The Official Star Trek Thread

[Tender Branson]

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

Another pretty good episode, which revealed a lot about the plot starting in the first episode.

Also, hearing the "WE ARE THE BORG !" tune again was great.

The side-story with the 5 holograms was also entertaining.

[Tender Branson]

Episode 9+10 (the final ones) will be a 2-part ending („Et in Arcadia ego“ l+ll).

It will feature a return to Soji‘s home world Coppelius.

[Tender Branson]

I have now seen Episode 9 in both English and German.

It definitely had a resemblance with the TNG double-episode "Descent", in which Data's brother Lore commanded a fascist Borg uprising, to destroy all organic life - thinking the Borg and other A.I. were the "superior" lifeforms.

In this episode, Soji is returning home to her people of androids and eventually backs the plans of her "sister" Sutra, who wants to destroy all organic life to protect the synths from being destroyed by them.

Sutra's character and fascist logic are very similar to Lore's in "Descent" and both Soji and Data are first following their sister/brother - but might end up being on the right side again ... (at least Data was).

Even the settings/film locations were quite similar in both this episode and "Descent": some kind of lab/settlement on a hill in a desert-style environment (probably both episodes were filmed in rural CA). The Borg Cube being downed by those flowers/orchids was also very stylish and fascinating.

In general, I'd rate the first season now as a solid B+ (after 9/10 episodes).

[Lumine]

After three very strong episodes I was very disappointed in Episode 9, not exactly looking forward to seeing how they solve that narrative mess in the second part of the finale. Pacing issues are really dragging down the show, what with the plot and the character introduction having been excessively slow in the first half only to enter frantic overdrive now.

Also, I really hope they don't go with a Dr. Soong is Lore kind of twist, I was sick of that character in TNG and it would be a lame narrative decision.

[Tender Branson]

After three very strong episodes I was very disappointed in Episode 9, not exactly looking forward to seeing how they solve that narrative mess in the second part of the finale. Pacing issues are really dragging down the show, what with the plot and the character introduction having been excessively slow in the first half only to enter frantic overdrive now.

Also, I really hope they don't go with a Dr. Soong is Lore kind of twist, I was sick of that character in TNG and it would be a lame narrative decision.

A simple tricorder scan would reveal if Dr. Soong is Lore, or not.

Anyway, I guess that Episode 9's Dr. Soong is not Lore (for reasons I stated above).

I also hope that someone cures Picard's terminal illness, but there's also speculation that Picard could die in the final episode and that his mind is implanted into a synth that is developed by Soong and Jurati, in which case Picard would live on as an A.I. lifeform. This theory is a bit unlikely though, because I guess Picard would not accept to do so.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Come now, if they write themselves into a corner that can only be solved by a deus ex machina, Q is the obvious choice, even if would cause some Discord among fans who are both Trekkers and Bronies.

[Mr. Morden]

Man, that finale was pretty awful.

[Tender Branson]

Man, that finale was pretty awful.

I still need to watch it in German, but it was not unexpected.

Considering Picardˋs artificial heart replacement, the final episode events would fit earlier storylines.

The battle scenes were also pretty good IMO, with a special guest appearing again.

I guess we will need to wait until 2021 or 2022 for Season 2, because filming cannot take place this year.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Final verdict:

Star Trek: Picard remains a mixed bag. Some episodes are good (specifically #1, 6, 7, and 8 ), others suffer from the same flaws Discovery does. The incoherent script quality puts it all over the place. I hope they'll be able to work out the kinks in Season 2.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Final verdict:

Star Trek: Picard remains a mixed bag. Some episodes are good (specifically #1, 6, 7, and 8 ), others suffer from the same flaws Discovery does. The incoherent script quality puts it all over the place. I hope they'll be able to work out the kinks in Season 2.

With further consideration I'd like to add that Picard seems to be at its best when it focuses on "quiet character drama" (e.g. the episodes Remembrance, Nepenthe).

The farther the show deviates from that formula the likelier it is that it turns into an incoherent mess filled with worn-out action movie clichés (see the stupid Seven/Narissa catfight in the final episode). Picard really isn't that good doing action episodes.

[Lumine]

That was a frustrating finale, certainly. Good in some aspects, incomprehensible in others.

As far as first seasons go Picard is certainly going to rank above other Star Trek counterparts (god are there lots of bad first seasons), but it can be frustrating to realize it could have been so much better without requiring too many alterations.

With further consideration I'd like to add that Picard seems to be at its best when it focuses on "quiet character drama" (e.g. the episodes Remembrance, Nepenthe).

I strongly agree with that, and action is really not what the show should - ideally - be about.

If anything, one of the many reasons why the TNG movies are so bad and unpresentative of the show is that they ramp up the action (which on by itself isn't very credible) to excessive levels, turning Picard into something that he's not (allegedly at Stewart's behest, who wanted to be more of an action hero). A similar logic applies here, but to the show itself rather than the character.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I haven't posted in this thread before, but I did watch the show, and mostly liked it. I enjoyed most of the characters, although some (such as Narek) really started to piss me off eventually. I know a lot of lifelong Trekkies (I'm not one, although I like what I've seen of the other shows) really felt disoriented and even betrayed by the premise of Starfleet being infiltrated by a xenophobic hate group and the Federation taking an isolationist turn because of it, but I thought it was timely, and the show has plenty of characters in whom the Federation's ideals still live (from Picard himself on down).

I agree that the finale was kind of a mess, but it introduced some interesting ideas. Maybe the second season will do more with them.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I haven't posted in this thread before, but I did watch the show, and mostly liked it. I enjoyed most of the characters, although some (such as Narek) really started to piss me off eventually. I know a lot of lifelong Trekkies (I'm not one, although I like what I've seen of the other shows) really felt disoriented and even betrayed by the premise of Starfleet being infiltrated by a xenophobic hate group and the Federation taking an isolationist turn because of it, but I thought it was timely, and the show has plenty of characters in whom the Federation's ideals still live (from Picard himself on down).

I agree that the finale was kind of a mess, but it introduced some interesting ideas. Maybe the second season will do more with them.

Yeah, Starfleet apparently went full Trump/BoJo due to Russian Romulan infiltration.

[afleitch]

I liked the series as a whole. I think the finale touched on issues of fate and mortality in a very TNG way. I loved the new crew and I am genuinely excited for the next season.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I haven't posted in this thread before, but I did watch the show, and mostly liked it. I enjoyed most of the characters, although some (such as Narek) really started to piss me off eventually. I know a lot of lifelong Trekkies (I'm not one, although I like what I've seen of the other shows) really felt disoriented and even betrayed by the premise of Starfleet being infiltrated by a xenophobic hate group and the Federation taking an isolationist turn because of it, but I thought it was timely, and the show has plenty of characters in whom the Federation's ideals still live (from Picard himself on down).

I agree that the finale was kind of a mess, but it introduced some interesting ideas. Maybe the second season will do more with them.

Yeah, Starfleet apparently went full Trump/BoJo due to Russian Romulan infiltration.

I thought the Romulan infiltration aspect was kind of a cop-out tbh. Is it really that unbelievable that there's a bigoted, hateful political minority within the Federation with the means and motive for this sort of entryism?

[Tender Branson]

"Star Trek: Picard" is the dark reboot that boldly goes where nobody wanted it to

It is the year 2364, and Jean-Luc Picard – the revered captain of the USS Enterprise – has just come face to face with three humans who have been frozen in time since the late 20th century. By this point in the story – the 1988 finale of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation – he has met Klingons, Romulans, a pool of black goo, but nothing is as alien as these greedy, selfish relics.

This is Star Trek, after all: the pop-culture behemoth built on the idealistic future envisioned in the 60s by its creator Gene Roddenberry. “A lot has changed in the past 300 years,” Picard tells them. “People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We’ve eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We’ve grown out of our infancy.”

Or have we? Revisiting the character 30 years later in Star Trek: Picard, Patrick Stewart’s grand return to the role at the age of 79, it seems the world has not progressed as much as we were led to believe. Set during a time in which the Federation – a union of planets with shared democratic values and interests – has turned isolationist in response to a terror attack, it has proved to be a divisively dark, gritty and morally bleak take on the Star Trek universe. Episode five opens with a beloved character screaming as his eye is ripped out of his skull. In another scene, a Starfleet admiral tells Picard – the great, heroic captain Picard, a man whose voice is built like a beautiful cathedral – to “shut the f**k up”.

The reaction, understandably, has been mixed. Some fans welcome Star Trek being brought up to date with the look and feel of contemporary television. Others maintain that such pessimism is at odds with what makes Star Trek Star Trek. The showrunner Michael Chabon, responding to questions via his Instagram page, defended Picard against the latter claim by saying that “shadow defines light”, that “if nothing can rock the Federation’s perfection, then it’s just a magical land”. It is a sentiment that has been echoed in the past by Alex Kurtzman, the showrunner of the other ongoing series set in the same universe, Star Trek: Discovery. He justified its equally violent, profane and dark sensibility by maintaining that modern Star Trek is simply a reflection of its time.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/mar/27/star-trek-picard-is-the-dark-reboot-that-boldly-goes-where-nobody-wanted-it-to

Fully agree.

There were episodes where it strongly resembled the shi**y "Discovery", full with blinding lights (the Oh-Rizzo dialogue at the start of the season was so crappy and badly shot you couldn't even watch them without those blinding lights).

They should build on episodes like "Nepenthe" in Season 2.

[Tender Branson]

I give it a B to B-, but there’s lots of improvements to be made for the 2nd season in 2021.

[brucejoel99]

A.

[Tender Branson]

A.

I cannot rate it A because there were too many directing mistakes or Kurtzman-ish style errors.

For example, when Rizzo and Oh were speaking in the Starfleet room at the beginning of the Series, the whole room was flooded with light - blinding lights everywhere. You couldn’t even see the actors at some points. The same for „camera“/CGI shots in space. Those shots look very unprofessional.

[brucejoel99]

A.

I cannot rate it A because there were too many directing mistakes or Kurtzman-ish style errors.

For example, when Rizzo and Oh were speaking in the Starfleet room at the beginning of the Series, the whole room was flooded with light - blinding lights everywhere. You couldn’t even see the actors at some points. The same for „camera“/CGI shots in space. Those shots look very unprofessional.

Eh, production mistakes don't really faze as much as they should. I just really loved the show. It was an intriguing, exciting, fun ride. I enjoyed all of the characters & the overall story kept me on the edge of my seat.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

From what I've heard of it, it exemplified the worst of ST:TNG seasoned with a parody of the worst of ST:V'ger. I may still someday watch it, but I'm in no hurry to spend money to do so. At least it wasn't Discovery or Enterprise.

[RI]

Dreadful. F.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

B or low B+ as its own thing. I might revise it downwards once I see more of the previous Star Trek shows whose legacies it apparently did controversial things with.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

B or low B+ as its own thing. I might revise it downwards once I see more of the previous Star Trek shows whose legacies it apparently did controversial things with.

To say V'ger ever had a legacy worth worrying about is silly. TNG did have some passable moments, but its own movies did so much damage to its legacy already that we got the Abramsverse instead.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

B or low B+ as its own thing. I might revise it downwards once I see more of the previous Star Trek shows whose legacies it apparently did controversial things with.

To say V'ger ever had a legacy worth worrying about is silly.

In that case, I know a number of silly Star Trek fans.