Spoilers Picard 1x1, "Remembrance"

[Anna Yolei]

I have to disagree...there is dialogue addressing every point you mention in your first paragraph in the first episode. It does assume some degree of familiarity, but then...it’s Captain Picard. Even outside of Trek circles it’s an iconic character.

Confession time: I haven't watched much of Original Trek beyond the 6 movies, apart from a few of the more iconic episodes. I was able to follow those movies and get the gist for that cast just fine, and Picard had those same vibes as that. I could show this to my nephew without forcing him to sit through TNG every day after school and discussing it to death like my own aunt did, like geez I'm 12, lemme watch the Disney Afternoon FFS.

*AHEM*

Anyway, yeah. We get enough backstory to describe the type of man he is and why he was so revered. The scene with the reporter and his correction of the "Romulans lives" bit shows us who he is and what he stands for without having to know of his defense of Data in season two or his own personal struggle to respect Hugh's autonomy and defy Starfleet's request to commit genocide to a people who had violated him the season before.

Now, if this were, say, a spin off on post DS9 Kira Nerys or Harry Kim* or a series following Trip Tucker's novel adventures, then yeah the audience might need a few more details to get invested, but the majority of folks tuning in will have some passing familiarity already.

*To be fair, the poor bloke was so shafted in canon, even Trek fans would need a lot more backstory in such a case

 

[jaime]

so you're saying that midway through the movie Holden didn't convince /emotionally blackmail Alyssa into a sexual relationship that only didn't last because of his own insecurities?

Anyway, that has nothing to do with PIC, so let's move on

I agree, it’s OT, but no, no he didn’t. That’s the point in most of the story. There’s a lot of good articles out there on it, including some looking at Alyssa as bi-sexual. The scene in the cafe with her friends basically deals with that too.

 

[Crewman6]

Genes vision was fountains of cum and triple breasted betazoids by that point allegedly.
It’s more complex than that, and both the pure ‘genes vision’ but especially the ‘gene drank his own kool aid’ camp have got it wrong. For a start the groundwork for Trek as utopia is right there in TOS, but people get excited by Mudds Women and whathaveyou. Then there’s the TMP novelisation really setting the course.

There are few very references in TOS to the world being a "perfect, futuristic utopia." They barely even talk about what life on Earth/the rest of the Fed is like.

The "utopia" is implied almost exclusively through a cast of ethnically diverse people all working together. Which is great and all, but it's not like TOS had this grand, unified statement about the future of humanity.

But, by TNG's time, Gene had been drinking his own utopian kool-aid for decades and decided that Star Trek characters were perfect. I just read an interview from a few years ago where Ron Moore and Ira Behr lament dealing with Gene over "Family" - Gene thought "brothers would never disagree in the future!" and how Gene nixed Ira Behr's original pitch for "Captain's Holiday", which was about Picard confronting his fears of aging.

So, sadly, Gene's nonsense was in full-force during his time on TNG, even after he had stepped back from day-to-day participation.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Also, if Seven shows up and they don’t tell us what happened to the Doctor after synthetics were outlawed, the script is incomplete.

 

[BillJ]

On top of all that, I think just the premiere alone has opened up an era ripe for fan fiction, especially since it is explicitly not focused on Starfleet. It's a boon, really.

Oh boy! More evil Starfleet and Section 31 fan fiction headed our way!

 

[jaime]

This was one of the best episodes of Star Trek I've ever seen, and definitely the best premiere (sorry, DS9, I love you, but "Emissary" just got edged out). It was glorious.

I'm glad that Sir Pat Stew and Kurtzman kept their promise to not make Picard TNG 2.0. We've already had two mediocre copies of TNG--no need for any more, even with the original cast.

There were lots of references to the Berman era, but all of them fit within the narrative. Having a lot of them occur in dream sequences was a stroke of genius on the writers' part.

I like the Romulans (Rihannsu) much better here than in the Berman era. They seem much closer to their TOS roots so far, with just a hint of Diane Duane's characterization sprinkled in.

On top of all that, I think just the premiere alone has opened up an era ripe for fan fiction, especially since it is explicitly not focused on Starfleet. It's a boon, really.

I felt it was too short and incomplete on its own to edge out any of the eighties/nineties pilots. But..maybe once I have episode 2. XD

 

[Krandor]

He doesn't necessarily have a role to play. It was necessary to touch on B4 as backstory, since he would be the only plausible story link they could use between Data and Dahj. (Well, Lore, but they're clearly ignoring that for now.)

I would be shocked if B4 is brought up again, except possibly in passing reference to how the Dahj twins were created.

Well see but I’m expecting something like.

“if we could only do (insert technobabble) then we could fix this”. “Wait...b4...isn’t he still at daystom institute”. “Yeah he’s be perfect”.

Maybe followed by Starfleet isn’t going to let them
Just walk in anymore and now they need to break in.

just a thought but something I could see.

 

[Hythlodeus]

I like the Romulans (Rihannsu) much better here than in the Berman era.

Agreed. And, praise Chabon and the costume and make up department, not only are the Dynasty-era shoulder pads gone, but also those ugly forehead bumps that never made sense anyway limited to a more subtle appliance

 

[BillJ]

Also, if Seven shows up and they don’t tell us what happened to the Doctor after synthetics were outlawed, the script is incomplete.

Possibility they parted company after Voyager got home and lost track of each other.

 

[Crewman6]

I will not be surprised if we see the real Data again and if he can appear then so can Lore.

The real Data is space dust. Let's keep him that way.

His body was yes, he may have had a backup plan beyond B4 as he must have known that B4's positronic matrix was not advanced enough and came up with an alternative.

When? How? Why? We know that even Data was incapable of creating a fully functioning positronic brain, hence Lal's death. And that just downloading his "memories" and/or personality into a standard computer wouldn't be the same ("Measure of a Man.")

So, no on this one, too.

 

[fireproof78]

And how will you know if it stands on its own if you won't watch it?

How could you, if you won't watch one of them?

Of course, you're free to choose not to watch. But I'm finding all of the recent drama-bordering-on-martyrdom about choosing not watch a bit tiresome.

You're right, of course.

 

[cooleddie74]

Also, if Seven shows up and they don’t tell us what happened to the Doctor after synthetics were outlawed, the script is incomplete.

Would a sentient hologram be a "Synth," though? It's light beams and force fields and not a physical being that's part or all technology taken from past scientists who toyed with creating an artificial human being.

 

[Lord Garth]

I think it shows how insidious the fear that invaded the Federation is. They shut down a mentally-handicapped AI.

I hadn't thought about it like that. You're right.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Possibility they parted company after Voyager got home and lost track of each other.

Maybe, but I’m guessing she’d still be pissed if he was forcefully decommissioned for the crimes of other artificial life forms.

I have friends I haven’t seen for years. I’d still be pissed if they got dragged off to death camps.

 

[BillJ]

Did they lift the AI ban from Mass Effect?!

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Would a sentient hologram be a "Synth," though? It's light beams and force fields and not a physical being that's part or all technology taken from past scientists who toyed with creating an artificial human being.

He is artificially sentient, he just doesn’t have a physical body.

 

[Crewman6]

The real Data is space dust. Let's keep him that way.

Would a sentient hologram be a "Synth," though? It's light beams and force fields and not a physical being that's part or all technology taken from past scientists who toyed with creating an artificial human being.

No, it wouldn't be. Needless references to characters not appearing in the show or having any connection to its events are pointless and shouldn't happen.

 

[Crewman6]

Possibility they parted company after Voyager got home and lost track of each other.

Seven hates Facebook, since she knows social media is how the Borg were originally created.

 

[BillJ]

Would a sentient hologram be a "Synth," though? It's light beams and force fields and not a physical being that's part or all technology taken from past scientists who toyed with creating an artificial human being.

Can it still lower Federation defenses and attack with its own will? If so, then I think it would be banned.

 

[thribs]

Since when did the Federation get obsessed with robots anyway? Don’t they have enough people as it is for the jobs?