your logic, there's an equal chance that TNG took place in a different universe.

Which is...definitely a thing you could say.

where the Klingons started turning in to discovery type Klingons suggesting that discovery was not set in the main trek universe.

I'm not sure you've given this line of thought full consideration.

I just take it as a given that RTD finales are likely to be pretty messy, but hopefully it will at least be a fun ride.

Thank you for making me aware of the article!

"The Well" is probably the most interesting to me, given the non-description. It looks like it'll be the season's "Midnight", and I can't be mad about that.

"Lucky Day" - it didn't occur to me that the big Ruby episode might be Doctor-lite...it has potential to be interesting. Maybe a bit of a backdoor pilot for "The War Between the Land and the Sea"?

Okay, I don't have much in the way of thoughts about the others. They all seem perfectly fine, and I don't mean that in a backhanded sort of way.

Oh this is good stuff, but kind of incomplete...so I'm going to take advantage of my library account and take a look at the source!

1. The Robot Revolution

On her 16th birthday, Belinda's boyfriend arranged for a star to be named after her. But 17 years later, the robots from that star have come to find their Queen and take her home.

That's just the start for Belinda, as she's taken to the planet Missbelindachandra One to meet the citizens, Missbelindachandrakind, and their robots, the Missbelindachandrabots.

Yes, you're right, it's a mad old world. But things soon turn serious. People are dying, rebels are fighting back and a terrifying wedding is being arranged. Belinda's trapped in the middle of hulking red robots, and evil AI Generator, rocket ships, laser battles, a funny little friend called Scoot and the Court Historian, a man who speaks in a very strange pattern that might hold the clue to her escape.

And the Doctor's got problems of his own. If he can save Belinda from this madhouse, their journey together is only beginning. Because something in the universe is going very, very wrong...

2. Lux

The Doctor tries to return Belinda to the day she left Earth. But a mysterious force keeps making the Tardis bounce off course, and one of those bounces takes them to Miami, at four in the morning in 1952. "Things are different at night," says the Doctor, aware of the danger from the moment they arrive.

In the Palazzo Picture House, an old cartoon, Mr Ring-a-Ding Goes to Town, is playing. But as the hapless projectionist, Reginald Pye looks on in horror, Mr Ring-a-Ding somehow steps from the screen...accompanied by the sound of screams.

It's a long night of terror on the Florida coast - how do you fight a living cartoon? But the danger goes beyond that, as the Doctor and Belinda find all they hold dear being challenged.

Our glorious guest star Alan Cumming takes centre stage here, as the voice of Mr Ring-a-Ding. Smile, sing and suffer, that's his catchphrase!

3. The Well

500,000 years in the future. An empty planet. A colony base. Which lost contact 15 days ago...

And that's it. That's all I'm saying. Sometimes, there's so much PR and publicity, these episodes wear thin. And that's my fault, too, I love blabbing about them. But sometimes it's good to keep an episode quiet, so you can come to it unprepared. And believe me, nothing could prepare you for the terror that's about to be unleashed on the worst day of the Doctor's life. This episode is tough; it's weird, it's relentless, and both Sharma and I can promise you, it is merciless.

Welcome to the planet 6-7-6-7. Pray to leave.

4. Lucky Day

Back on earth, Ruby Sunday is recovering from life with the Doctor and finds a new boyfriend. But when Conrad tries to live up to Ruby's ideals to become as brave as the Doctor, a world of danger opens up.

For a long time, this episode was called Meanwhile. Because we've all wondered what happens to the Doctor's companions, back on Earth, once the adventuring stops. We've seen the wonderful Sarah Jane Smith investigate alien goings-on from her attic, and lots of old companions are now being conscripted into Unit because they've got so much experience of events beyond this world. But Ruby is still so young, barely 20, still exploring her family, and still working out what she wants to do in life. So it was a great delight to hand this episode over to Pete Mctighe, such a great writer of the human heart, for him to explore what happens once the Doctor is gone.

All that plus monsters, Unite, Kate, Shirley, gunk, helicopters, a creepy English village and a glimpse of a lost Doctor and Ruby story, too!

5. The Story and the Engine

"I'm not human," says the Doctor. "I am an evolved lifeform. My body changes a lot." And sometimes, this ancient Time Lord needs to rest. To find friends, to relax, to forget and to simply enjoy the telling of tales. One such sanctuary is Omo's Palace.

But when the Tardis arrives, Omo seems to have a new master. Men have gone missing. Something vast and hungry is demanding to be fed. And the Doctor discovers a universe he has never even guessed at before.

A while back, I went to the National Theatre to see Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams. I left thinking, that man should write Doctor Who! I then discovered that Inua had been working on stories with my predecessor, Chris Chibnall. And if that's not enough, Ncuti then came to me with a suggestion. "Have you ever though of using a writer called Inua Ellams?"

It was meant to be. And I'm so proud to have helped this to the screen, as Inua unveils a new world of riches, replete with gods, monsters, revenge, passion and a very big spider indeed.

6. The Interstellar Song Contest

This is the one! Rylan! Songs! Lizards! Douze points!

You probably think you've got the measure of this episode. That's what the Doctor and Belinda think, as the Tardis bounces them to the Harmony Arena, deep in outers space, for the 803rd annual contest. But this is written by Juno Dawson, the bestselling fantasy novelist, and I'm telling you with absolute confidence that you're not ready for the shocks and surprises in store. This year, episodes will land on BBC iPlayer at 8am on Saturdays, so I'd recommend staying offline all day if you want the raw experience of this on a Saturday night. Because this story takes much bigger swings than any you are expecting. It's darker, wilder and tougher than the title would suggest, and the world of Doctor Who will never be the same again.

7. Wish World

Everyone get ready to rejoice! Because the Great Day is coming. The most important date in history. The clock is ticking and everyone is preparing for a joyous tomorrow, when the whole world will change forever.

Here we go! It's season finale time, with a great big two-part story blasting the roof off anything we've made before. Welcome to a strange new world in which the old saying "There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip" is gaining a terrifying new power. But what are the Bone Beasts? Why is Mrs Flood hiding in the sky? What secrets do the Dispossessed keep? And why is a mysterious message echoing across time and space, saying, "Tables don't do that"?

8. The Reality War

The devastating climax. Strands that have drawn across seasons and centuries now pull together, tight as a noose, as legends converge for battle. Our brave, battered, beaten Doctor stands alone and helpless against the Unholy Trinity.

Surely this is the end?

Unless...

That's it - I'll likely drop some thoughts below. And please feel free to give Radio Times a click, and support your local library.

"Seasonal?"

Amateur.

Yeah you really nailed it. Just like he was on "Prodigy."

Just a bunch of normies, pondering their orbs.

Looks good. How much does their stuff usually cost?

Radio Times: Doctor Who – The Robot Revolution preview: A shaky start – but Varada Sethu shines

io9: Doctor Who‘s Electrifying New Dynamic Is Just What the Doctor Ordered

Variety: Ncuti Gatwa’s Second ‘Doctor Who’ Season Starts Off Strong, Despite Speculation About Show’s Future: TV Review

As much as I agree that one doesn't "run for Prime Minister," and I wish everyone would stop using that phrasing...the party sure as shit should be running to form government.

The article is annoyingly vague, but I guess it's talking about actual, boots-on-the-ground spies, and the infrastructure to manage foreign agents?