Spoilers Picard Prequel "Children of Mars"

[Longinus]

Speaking as somebody who's been involved in the fan film production process I know that a very limited running time combined with budget constraints can present challenges in creating visuals. Sure, CBS has a metric ton more money than a fan film production team will ever have but the situation is similar.

Eight minutes, at least two of which is credits. Almost every scene takes place inside a building. One brief scene of two starships in drydock orbiting Utopia Planitia was not going to get the royal treatment from the CGI effects team. I don't like seeing them either, but nobody is going to pour that much resources into one brief shot in a short film that has a briefer running time than some experimental student films or YouTube rant videos about TROS.

I'm pretty forgiving about this. I wasn't expecting grandiose visuals from this thing.

It is mostly worrying only because Picard is in the production at the same time, and one should hope that they will be having some era appropriate ships, and by all reason Short Treks could have used those. That this didn't happen raises concerns about the production deign of Picard, which is a much bigger deal than this mini short.

 

[BillJ]

People who watch a show and care more about the ship design than plot or characterization just boggle my mind.

There simply wasn't much plot or characterization to care about. The entire thing was a pretty bare bones experience outside the last minute.

 

[Longinus]

Because it isn't their job to care about new meshes. It is their job to assign a budget to the project under whatever guidelines CBS gives them.

Yes, probably! Still doesn't change that fact that they didn't care and I wish that they had!

 

[Nerys Myk]

Yes, it is perfectly possible that CBS didn't grant Short Treks enough resources for new meshes. Even likely. And that means that the person at CBS who assigned those resources didn't care enough about there being mew meshes to assign appropriate budget! Seriously. The budget is not some act of god which randomly materialises out of nowhere and no person can affect that. This is human activity and at some point, at some level, someone made decisions. It feels utterly bizarre that I need to explain this, as it should be perfectly self evident..

You gonna keep going up the chain with this until it lands at Shari Redstone?

 

[Longinus]

You gonna keep going up the chain with this until it lands at Shari Redstone?

Well, ultimately yes.

 

[JD]

Honestly, not they probably didn't care about ship designs in the short. This was an 8 minute short that was basically one long add for Picard, they're not about to fork over the money needed to create entirely new ship designs for something this insignificant.
CBS doesn't have unlimited money, so they're not going to spend more money that is absolutely necessary on something like this.

 

[Nerys Myk]

There simply wasn't much plot or characterization to care about. The entire thing was a pretty bare bones experience outside the last minute.

I thought it was very effective in terms of characterization. Both the young actresses did a great job expressing themselves nonverbally.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Well, ultimately yes.

Well that's pretty sad.

 

[Longinus]

Honestly, not they probably didn't care about ship designs in the short. This was an 8 minute short that was basically one long add for Picard, they're not about to fork over the money needed to create entirely new ship designs for something this insignificant.

That is was 'add for Picard' is the exact reason why some people are a bit worried about this. We were expecting to see the first glimpses of the new and unseen late 24th century... instead we got got a Disco era episode with a face of Picard copypasted in the end.

 

[Nerys Myk]

That is was 'add for Picard' is the exact reason why some people are a bit worried about this. We were expecting to see the first glimpses of the new and unseen late 24th century... instead we got got a Disco era episode with a face of Picard copypasted in the end.

Nope.

 

[Longinus]

I though it was very effects in terms of characterization. Both the young actresses did a great job expressing themselves nonverbally.

They did! As I said earlier I really liked how the story was told almost completely without dialogue and the music adding to the atmosphere. Though it would have been better with the original version of the song! I want a fan edit of this with 24th century ships, LCARS and Bowie version of the Heroes! Then it would be perfect!

 

[BillJ]

As far as time frame goes, it is pretty ambiguous until we see Picard's head at the end. It honestly could've been from any point in time.

 

[Masiral]

I guess Gene Roddenberry didn't care that this just looked like a dog in a fur suit. Clearly he should have found more room in the budget.

 

[Longinus]

Nope.

Nope how? What in this episode told you it was set in different time than Discovery besides the ending? Because I really can't name one thing.

 

[ITDUDE]

Don’t know if it’s been stated before, but you can stream all of short treks for free from CTV site, as long as site believes you’re in Canada.
https://www.ctvscifi.ca/show/star-trek-short-treks/episode/children-of-mars/1795547/

 

[Longinus]

I guess Gene Roddenberry didn't care that this just looked like a dog in a fur suit. Clearly he should have found more room in the budget.

That is pretty decent alien dog costume given the technology of the era.

 

[fireproof78]

As far as time frame goes, it is pretty ambiguous until we see Picard's head at the end. It honestly could've been from any point in time.

Which is a facet of the story that I actually enjoy.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Nope how? What in this episode told you it was set in different time than Discovery besides the ending? Because I really can't name one thing.

Frankly I didn't notice the DISCO "references" so nothing said 23rd Century to me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Bowie version of the Heroes!

Did you want them to blow the entire budget on music?

 

[Alan Roi]

That is was 'add for Picard' is the exact reason why some people are a bit worried about this. We were expecting to see the first glimpses of the new and unseen late 24th century... instead we got got a Disco era episode with a face of Picard copypasted in the end.

I think we're going to find that the series has a more Disco (2020 instead of 1990) overall aesthetic to it than your preferred TNG-VOY the same way that Enterprise had a significant TNG-VOY feel to it even though it was set up as a prequel series before TOS because it was made in the 2000s and not in the 1960s.