@ThePowerOfGeek Penny thinks she needs a protector. I think that kind of summarizes her feelings towards Tyrion, but it is a useful device for Martin, because it gives him something to keep Tyrion human while he is otherwise becoming a completely horrible person.

@AlteredStateBlob @dumples @tymon @actualeyes

This feels like an overly broad take. I agree that Discovery has some tone issues that make it feel heavy handed, but it has strong characters outside of the crew that represent a healthy Federation.

Strange New Worlds has been if anything very episodic and light, with the exception of the arrest and trial of Una, which was really the writers picking up a thread that has been hanging there since DS9.

@FormerGameDev Introduced probably with novelizations in the 80's, so still long after TOS, but it never really appears outside of novels until Rise. This stuff that blocks hyperspace travel at the edge of the galaxy is found through out the galaxy as well, which is why they have to have well charted hyperspace routes. I think Rise is the first movie where they mention hyper space lanes as well, which sounds contrived the first time you hear it, but finding new routes is actually very risky.

@FormerGameDev Star Wars has the same thing, a barrier at the edge of the galaxy that prevents hyper space travel.

@porthos No offense was taken. I understood you.

@porthos I'm not objecting to it. The point of Star Trek isn't realism. It was just weird to see the same device used in both universes.

@concrete_baby Today, I learned that Star Trek ALSO has a galactic barrier. Not hear even, I was catching up on Discovery earlier. So now I am coming across Star Trek's galactic barrier twice, for the first time, on the same day. (Though, I must have seen it referenced on TOS at a some point.)

@End0fLine @scarecrw This is correct.

@End0fLine @LibraryLass In my head, she is always in an unintelligible shouting contest with Andy Kaufman.