Very poor start to the season IMO. Felt like a mid-level fan fiction story. Things others have not mentioned yet:
Everything past the opening scene with the horses and after the transporter room felt off somehow.
Pike feels moody, less charismatic, less confident and... stupid? I know he is supposed to be in mourning, but the way they are portraying it does not fit anything we know about his character. Everything he did this episode felt like it had been written by someone that knew nothing about the character.
The rivalry between Ortegas and Scotty comes off passive aggressive and dumb.
Going back to prehistoric Earth/Sol and not making one of the species in the story the Voth from Voyager is my biggest gripe of the episode. We know the Voth left Earth long before the dinosaurs were killed off, but it doesn't mean they were not still a presence in the area.
Honestly, the better plot would have been: The Mars species being located on the 5th planet instead, attacking the Enterprise for weapons and supplies to help them in their war against an unknown foe. Pike successfully negotiating with them for medical/benign supplies, making friends and offering to help negotiate peace... meanwhile on Earth, the away team triggers something that alerts the Voth, revealing them as the unknown enemy and really pissing them off. They come warping in, refuse to negotiate with invading mammals, show no mercy and destroy the 5th planet and the Enterprise barely escapes... Same story beats, doesn't require the viewer to have seen Voyager or know who the Voth are, but adds value for long time fans with almost no extra effort...
Pike feels moody, less charismatic, less confident and... stupid? I know he is supposed to be in mourning, but the way they are portraying it does not fit anything we know about his character. Everything he did this episode felt like it had been written by someone that knew nothing about the character.
The rivalry between Ortegas and Scotty comes off passive aggressive and dumb.
Going back to prehistoric Earth/Sol and not making one of the species in the story the Voth from Voyager is my biggest gripe of the episode. We know the Voth left Earth long before the dinosaurs were killed off, but it doesn't mean they were not still a presence in the area.
Honestly, the better plot would have been: The Mars species being located on the 5th planet instead, attacking the Enterprise for weapons and supplies to help them in their war against an unknown foe. Pike successfully negotiating with them for medical/benign supplies, making friends and offering to help negotiate peace... meanwhile on Earth, the away team triggers something that alerts the Voth, revealing them as the unknown enemy and really pissing them off. They come warping in, refuse to negotiate with invading mammals, show no mercy and destroy the 5th planet and the Enterprise barely escapes... Same story beats, doesn't require the viewer to have seen Voyager or know who the Voth are, but adds value for long time fans with almost no extra effort...