Television Picard: The Final Frontier Just Doesn't End

[brucoe]

Maybe it's just me, but I haven't seen anything for the second season of Picard. I just wanted to say that with only one episode out so far, I am really liking the approach they are taking with the show (as I wasn't really a great fan of the first season with how negative it seemed to depict the state of Star Trek. For one thing, EVERYONE is in a Starfleet uniform, and I never really realized how important that was until I went through a whole season of semi-Star Trek.

 

Also, I love the direction this new season seems to be taking us (from the very end of the first episode). We'll have to see if it keeps carrying on this way.

[Captain Pickle]

Thanks for the reminder. Great first episode. I too did not love the first season 

[Jason]

I'm still very nervous about them doing another Q-Borg-timey-wimey story, there's so many ways for this to go wrong. But it was nice not having the Federation itself being portrayed as rotten to the core like it was in season 1. It seems like this was supposed to be a multi-year jump from the end of the previous season given that Space Legolas is graduating from the Academy? But I like how they seem to be soft rebooting some of the worst of the first season out of the show.

[BloodyHell]

So far, this has been really good.

Discovery and Picard S1 weren't my thing, im hoping this season and Strange New Worlds  changes that.

[BloodyHell]

Thursdays episode had an incredible ending. I really like where this season is going. It's a very nice course correct after S1. I'm also very much looking forward to Strange New Worlds.

 

Discovery really never clicked with me. Nothing about it really felt like Star Trek, except for their mirror universe episodes. I hated what the federation became, and the whole rebuilding what was lost trope. I'm giving Season 4 a shot, four episodes in, and it's definitely a better show than it was before. I do like the characters. Burnham is a far better character than she was in S1&2. I always loved Saru. Tilly has grown on me. I really wish we'd see more about Detmer and Owosekun, and what their stories are. 

[brucoe]

1 hour ago, BloodyHell said:

Thursdays episode had an incredible ending. I really like where this season is going. It's a very nice course correct after S1. I'm also very much looking forward to Strange New Worlds.

 

Discovery really never clicked with me. Nothing about it really felt like Star Trek, except for their mirror universe episodes. I hated what the federation became, and the whole rebuilding what was lost trope. I'm giving Season 4 a shot, four episodes in, and it's definitely a better show than it was before. I do like the characters. Burnham is a far better character than she was in S1&2. I always loved Saru. Tilly has grown on me. I really wish we'd see more about Detmer and Owosekun, and what their stories are. 

The show has been hitting on all cylinders this season, and it's made me proud to say that I'm a Star Trek fan again. Discovery just hasn't done it for me (and I finished season four). For me, the problem with Discovery is that the crew is just filler. Practically every solution has to be handled by Burnham, and then when they get to the point of solving something, it usually involves a long, over-melodramatic arc that takes forever to get through as we're all sitting at home watching them be all touchy feely and just wishing they'd conclude like normal people do and not spend four hours of close-ups where they cry and babble about how much they love each other. And I'm fine with all of Kurtzman's woke garbage; I just want it to move on and get to the stuff that makes Star Trek be Star Trek.

 

Picard, on the other hand, is pushing the story along at a speed that makes you happy to be along for the ride, and all along they add tons of fan service content that you can easily miss (like revisiting the punk from Star Trek The Voyage Home in a fan service cameo that actually brings a smile and doesn't bog down the story). What's funny is that in season one, I hated Rios (the ship pilot/captain). In season two, he rocks and it's hard to believe it's the same character. And narratively, they're doing a great job of red herrings, where they seem to be moving in one specific direction only for us to find out that that's not where they're going. I'm four episodes in, and I'm actually anxious to see where they story takes us.

[BloodyHell]

3 hours ago, brucoe said:

The show has been hitting on all cylinders this season, and it's made me proud to say that I'm a Star Trek fan again. Discovery just hasn't done it for me (and I finished season four). For me, the problem with Discovery is that the crew is just filler. Practically every solution has to be handled by Burnham, and then when they get to the point of solving something, it usually involves a long, over-melodramatic arc that takes forever to get through as we're all sitting at home watching them be all touchy feely and just wishing they'd conclude like normal people do and not spend four hours of close-ups where they cry and babble about how much they love each other. And I'm fine with all of Kurtzman's woke garbage; I just want it to move on and get to the stuff that makes Star Trek be Star Trek.

 

Picard, on the other hand, is pushing the story along at a speed that makes you happy to be along for the ride, and all along they add tons of fan service content that you can easily miss (like revisiting the punk from Star Trek The Voyage Home in a fan service cameo that actually brings a smile and doesn't bog down the story). What's funny is that in season one, I hated Rios (the ship pilot/captain). In season two, he rocks and it's hard to believe it's the same character. And narratively, they're doing a great job of red herrings, where they seem to be moving in one specific direction only for us to find out that that's not where they're going. I'm four episodes in, and I'm actually anxious to see where they story takes us.

Yeah, my problem with discovery isn't the "woke" stuff. Trek has always been extremely progressive, but it just never feels like Star Trek.

 

And then, they are constantly adding new main characters without ever doing any justice to the actual crew. They brought in Tal and her GF in a story I don't care about at all, and seems shoehorned in for representation, while ignoring Detmer, the pilot, the black guy on comms. They write out Tilly, one of the most developed characters, and focus too much on the president. As you said, Burnham is not only the star, she's the whole focus, and it hurts the show. There is no real dynamic among the cast, the way there was with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. 

 

Also, the punk touching his neck was awesome 😆 

[BloodyHell]

Another interesting episode, but im wondering how fast the back end gas to move to finish this storyline. 4 episodes down, and we know nothing of Q's motives. It's only 8 episodes, right?

[elbobo]

10 episodes total I believe

[Chairslinger]

I suspect there is a bit of a shell game going on. I think Q might be the one trying to set things right and "Laris" is the baddie. This would explain her appearance. Trying to gain Picard's trust(and by extension the fans) by showing him someone he trusts. 

 

It's funny watching the new shows because after reading so many of the novels it can often be like seeing a funhouse mirror where there are similar chunks of story, but it's all jumbled up and mixed around.

 

The reason I say this is because I notice that Kristen Beyer is still one of the show runners on Picard. She is also one of the people almost solely responsible for the Voyager season 8 relaunch. I suspect this is one reason Seven showed up on the show. The reason this might be important for the current storyline is that a lot of fans may be expecting the Q we see now to follow from Q as we last saw him on TNG. But quite a few consequential things happened to Q after that on Voyager(not so much DS9  ). A Q committed suicide, there was a Civil War in the Continuum, Q got "married", and Q had a son.

 

I am thinking that last thing may play a big part here. It's been clear almost since that the beginning that something is wrong with Q. He is a bit mentally unstable and now his powers aren't working. I need to rewatch the first half of the season to see if I can lock down anymore ideas of what is going on. But that end scene credit last week where his powers didn't work to me felt like he may have been in the Continuum. The redhead with the book seemed perhaps symbolic of something. Q's wife, or whatever you want to call her, was a redhead. Not sure if there is a connection there, but the book had Son in the title. Notice how Q gets a little emotional when he was talking to Soong about children this week.

 

I think Q's son is in danger or maybe even something already happened to him. Perhaps it has something to do with the timeline. And that's why Q is acting erratic. I thought Q smacking Picard was a great touch. Over all the years and all the stuff Q did to Picard pretty sure he he never hit him. I think Q would have considered it beneath him to do so. In a small way it said a lot about the current state of his character that he did that. Seems like there might be some struggle going on between some of the omnipotent beings in the galaxy. Picard referenced the character from TOS, sadly it's one of the TOS episodes I am less aware of. After the events of Voyager I wouldn't be surprised it the Continuum as a whole is weakening. Did anyone else catch the reference in Discovery s4 that by their time in the future there has been no contact with the Q in something like 400 or 600 years? I am wondering if the Continuum might be destroyed completely or disappear somehow due to what happens in Picard season 2 and/or 3.

 

Didn't Picard mention that all he know of his Aunt Renee was that she was supposed to find life on IO or something? I wonder if she's not meant to go on the Gemini Mission and going on it will get her killed and keep her from being where she actually needs to be. Notice how they made it vague what Q actually wanted Soong to do to Renee. He didn't say kill her or anything.

 

Have really enjoyed this season. Whatever you think of season 1 and the different tone of Picard from TNG I think it's undeniable that Q fits like a glove here. His obfuscation and speaking in riddles really fits well with the show. And the heavier emphasis on the exploration of Picard's character fits because in the big picture that's really what most of the TNG Q episodes were about, as well.

[BloodyHell]

That more sounds like a reach to me. I highly doubt this has anything to do with the hokey q has a child storyline at all. Hopefully that is never referenced in trek again, imo.

And Q has always been erratic.

 

Not saying you're definitely wrong, but I don't believe it. I think this was humanities last trial through Q, but its also going to be a test for Q himself, but I don't think it will have anything to do with Voyagers history. Instead the conflict will somehow be directly related to All Good Things.

[Jason]

1 hour ago, BloodyHell said:

That more sounds like a reach to me. I highly doubt this has anything to do with the hokey q has a child storyline at all. Hopefully that is never referenced in trek again, imo.

And Q has always been erratic.

 

Not saying you're definitely wrong, but I don't believe it. I think this was humanities last trial through Q, but its also going to be a test for Q himself, but I don't think it will have anything to do with Voyagers history. Instead the conflict will somehow be directly related to All Good Things.

 

They're weirdly ignoring Voyager. Like the opportunity to have a throwaway line about "Tom taught me to drive".