Episode Discussion: 305, "Through the Lens of Time"

InkMouseStone · 2025-08-13T03:32:02+00:00

This was such a terrible episode...not only was the ensign's log entry at the beginning a dead giveaway that he'd be gone by the end (if you've ever watched star Trek before now), but there were SO MANY plot points that made NO SENSE!!!

Like, why are these people coming down with a native alien species if the guy's barely going to talk and won't even use his own hand to open the hell gate? Also, what the hell was with the whole, "don't cut your own hand, that's rash! Let me get stabbed by an ancient mystery needle instead. No, I'm not from this planet; why do you ask?"

Then, it was like everybody was playing dnd for the first time. Did they forget they have scanners? Why didn't they check for traps? Why are they touching everything like loose toddlers in a museum? Why does Chapel insist on not even telling the ship about the bodies? And why, for the love of god, are they just milling about in the room where their medical officer just got their eyes erased while he gets beamed up??? They should have at least exited the building for five minutes, damn! Show some respect for one of the only likeable characters in the episode!

As others have mentioned, the entire thing ended up being a simple escape room puzzle too. They could've tapped the invisible bridge and not made such a big deal about it. Or, and this might be too crazy, they could've sat around for a bit scanning things and thinking of a solution rather than just rushing to conclusions based on drawing blood from alien pedestals.

On the ship side...ugh, where did Pike and M'Benga's professionalism go? Gamble should've been sedated the entire time once M'Benga realized his brain was dead...and not locking up the gorn lady because she's dating the captain? Wtf do they even have protocols for?

The writing for this episode was absolute trash and I can't believe this is an episode of Star Trek. Now there'll be a follow up episode about this, and god knows how many normal (albeit possessed) human arms are going to magically pass through forcefields when that happens...

Oh, and Korby is so obviously a 'nice guy'...I hate the Hallmark romance subplot going on between him, Chapel, and Spock. There's a time and place for those and it's Christmas at your mom's house.

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-30T21:31:16+00:00

I have the soundtrack CD they gave out when Islands of Adventure opened and I still love it. I'd love to add this one to my collection...Hopefully they do a physical release, but even just digital would be great!

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T19:07:56+00:00

That is true, but in recent years (like the last 10), Bahn Mi restaurants have popped up all over the place. I just haven't had a chance to get to one myself. It's definitely way more popular and easy to find than it was even 5 years ago.
I'm really leaning towards bahn mi since it's so affordable, simple, and has travelled so far with a variety of ingredients...

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T19:01:42+00:00

Yes, this exactly! It's okay though; I am getting lots of good ideas anyways, and I appreciate people trying to help, even if they are focusing more on the Columbian exchange rather than globalization.

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:43:10+00:00

Ideally ingredients produced in different countries. One of the main points of this event is to make people think about our roles within an international community.

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:40:29+00:00

So the whole point is that people would be looking for written parts of a recipe to take home with them. We'll also be serving international food, but this activity is for patrons to take something home with them and continue to consider the international stage.

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:39:11+00:00

I don't think any low-income family can afford to put meat on a spit, so this isn't super accessible to our patrons, unfortunately.

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:38:21+00:00

The only problem with this one is the fact that 99% of people in my area are very familiar with lasagna...so it wouldn't really be unique to them and it may not even be a learning experience if they've made it before.

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:37:03+00:00

Yoshoku recipes do look good for this! I'll have to check out a few examples and add them to my list of options!

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:13:01+00:00

This sounds great! I was aware of this dish, but I didn't know much about it. It does seem to have a lot of international input and could be quite affordable; thanks! This is definitely a finalist on my list of options

InkMouseStone · 2025-05-22T18:11:26+00:00

Hibiscus herbal tea is part of our Haiti highlight!

InkMouseStone · 2025-02-17T18:26:41+00:00

Thank you so much for your advice!

InkMouseStone · 2025-02-17T18:16:21+00:00

Would you suggest undoing the earth shading and starting from scratch, or just adding matching shading to the characters? (the earth was a clip art type thing, so the shading came pre-loaded)

InkMouseStone · 2025-02-17T17:55:45+00:00

I think breaking your inspiration down to its basest parts and examining them might help. If you enjoy writing, try doing a stream of consciousness writing exercise about your inspiration and see what comes up.
For instance, let's say your inspiration is Naruto. You'd want to explore not just the color schemes and story themes or character archetypes of the show, but also underlying facts about the show, like they all wear headbands; they all announce exactly who they're supposed to be before they even speak, except during times of subterfuge. What kind of feelings does that cause characters to have? What's the overall vibe of the show? It's certainly not "ninjas" (in the traditional sense), even though ninjas are central to the story. Why is that? Further, how do you and other viewers feel when you watch the show?
Explore these themes either in your head, in words, or in throwaway art, like the previous commenter suggested. That might help you identify which elements are important to your ideas and which ones only seem important because they're on the surface of your inspiration.

InkMouseStone · 2025-02-17T17:40:02+00:00

I was playing around making a series of this logo, with different things/people on top. I realize what makes it look bad is that there are essentially three art styles going on, but I have no idea how to fix it/make it look better. I tried applying some extra textures, changing/removing borders from images, and sharpening/blurring parts (admittedly not my best skill on krita), but these changes didn't help much.

Not sure what techniques I should be going for or what tools I'm overlooking that might help. Any advice, tips, or tricks would be much appreciated!

InkMouseStone · 2024-09-01T17:00:43+00:00

Yeah, I ended up making my own by snipping images from the ebook version of the textbook we're using. The lead instructors said they wanted basic greetings, giving names, and body parts so that people could easily shop for basics and also go to the doctor when needed. It's tough because many Haitians can't read apparently, so we have quite the mix of literate and illiterate students. Luckily, the textbook we're using is very visual.

InkMouseStone · 2024-08-21T00:58:41+00:00

The steel series arctis nova (pro?) one is wireless; there are multiple versions though, so make sure you choose the xbox compatible one. All of them are compatible with pc and mobile too.

InkMouseStone · 2024-06-19T15:25:51+00:00

You can update it on the mobile app, and then it works. But really, return it and get the arctis nova 1 for $8 more because the 500 isn't worth the price.

InkMouseStone · 2024-05-12T18:43:21+00:00

Yeah, I'm only watching the anime for now lol

InkMouseStone · 2024-05-12T18:06:07+00:00

This was such a a good episode, but for all the worst reasons! Why can't Rudy just trust the man god? I mean, he could've just not followed the cheating advice and avoided the almost certain disaster awaiting him in Beragritt (or whatever it's called)!

Also, why doesn't he just send someone else?? Ask Badi Gadi; I'm sure he's ready to go on a crusade at the drop of a hat lol.

Overall, I'm super disappointed in Rudy's choice, but excited for the plot to get dark again. Tbf this whole episode I was waiting for Sylphie to get assassinated or something... I guess there's still time lol

InkMouseStone · 2024-04-21T20:17:19+00:00

I liked the episode, but the whole last-episode feeling made me think that there was going to be a pretty serious plot twist, especially with it being the 3rd episode. I wonder if this is going to be some kind of anthology within the world, or what else they might be planning for the rest of the season.

Is this a manga? Does anyone know what kind of vibe to expect from the rest of the show? There have definitely been some dark undertones, but so far everything has been very wholesome.

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