The Official Star Trek Thread

[Middle-aged Europe]

Well, on Battlestar Galactica Kara Thrace was the "Harbinger of Death" so I'd imagine it's some similar hogwash. Seriously though, I have no idea.

Notable events in this episode:

- After a 26-year-absence from the Trek universe Jonathan Del Arco from the classic TNG episodes "I Borg" and "Descent" returns as the former Borg drone Hugh, now serving as the Executive Director of the Romulan Reclamation Project. Followin, Picard and Data he's the third previously established Trek character to appear on this show (as we know from the trailers three more are to follow this season).

- The Big Damn Heroes (Picard, Dr. Jurati, Rafi, and Captain Rios) are finally united on their show and are engaging the warp drive. Picard does indeed say "Engage" for the first time in the show, although he does have to relinquish the captain's chair to Rios. Since pretty much everybody on that show seems to have a dark and troubled past, Rios is no different. I wonder what his secret is and whether it ties in with the other plot lines on the show.

[Tender Branson]

Well, on Battlestar Galactica Kara Thrace was the "Harbinger of Death" so I'd imagine it's some similar hogwash. Seriously though, I have no idea.

Notable events in this episode:

- After a 26-year-absence from the Trek universe Jonathan Del Arco from the classic TNG episodes "I Borg" and "Descent" returns as the former Borg drone Hugh, now serving as the Executive Director of the Romulan Reclamation Project. Followin, Picard and Data he's the third previously established Trek character to appear on this show (as we know from the trailers three more are to follow this season).

- The Big Damn Heroes (Picard, Dr. Jurati, Rafi, and Captain Rios) are finally united on their show and are engaging the warp drive. Picard does indeed say "Engage" for the first time in the show, although he does have to relinquish the captain's chair to Rios. Since pretty much everybody on that show seems to have a dark and troubled past, Rios is no different. I wonder what his secret is and whether it ties in with the other plot lines on the show.

„The Destroyer“ (or Seb-Cheneb) could also be a Romulan religious figure from the ancient times, which could explain the deep Romulan hatred for artificial intelligence ... (did A.I. or the Borg cause the Supernova ?)

Basically, many Romulans could be religious extremists.

[dbatche3]

Episode 3 was stronger than Episode 2, I thought. Whatever secrets the Romulans learned when they were assimilated, it was enough to make them all go insane. They weren’t kidding when they said the secret would break your brain...

[Middle-aged Europe]

Episode 3 was stronger than Episode 2, I thought.

Yeah, agree with this. I'd rank the episodes like this: 1 > 3 > 2.

[Tender Branson]

Just seen Episode 4 in English.

A „Game of Thrones“ moment, „White Supremacy“ and someone interesting beaming on board.

Also, the Narissa/Rizzo woman is a very cool character, deceiving and full of intrigue, but cool.

[Middle-aged Europe]

This episode had two noteworthy fanservice moments with a TOS-era Romulan Bird-of-Prey appearing and Seven of Nine finally returning.

With Elnor and Seven on board the crew also seems to be complete for now. We'll have to wait and see whether Soji and Narek will join them too eventually, Narek's loyalties at least seem to be a bit conflicted. I think I like the running gag of Rios' multiple holographic doppelgängers. I wonder how many of them will pop up eventually.

Today I also had a bit a feeling to not watch Star Trek anymore, but a cross between Star Wars and Firefly. That Western-like Romulan refugee planet certainly remained me of Firefly. With Rios I also got a bit of a Han Solo-vibe and according to the trailer for next week Freecloud will turn out to be a "casino planet".

[Middle-aged Europe]

Here btw is an article on the similarities between Star Trek: Picard and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope:

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-trek-picard-spoilers-star-wars-luke-skywalker-new-hope

Picard is essentially Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rios is Han Solo, and Soji is Leia who needs to be found and rescued from the Death Star Borg cube.

[Tender Branson]

I have now seen Episode 5 (in English).

The episode starts with a shocking/heartbreaking scene for Voyager lovers and explains much of the rest that follows ...

The interactions between Picard and Seven Of Nine reminded me of the good old TNG and Voyager days, especially when they talked about returning from the Borg Collective.

Freecloud is indeed a Casino Planet similar to Las Vegas. I find it fitting that this episode aired just ahead of the NV caucus ...

I also liked the professional undercover acting stunt by the crew to free Bruce Maddox. But wtf was going on with Dr. Jurati at the end ? Didn’t expect that.

(Also, doing drugs is a bad thing for yourself, but also for the ones around you ...)

[Tender Branson]

Another interesting new character was Bjayzl.

She reminded me of the Borg Queen, even though I doubt it really was the Borg Queen.

She called Seven of Nine by her birth name Annika, which not a lot of people know. On the other hand, she didn’t recognize Picard (Locutus) and only later was told that it is him.

Maybe Bjayzl and her actions are a metaphor for the Borg Queen, similar to how Beelzebub is a reference to the Devil.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Bjayzl

[Middle-aged Europe]

At first I thought that Bjayzl was Deanna Troi, because both women look almost completely identical.

[Tender Branson]

At first I thought that Bjayzl was Deanna Troi, because both women look almost completely identical.

Yeah, me too.

[RI]

Picard is... not good. The writing is just godawful.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Picard is... not good. The writing is just godawful.

Personally, I thought that the premiere episode was the strongest and this week's episode was the weakest so far. So overall the show is getting worse, unfortunately. I hope that downward trend stops at some point, be it with its already greenlit second season. Discovery'a second season was also a bit better than its first IMO.

It's noteworthy that Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner Michael Chabon is Picard's showrumner and was to some extent involved in writing four of its five already released episodes. Go figure. Writing novels and writing a TV show are fundamentally different things, I guess.

[Tender Branson]

Picard is... not good. The writing is just godawful.

Personally, I thought that the premiere episode was the strongest and this week's episode was the weakest so far. So overall the show is getting worse, unfortunately. I hope that downward trend stops at some point, be it with its already greenlit second season. Discovery'a second season was also a bit better than its first IMO.

It's noteworthy that Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner Michael Chabon is Picard's showrumner and was to some extent involved in writing four of its five already released episodes. Go figure. Writing novels and writing a TV show are fundamentally different things, I guess.

Yeah, I get the impression that it's becoming more like a "Picavery".

They should throw out the current writers and producers and replace them with Seth MacFarlane for Season 2 and dump CBS for FOX as well.

FOX makes better Star Trek (= The Orville).

[Tender Branson]

Episode 6 already.

This one was more about the Borg and Picardˋs past with them. He’s still very much traumatized by their assimilation.

[Middle-aged Europe]

After the recent downward trend it seemed like this show finally managed to get its sh**t together again this week. Possibly the best episode since the premiere.

In retrospect, maybe the problem was that they wasted too much time on the "the crew gets together" stuff which took the entirety of the first four episodes. Picard should have arrived at the Borg cube in Episode 3, not Episode 6 IMO.

[Tender Branson]

Episode 6 already.

This one was more about the Borg and Picardˋs past with them. He’s still very much traumatized by their assimilation.

After the recent downward trend it seemed like this show finally managed to get its sh**t together again this week. Possibly the best episode since the premiere.

In retrospect, maybe the problem was that they wasted too much time on the "the crew gets together" stuff which took the entirety of the first four episodes. Picard should have arrived at the Borg cube in Episode 3, not Episode 6 IMO.

SPOILERS



I have now seen the episode in German as well.

A fairly good episode in hindsight.

It brings to a close the Romulan intrigue and investigation against the twin-daughters Dahj and Soji, by finding out her secret (she's an android who appears to have been created on a planet orbited by 2 red moons).

The Romulan Tal Shiar/Zhat Vash want to find the planet and destroy it or whatever other androids are on there.

Narek (not his real name), after finding out her secret, tried to kill her with the "Impossible Box" (title name of the episode), a device similar to a rubic cube who also resembles the device seen in "Nemesis" who killed the Romulan Senate members.

He still seems kinda sorry for her "death" (doesn't happen) and I'm still not sure which side he'll eventually be on ...

Other points I noticed:

* the Borg Queen cell: the Borg aquired a long-range transportation device (a so-called spatial trajector with up to 40.000 light years range) by assimilation of a species called the Sikarians. The Sikarians were already encountered by the Voyager in 2371, so their assimilation by the Borg must have happened after that.

* Soji knows that the range of the device is 40.000 light years. Why ? Is she a former Borg ? Does she have Borg collective memory ? Is she the Borg Queen ?

* Picard and Soji are transported to a planet called "Nepenthe", which is the title of the episode #7. Nepenthe is Greek for "drug to forget all sorrow". In episode 7, Will Riker and Deanna Troy will appear for the first time, while Picard and Soji are hunted by the Romulan sibling pair Narek and Narissa.

Episode Summary

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

* Soji knows that the range of the device is 40.000 light years. Why ? Is she a former Borg ? Does she have Borg collective memory ? Is she the Borg Queen ?

It was specified in the episode of ST:V'ger where Voyager encountered the Sikarans that the spacial trajector has a range of 40,000 light years, so that info would be known to the Federation.

[Tender Branson]

* Soji knows that the range of the device is 40.000 light years. Why ? Is she a former Borg ? Does she have Borg collective memory ? Is she the Borg Queen ?

It was specified in the episode of ST:V'ger where Voyager encountered the Sikarans that the spacial trajector has a range of 40,000 light years, so that info would be known to the Federation.

True.

If the Federation has the records, she might not be affiliated with the Borg.

Anyway: I have now started reading the official book (Picard: the last and only hope. 420 pages). After 40 pages, Picard already had conversations with Worf, Beverly and LaForge - something that didn’t happen in the TV series so far. Why not stick to the script ?

[Tender Branson]

Pics from Episode 7 ("Nepenthe"):

[Tender Branson]

Just watched "Nepenthe".

This 7th episode was probably the best so far (even better than episode one).

It was a matured version of TNG which makes the heart grow fond for a fan of the old series.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Second solid episode in a row, I'm keeping fingers crossed that this means that the show truly managed to get its act together now.

Bringing Riker and Troi back means a hefty portion of nostalgia, in an episode that almost exclusively consists of quiet drama (except for a brief action sequence on the Borg cube) similar to the series premiere.

[Tender Branson]

For those who have seen „Nepenthe“ and the preview for episode 8:





























What’s with the synths who destroyed (a Romulan ?) star system planet or Romulus itself ?

When was this planet destroyed ?

Who were these synths ?

Why did the Romulans go insane during the attack and why again during the Borg assimilation ?

In the preview we see a subspace rift opening up with either radiation or ships coming through, which looked very similar to Borg or Species 8472 subspace rifts ...

The episode 8 write-up mentions that „the truth“ about the synth attack on Mars will be revealed and this is very likely connected to the synth attack on the Romulan planet.

[Tender Branson]

[Tender Branson]

Going to watch episode 8 now in English and then German ...