The Vulcan Hello (DSC S1 E01)

The Vulcan Hello (Star Trek: Discovery, S1 E1) was recommended by Advik Goel (he/him) - Add-vic Go-El, who said: This episode was actually my entry point into the Star Trek franchise, outside of the first of the Kelvin-verse movies, so it holds a place in my heart even if DIS as a whole doesn't relative to other series anymore.

Beyond that, I think the debate over the Vulcan Hello and its merits has always fascinated me. The show lays it out as a debate between the Federation's principles of not being the people to fire the first shot in a potential conflict, and a signal which will ensure the Klingons' respect and prevent a war.

I think there is something delightfully contradictory about Vulcan and Klingon cultural norms and signals being seen as oppositional to the Federation's doctrine, despite the Vulcan's being core members of the Federation.

While Burnham's mutiny is clearly the wrong way to win an argument, I have to question why the characters meant to represent a more typical Federation viewpoint, like Georgiou, are unfamiliar or unwilling to entertain the merits of something like a Vulcan Hello. At least based on what the show reveals, T'Kumva would have been badly undermined if a Vulcan Hello was delivered rather than the perceived disrespect of diplomatic entreaty.

The Vulcan Hello first aired on September 24, 2017, written by story by Bryan Fuller & Alex Kurtzman, teleplay by Akiva Goldsman & Bryan Fuller, and directed by David Semel

While patrolling Federation space, the U.S.S. Shenzhou encounters an object of unknown origin, putting First Officer Michael Burnham to her greatest test yet.

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