News Brent Spiner Returned for "Picard" (and you could do the CGI better in 15 minutes, we get it)

[WarpFactorZ]

... I honestly don't want the Picard show to be TNG 2.0. Some revisiting of the old characters is inevitable, but I want the show to NOT be about the further adventures of the TNG crew.

From what I hear so far, it is thankfully not that.

For the Nth time: having some of the same characters make (extended) cameos does not make this TNG 2.0. Everyone is now 25 years on in their lives, and that's 25 years they've spent NOT working with each other on the Enterprise. I sincerely doubt that something will happen and Riker et al. will say "Quick! Let's all fall back under JLP's command and assume the duties we had a quarter century ago, ignoring our collective experiences since then!"

Jeez, that didn't even happen in AGT! Did Riker cede command to Picard? Even Beverly didn't! And they both got pissed off at him for even trying to be the old Picard giving orders.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

For the Nth time: having some of the same characters make (extended) cameos does not make this TNG 2.0.

True. Which is why I said revisiting some old characters is inevitable.

Maybe I wasn't clear in my post, but I agree that revisiting old characters is not necessarily the same as TNG 2.0.

 

[The Wormhole]

Maybe she got the tats, Romulus was destroyed, Nero got tats inspired by his dea wife, and it became the de facto mourn Romulus thing for the crew? (Who luckily had a tattooist with them.)
It’s not insurmountable, and I do t think I mind much either way. It’s an interesting bit of possibly canon, that also turns up in STO, since at launch they were trying to be on more or less the same page (litverse stuff was in early STO too, sometimes tweaked a little.)

The comic actually does specify that both shaving the head and getting a tattoo is part of a Romulan grieving ritual. Nero's wife has a tattoo but didn't shave her head in the movie, and doesn't have a tattoo at all in the comic.

 

[Tim Thomason]

No, because Romulus wasn’t destroyed yet.

The tattoo wasn't created to only use if Romulus was destroyed (that wouldn't make sense), it was a ritualistic tattoo used by some Romulans as a sign of mourning. Maybe Nero's wife had a miscarriage or a deceased twin sister or something. Maybe she was a big fan of Praetor Hiren.

 

[Dukhat]

Or maybe the comic just isn’t canon.

 

[jaime]

Or maybe the comic just isn’t canon.

Maybe. But the casting sheet looking for someone to portray an ‘expert in positronics’ leads heavy to Data being involved (maybe a search for Data....lots of little bits....or someone trying to sort out the Data B4 situation.) and Orci wrote both the comic and is overall in charge of the current set up. He seems to like regarding it as canon, and if anyone is likely to make it so...

Also, tbh, it’s fiddly with comics. They are drawn representations. They are never going to match what’s on screen visually, so you have to kind of go wit intent. I don’t think the tattoos were a deal breaker.

 

[Dukhat]

Maybe. But the casting sheet looking for someone to portray an ‘expert in positronics’ leads heavy to Data being involved (maybe a search for Data....lots of little bits....or someone trying to sort out the Data B4 situation.) and Orci wrote both the comic and is overall in charge of the current set up. He seems to like regarding it as canon, and if anyone is likely to make it so...

Also, tbh, it’s fiddly with comics. They are drawn representations. They are never going to match what’s on screen visually, so you have to kind of go wit intent. I don’t think the tattoos were a deal breaker.

Roberto Orci isn’t the showrunner for the Picard show, Alex Kurtzman is. And Orci did not regard the comic as canon; he only made a remark to that effect because the idiot interviewing him about the comic at the time wouldn’t stop pestering him about its canonicity until Orci was browbeaten to tell the guy what he wanted to hear.

All I’m saying is don’t expect anything in a ten year old tie-in comic which almost nobody read to be adhered to in this new show. If Spiner does show up as Data back from the dead and inexplicably older, alrighty then. But I doubt that’s going to happen just because a comic had him come back as B4.

 

[XCV330]

My suspicion is they'll have a hologram of Soong, if anything. if they're going to stack the decks with a back-slapping alumni-fest they should expect it to be about as successful as the TNG movies. They should just film a fan cruise or make a variety show, instead.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

My suspicion is they'll have a hologram of Soong, if anything. if they're going to stack the decks with a back-slapping alumni-fest they should expect it to be about as successful as the TNG movies. They should just film a fan cruise or make a variety show, instead.

No one cares about Soong or any other second rate character. It'll be Riker, Troi, and Crusher, most likely (maybe Data, but probably not). And they won't be stuck in their TNG careers and ranks. People move on in real life, especially after 25 years, and that's what we'll see with the characters in this show. Do you honestly not get that?

I'm personally very excited for this series, and I was anything but for the TNG movies. So, if others feel as I do, then the series will be quite successful.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

If Spiner does show up as Data back from the dead and inexplicably older, alrighty then...

The "inexplicable" part probably won't happen if he does return. Likely they will have a few quick lines of dialogue explaining why Data or B4 chooses to look older, and then just move on from there. I'd be fine with that.

 

[Dukhat]

No one cares about Soong or any other second rate character. It'll be Riker, Troi, and Crusher, most likely (maybe Data, but probably not). And they won't be stuck in their TNG careers and ranks. People move on in real life, especially after 25 years, and that's what we'll see with the characters in this show. Do you honestly not get that?

I'm personally very excited for this series, and I was anything but for the TNG movies. So, if others feel as I do, then the series will be quite successful.

What’s funny is that from 2364 (Encounter at Farpoint) to 2379 (Nemesis), none of these characters ‘moved on’ in any meaningful way. For 15 years they basically did the same thing in the same positions. Even after their first ship was destroyed, they just got a new one and went right back to the same old thing. This is not how things work in real life. Don’t get Star Trek confused with that.

 

[XCV330]

No one cares about Soong or any other second rate character. It'll be Riker, Troi, and Crusher, most likely (maybe Data, but probably not). And they won't be stuck in their TNG careers and ranks. People move on in real life, especially after 25 years, and that's what we'll see with the characters in this show. Do you honestly not get that?

I'm personally very excited for this series, and I was anything but for the TNG movies. So, if others feel as I do, then the series will be quite successful.

Other fans sharing your feelings have no bearing on the show's success. Do you honestly not get that? See what I did there? You like that?

STP was sold on the idea of it being a different kind of show. Supposedly that was the only reason Stewart took the role. For people who basically want a reunion series, they might not get what they want. For people who want a 25th century Trek series with Picard passing the torch (or holding on to it for a long time, since the show is named after him), they might not get what they want either if these rumors have any merit.

Thing is, hard core TNG fans will love catching up with the old cast. But that won't be enough to make it thrive, and I'll add: they were never that strong of a cast, anyway. Stewart carried a lot of water for everyone else. Frakes is a good director, but I don't see what benefit would be had from including too many others. It will being the quality down, just as much as thinking they could all work well in a cinematic environment. Modern TV is closer to cinema than the first run syndication environment TNG occurred in.

They had their moment. It was called Nemesis. Then they had another moment, TATV. They've intercoursed film AND the ending of another series with their reunions. Can't that be enough?

 

[El Maestro]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I am of the belief that it is certainly possible to have some other TNG character cameos AND still make the show with a different tone/not have the cameo-based fan service take over the show. NOT catching up with the other cast, even a little bit, will be a super weird way to do this show.

Nemesis and TATV were such odd and mostly bad things that you can't blame TNG fans for wanting something else/more. Also, criticizing TNG fans as demanding is a little rich given how the franchise has been stuck in the grip of single-minded TOS nostalgia (that I have enjoyed) at the expense literally all other aspects of the franchise.

 

[Tomalak]

What’s funny is that from 2364 (Encounter at Farpoint) to 2379 (Nemesis), none of these characters ‘moved on’ in any meaningful way. For 15 years they basically did the same thing in the same positions. Even after their first ship was destroyed, they just got a new one and went right back to the same old thing. This is not how things work in real life. Don’t get Star Trek confused with that.

The TOS crew apparently all stayed together for 30 years, except for Chekov's brief stint on the Reliant, until Sulu got the Excelsior. The TNG guys did a bit better than that!

 

[cbl1]

This is awesome!

 

[WarpFactorZ]

What’s funny is that from 2364 (Encounter at Farpoint) to 2379 (Nemesis), none of these characters ‘moved on’ in any meaningful way. For 15 years they basically did the same thing in the same positions. Even after their first ship was destroyed, they just got a new one and went right back to the same old thing. This is not how things work in real life. Don’t get Star Trek confused with that.

Well, 7 of those 13 years were a television series with 130+ episodes, and it wouldn't have made sense to have people "move on" from that. After that, there were four adventures. Now those COULD have followed the "movin' on up" idea for many of the crew, but there were a number of problems. Most glaringly, they were made by the same crew who made the series, starting WHILE the series itself was wrapping production.

STP, however, is being billed as something different. I'll take their word for it and see how that unfolds.

Other fans sharing your feelings have no bearing on the show's success. Do you honestly not get that? See what I did there? You like that?

Huh?

STP was sold on the idea of it being a different kind of show.

And it sucks that it didn't work out that way, right?

Supposedly that was the only reason Stewart took the role.

It's my understanding that Stewart has a lot of creative control over this project, so if someone appears, it's likely with his consent. He's far from a hapless victim here.

 

[jaime]

Roberto Orci isn’t the showrunner for the Picard show, Alex Kurtzman is. And Orci did not regard the comic as canon; he only made a remark to that effect because the idiot interviewing him about the comic at the time wouldn’t stop pestering him about its canonicity until Orci was browbeaten to tell the guy what he wanted to hear.

All I’m saying is don’t expect anything in a ten year old tie-in comic which almost nobody read to be adhered to in this new show. If Spiner does show up as Data back from the dead and inexplicably older, alrighty then. But I doubt that’s going to happen just because a comic had him come back as B4.

Lol. I guess I kind of merged them into one being. Probably because I haven’t followed the production post voyager trek with a tenth as much interest as Pre.

 

[BillJ]

I'm personally very excited for this series, and I was anything but for the TNG movies. So, if others feel as I do, then the series will be quite successful.

In all honesty, one of the things that excited me about the Picard series was that we were going to separate the character from the nostalgia safety net to go in a new direction. That we were going to get to see a character move on from his "TV" life and onto new things. If this is just a reunion special with new comm badges, they can save it and I can just watch TNG on Blu-ray.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

In all honesty, one of the things that excited me about the Picard series was that we were going to separate the character from the nostalgia safety net to go in a new direction. That we were going to get to see a character move on from his "TV" life and onto new things. If this is just a reunion special with new comm badges, they can save it and I can just watch TNG on Blu-ray.

IT IS NOT JUST A REUNION SHOW!! I give up....

 

[BillJ]

IT IS NOT JUST A REUNION SHOW!! I give up....

You don't know that. Originally, no one was supposed to be appearing from TNG. Now we have Riker, Data, and who knows who else...

Just because they started in one direction, doesn't mean that things don't change along the way. CBS could've came in and redirected the show. Who knows until it comes out?