Pay attention to the crew’s vignettes: their traumas, the ways they make it through (from Ortegas’s garage to Pike’s kitchen), the ways they maintain professionalism in the face of anger and frustration, and how people take care of each other. That’s what the episode is about. (11/(11)

Maybe, you should all go back and rewatch “What is Starfleet?” from a different perspective. Completely ignore Oretegas’s brother. He’s represents your biases and preconceived notions. He represents that what matters is the documentary, not the people in it. (10/11)

“What is Starfleet?” Well, I point you to another one of Uhura’s best lines:
“It’s the people. All of us. We make Starfleet what it is. Not the other way around.” (9/11)

However, what really takes “What is Starfleet?” to the next level is when it concludes with the montage where the crew lists their reasons for serving. Everyone joined from different backgrounds, but stays for the same reason: the service is where they found love, family, and purpose. (8/11)

“I do think it’s brave that you ask all these questions. No one should accept anything blindly. … But you came here angry. You had a point to prove.” THANK YOU UHURA! WE’VE ALL WANTED TO SAY THAT! (7/11)

And yes, we know what it’s like when random people imply that we’re all in on some evil, political conspiracy and that we’re dangerous, mindless drones…because they just see you as a uniform and not a person. (6/11)

We know how awkward and uncomfortable it is when people turn you into some mythical, heroic figure because they see you as a uniform and not a person. (5/11)

When Uhura finds out one of her college friends was killed in an attack the previous year and she’s crushed cause she had no idea…we know EXACTLY how that feels cause we’ve lived it too many times. We know what’s its like to be in our 20s/30s and visiting our friends in the cemetery. (4/11)

When Pike responds, “You’re right. People die. You ever seen somebody die? Don’t recommend it. And if it ever does happen to you, I don’t think you would enjoy being questioned about it.” I felt that line in my bones cause I’ve been asked the same line of questions before #IRL. (3/11)

Many of us know EXACTLY what its like to have someone put a camera in our face and ask us the deepest, most personal questions in the world with the same detachment like they were asking what you had for dinner last night. (2/11)

The episode is framed around a documentary that questions whether the Federation and Starfleet are the “good guys” and ends up being an extremely meaningful examination of what service actually looks like as opposed to how its mythologized/demonized from the outside. I’m a post 9/11 vet.

Read a lot of posts from folks who thought it was one of the worst episodes of the series. I think it’s some of the best #StarTrek I’ve ever seen. That’s because my life experience is different than many and I think that episode was meant for me. That’s what I mean.

Yes, #StarTrek is for everyone. However, not every episode is targeted at everyone. Not everyone has the life experiences that certain episodes grapple with. I’ve read a lot of posts talking about how it was “bad” or “one of the worst of the series” and that’s simply not true.

Don’t judge my life