by Katya Ell
Episode 1 is a Star Trek movie that could never be made; no legacy anything. This contains no legacy characters or ships, only originals. Frankly, it's barely Star Trek on the surface, but deeply Trek in its philosophy of love, family, emotional intelligence, duty, open-mindedness, empathy, and selflessness. The ship can cross the galaxy in a couple weeks thanks to Magic Sci-Fi B***s*** and they investigate a signal SETI first picked up in '95. Our Captain has been away for a long time, her First Officer is exactly who they all need, the pilot has a carrot addiction, and the Communications Officer is a big deal. This series embraces Roddenberry's wish that these be more evolved people, which I interpret as mature and emotionally intelligent. The subsequent episodes expand the cast and continue the themes of found family, love, motherhood, and empathy. *Spoiler warning* There's also a transdimensional red panda. So, you have that to look forward to and/or dread.
